Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Their Debut Album

Concert Review

Apr 14

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - *All photos by Goody James*

These days, there are plenty of online music magazines that are similar to (yet not as good as) In Spite. But back in 2005, most people still got their music news from physical publications that were printed on paper: you know, that flat, white, flammable stuff that can give you annoying little cuts on your fingers. Music blogs and online journalism were just taking off and introducing the world to a new generation of artists in the process.

Among the first of these musicians to experience this new type of “internet fame” was Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, a Philidelphia-based indie rock band led by singer-songwriter Alec Ounsworth. Despite not having an official record deal in the United States, the band initially sold around 20,000 copies of their eponymous debut album. The release was met with much acclaim from various online music publications and MP3 blogs, which played a substantial role in skyrocketing the band to fame. It wasn’t long before they Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were seen on late night TV and even heard on an episode of “The Office.”

This June will mark 20 years since “Clap Your Hands Say Yeah” was released. To mark the occasion, Ounsworth and his band are performing across the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s self-titled debut album

On April 8, they played at The Regent in Downtown Los Angeles with support from the folk-rock duo Babehoven. Babehoven played a mellow, relatively low-volume set that showcased vocalist Maya Bon’s soft melodies and featured more than a few catchy songs. They’ll be opening up for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at their tour stops through next week.

The anticipation was palpable when the house lights finally dimmed and a drum machine started pumping through the sound system. Although the crowd was diverse, a large percentage looked to be millennials who fondly remember simpler times, when car radios still had CD players and people read full articles.

Ounsworth led the band in an entirely different, guitar-driven version of the album’s first song, “Clap Your Hands,” than he recorded over two decades ago. While he is a prolific songwriter, Ounsworth has not shied away from reworking new arrangements for old songs throughout his career. The band also played a new version of an instrumental track, “Sunshine And Clouds (And Everything Proud).” Revisiting a few of these songs in different styles added another dimension to the album’s anniversary celebration.

Of course, the band played other songs much more closely to how they sound on the album, such as “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth” and “Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood.” Even the venue’s bartenders were dancing by the end of the album’s tracklist, which the band then followed with more selections from Ounsworth’s discography.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will be touring throughout this Summer and Fall. Old and new fans can look forward to hearing exactly how much Ounsworth’s distinctive voice still sounds like it did on the band’s debut record. The fact that these songs are still relevant 20 years after they were released is a testament to the inventive and timeless songwriting behind Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.