Posted: 04/18/07

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Higher Ground April 12

Patrick Smith | contributing writer
psmith4@smcvt.edu

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah during their April 12 concert at Higher Ground. (Patrick Smith, photo)

If Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s second release Some Loud Thunder was a slight step down from its debut album, band members have taken enough lessons away from it to improve their live show from their last performance at Higher Ground. Taking the stage around ten o’clock, the band was welcomed by a highly enthusiastic crowd, a number of which had been warmed up thoroughly by openers Elvis Perkins in Dearland. From the first song, it was clear that this was a band that was performing tighter and with more energy. Though CYHSY opened with the title track of Some Loud Thunder, the hour long set was comprised of mostly older songs, with a few of the stronger new ones sprinkled throughout.

The benefit the new album brought was noticeable early on, the band wasn't completely beholden to playing complete retreads of album cuts. “Yankee Go Home” was just as strong live as it is on the album, a much different experience than last year’s sloppy show. It is a more complicated song, and provided room for expansion and changes. The band applied this approach to a number of the older tracks, putting in some variation which had been lacking.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah played an enjoyable, if uninvolving, show. (Patrick Smith, photo)

After “Yankee Go Home,” as if they hadn’t already won over as much of the crowd as they could, the band launched into what is its most fun, if not its best new song, “Satan Said Dance.” The already energetic and enthusiastic crowd responded by increasing said adjectives (as nouns). Once again, CYHSY didn’t shy away from distortion and attempts towards shredding that were previously painfully lacking from its live show.

The added touch of freedom in CYHSY's performance was noticeable, but its weaknesses were shown during one of their best songs, "Is This Love." Back to back, “Satan Said Dance” and “Is This Love” are intense, energetic songs that the crowd loved, yet the band didn’t care for. The energy in the music didn't transfer into this performance. The band members held back and couldn't be bothered to show much emotion. It was often as if they were just performing some songs for the crowd to enjoy, without putting on a show to be noticed.

Besides a few attempts at conversation by one of the keyboardist/guitarists, CYHSY simply isn’t an interactive band. Band members had no problem all turning their backs away from the crowd at the same time, letting the crowd do their thing, while they did their own. With very few attempts at what became awkward chatter in between songs, front man Alec Ounsworth led the band in a near non-stop march from one song to the next, rarely bothering with cohesiveness. Vocally, the strained, almost whiny, style present on the albums, becomes completely unintelligible at times live, as it slips closer and closer to carelessness than an affected craft.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah lead singer Alec Ounsworth decides to face the crowd . (Patrick Smith, photo)

However, there is no denying that a good portion of the crowd enjoyed the show massively and weren’t put off by the short set. It was a young crowd that mostly wanted to dance to fun, loud songs. The large number of girls present managed to produce a number of the higher pitched screams that aren’t usually to be found at an indie rock show. Their energy was sustainable, and the final song of the encore “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth” was met with some of the loudest cheers and severe dancing of the night.

Yet, it also remains that the show was better and the songs longer than the album versions. Every once and a while, the band pushed the performance a little. Though singing through a megaphone isn’t rock's most original act, especially after the Flaming Lips, it remains fun. The most telling incident of their ability to lean towards something else came when the Dearland portion of Elvis Perkins in Dearland joined band members on stage for a song. CYHSY was able to almost totally let them take over, showing partially its comfort with a little variety, but also, how impressive the openers really were.

To open the show, Perkins took to the stage without his backing band, Dearland, gave a tentative call for them to join him, then started playing. In an incredibly slow, casual procession, each member came on stage a little bit after the previous member, seeming to join in whenever they felt like it. The fact that they managed to do this without any faults was a glimpse at how comfortable Deerland is as a group.

After the initial welcome to the show, Perkins set an optimistic tone for the night, prefacing the song “All the Night Without Love” with a claim that it wouldn’t describe that night at all. This song also begun with what would be their one mistake of the night, a falling accordion. The music kept on while the accordionist fumbled to get it back on his table, and ensure its safety, meeting smiles and cheers from crowd and band when he did.

A solo artist without a band on his first release, Elvis Perkins benefited from the presence of Deerland. The drums and upright bass and accordion, all present on the album were infused with a new charismatic energy, playing off of each other. Deerland's ability to switch to horns or other instruments as necessary added to their impressiveness. Though Perkins can carry his vocal responsibilities without any help, Deerland provided it anyways, adding to the group feeling. The loose, yet totally cohesive feel made it clear that this is not an easily replaceable backing band, these are people who work well together, and are better for it.

Opening act Elvis Perkins in Deerland was the band worth covering. (Patrick Smith, photo)

The pure energy and enthusiasm Perkins and Deerland were able to bring became incredibly clear when they played the folky “May Day.” It garnered cheers from the members of the crowd who knew the material, and afterwards got more cheers from those who hadn’t loved the song already. The next song, a new one simply titled “Hey,” brought out the marching drum. The drummer left his kit and jumped and bounced around, playing his marching drum the whole while. The invitation beforehand to the crowd to shout out “Hey” whenever they felt inclined was well-met by the crowd and well-received by the band. After this, Elvis Perkins in Dearland ensured that it had new fans and sold some albums that night. In a similar way, Perkins' interaction with the crowd was enjoyable, and his invitation to people to come shake hands with them after the show turned out to be sincere.

The few remaining songs showed no slip, their energy and the songs remaining strong throughout their set. The one other new song showed that Perkins is giving people a lot to look forward to in another album. The attractive strangeness and obscurity isn’t going anywhere either, with Perkins introducing it as a “metaphysical love song” called “Shampoo.” For the final song, yet another new one, two members of CYHSY joined them onstage, to provide some more guitar. It was darker than the rest, yet still as good. It was called “Doomsday” and Perkins told everyone he hoped to see them there. With his playing, that wouldn't be so bad.