- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
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Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 
Robbie Guertin, Tyler Sargent, Alec Ounsworth, Sean Greenhalgh and Lee SargentBackground information Origin Brooklyn, New York, United States Genres Indie rock Years active 2005–present Labels Wichita Associated acts Uninhabitable Mansions, Radical Dads, Flashy Python Website clapyourhandssayyeah.com Members Alec Ounsworth
Robbie Guertin
Lee Sargent
Tyler Sargent
Sean GreenhalghClap Your Hands Say Yeah (often abbreviated CYHSY) is an American indie rock group based in Brooklyn, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their debut album, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, was self-released in 2005.
Contents
History
The band, whose members met years earlier at Connecticut College, formed in the beginning of 2004 and played shows in Manhattan and Brooklyn.[1] They are notable for achieving their initial fame and commercial success via the internet rather than through a record label. Shortly after the release of their first album, they received attention from numerous MP3 blogs and a favorable review from Pitchfork Media, who gave the band a "Best New Music" commendation. The ensuing demand for the album was so great that the band was forced to repress the CD, as the initial production run was too small. They garnered even more press after David Bowie and David Byrne were spotted at some of the band's shows in 2005.[2][3]
On October 3, 2005, they were signed to Wichita Recordings in the UK.
The band members live in Brooklyn, with the exception of Ounsworth who lives in Philadelphia.
The band released their second album, Some Loud Thunder on January 29, 2007, in the UK, and January 30, 2007, in the United States. Alec Ounsworth has said that he plans to professionally record some of his older songs for a solo release before moving CYHSY onward.
On September 18, 2007, Live at Lollapalooza 2007: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was released on iTunes. It features the band's complete live set from Lollapalooza, professionally recorded on August 4, 2007.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah appeared in the 2008 film, The Great Buck Howard.[4] On January 21, 2009, it was reported that CYHSY abandoned plans to head to the studio to record their third full-length album, and are "taking a break" while the band members pursue side projects.[5] The public hiatus was to take official effect after the band performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on February 13, 2009, however, on March 4, they performed a new song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, titled "Statues". The hiatus was later disproved when the band was signed on to headline the University of Texas in Austin's 40 Acres Fest in April 2009. It was reported the band were working with producer John Congleton at Water Music in New Jersey on the long awaited third album.
Alec Ounsworth released his solo debut, Mo Beauty, in late 2009 while concurrently releasing Skin and Bones, the debut album with his other band Flashy Python. Robbie and Tyler have been playing in another project called Uninhabitable Mansions,[6] along with Annie Hart from Au Revoir Simone. They have released a 7 inch and also an album, titled Nature Is a Taker. Robbie also plays drums in another band, Radical Dads.[7]
Recently drummer Sean Greenhalgh has been producing records for a number of bands including Takka Takka, Conversion Party, Sam Izdat, Radial Dads, and Tom McBride.
In 2008, Lee and Tyler Sargent performed on James Lavino's score to the Alex Karpovsky film Woodpecker. The soundtrack also featured performances by Radiohead bass player Colin Greenwood.[8]
May 2011 brought news the third album, reassuring fans that they had not broken up. Scheduled to be released in September 2011,[dated info] the album will be titled Hysterical, and will be produced by John Congleton. It was announced via a post on the band's official website with a video of the band rehearsing a few new songs from the album in the studio. The release date for Hysterical was announced to be September 20 for the US and September 12 for the UK. A track from the forthcoming album can be downloaded for free on their official website. A vinyl reissue of a remastered edition of the first album, to be released on June 14, was also announced.
A music video for "Maniac" was made by Belgian director Pieter Dirkx. It was released on September 14, 2011.
Members
- Alec Ounsworth – guitar, vocals
- Robbie Guertin – guitar, keyboard, backing vocals
- Lee Sargent – guitar, keyboard, backing vocals
- Tyler Sargent – bass, backing vocals
- Sean Greenhalgh – drums, percussion
Discography
Albums
- 2005: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (JPN #44, UK #26)
- 2007: Some Loud Thunder (US #47, JPN #40, UK #45)
- 2011: Hysterical (UK #198[9])
Live albums
- 2007: Live at Lollapalooza 2007: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (iTunes release)
EPs
- 2006: Fall 2006 Tour EP (with Architecture in Helsinki and Takka Takka)
Singles
- 2005: "Is This Love?" (UK #74)
- 2006: "In This Home on Ice" (UK #68)
- 2006: "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth" (UK limited vinyl – 1500 copies) (UK #149)
- 2007: "Satan Said Dance" (released 19 February)
- 2011: "Maniac" (released as a free download on 25 July)
References
- ^ Clap Your Hands Say Yeah website, past shows section
- ^ Newell, Aaron (June 25, 2005). "Cokemachineglow review of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah". CokemachineGlow. http://www.cokemachineglow.com/reviews/cyhsy_2005.html. (includes mention of David Bowie sighting)
- ^ "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, meet David Byrne". Brooklyn Vegan. August 10, 2005. http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2005/08/clap_your_hands_7.html. David Byrne sighting at the Seaport Music Festival.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Pitchfork article on CYHSY break
- ^ http://www.uninhabitablemansions.com/
- ^ http://www.myspace.com/newerbetterfathers
- ^ Pitchfork.com article
- ^ http://zobbel.de/cluk/110924cluk.txt
External links
Categories:- American indie rock groups
- Musical groups established in 2004
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