The term ‘formulaic’ is a sweeping term, a general overview of what something is without specifics concerning whether or not its re-hashing of a used formula is good or bad. It’s a term that comes up quite a bit when one speaks of contemporary music and it’s probability for success. Some may say when speaking of a band they hate that their music is a complete rip-off of every genre that came before it, leaving nothing new to be discovered. Others may say when speaking of a band they enjoy that the music is a wonderful ode to the past, an eclectic mix of influences if you will. Both of these descriptions fall directly under the blanket term ‘formulaic’. So, it is in light of this fact that one must realize that there is such a thing as a functional formulaic band and a dysfunctional formulaic band. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Brooklyn, New York’s newest indie show stopper, is, unfortunately, a dysfunctional formulaic band.
Their influences span from many different genre’s and cover a lot of ground historically but their inability to create a well-oiled amalgam of these influences makes their debut self-released, self-titled album just as unsatisfying as it is historically correct. Combining sounds that span from the desolate noise of the Velvet Underground with the clever simplicity of Morrissey and the Smiths, CYHSY cannot be slighted for their courageous approach to the creative process. They do, however, lack any semblance of a mission statement in their music, which leaves the listener uncertain of what the connections between their songs may be.
This album is full of hooks and interesting chord changes that are annoyingly overshadowed by lead singer/guitar player Alec Ounworth’s shaky and treble packed vocals. It is not that his vocals do not work because they are high pitched and scattered, they do not work because of his complete and painfully apparent lack of cadence in any of their songs save ‘In This Home on Ice’, which is their most impressive effort on this album. Whereas David Byrne was able to create hooks with his lyrical presentation, Ounsworth seems as though he is indecisive as to which direction he wants to take with the lyrics he has written and the songs that his band have created to go with them. This is not to say that his lyrics are bad, it is simply stating that in the genre that they have chosen, how you sing your words is equally as important as what the words themselves represent.
The music itself is very intriguing in the sense that it’s dissonant feel creates a soothingly linear landscape that, with the effective usage of Ounsworth’s slick guitar playing, acts as a beautiful homage to all of the quietest intonations of punk music. It’s almost like listening to Wire with ear muffs on. This fact makes it all the more apparent that though they respect their elders, they do not fully grasp the reasons behind why their elders were such ground breaking musicians. That is to say, with every great dedication to the band’s of yore that they dictate, they lose more and more of their identity. This band does not leave a lasting impression nor do they really make any kind of strong attempt to free themselves from their influences.
The album itself tries very hard to be conceptual, but it becomes quite obvious as the songs continue on that there is no concept to be had within their music. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are unfortunately just another New York City band trying to sound like they are from New York City (in the sense that most every indie-rock band to jump out of New York in the past five years has worn their coolness and popularity among hipsters on their sleeves) and it is because of this fact that they will most likely fade away much sooner than one would expect. Their formula is poisoned simply because they are not trying hard enough to come into their own. They are simply using the well treaded ground of their forefathers as a simplified path to a surefire yet shortly lived success on the inside loop of the east coast music scene. |