Previously seemingly destined to a life as mid-00’s indie coulda-beens; Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are still clinging on with ‘Little Moments’ marking their fifth proper release. Following the departure of three fifths of the band, the newly slimmed-down New York duo have stuck a stiff middle finger up at their former compatriots and their former jangly guitar-based indie roots, and have instead seemingly discovered the demo settings on their Casio keyboard.
Alongside post-rock, electronic music is seemingly the go-to destination for musicians to create a pretentious side-project or new direction – though few actually achieve this with any of the subtlety each genre requires. Electronic music is an art form, and on this evidence CYHSY are far from aficionados. While the AlunaGeorges of the world perfect the art of simplifying beats and synths to their core components, CYHSY have instead just created four tracks of meandering, repetitive synth loops sort of like lift music for the Millennium Falcon. Alec Ounsworth’s trademark warbling vocals are still present, but against this new backdrop they end up sounding more like the unintelligible ramblings of an Owl City demo, recorded hastily after one too many down the pub.
The 00’s were an odd time for indie music, as the scene flooded with major label carbon copies of The Next Big Thing. Back in those days, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah seemed to show promise as something more innovative and heartfelt, and it’s a shame to see how far they’ve fallen. While they’re not quite gone yet, this won’t do much to drag them back to their former scene stars status. Maybe it’s time to pick up a guitar again, and leave the synths to the professionals.
TOM CONNICK