The expectations for Some Loud Thunder, the second self-produced recording from Brooklyn-based indie outfit Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, have been felt ever since the group's first album stirred up enough internet buzz to force the group from veritable obscurity to superstardom. That album (the self-titled Clap Your Hands Say Yeah), though excellent, received far more attention than it deserved from both the press and public. Since weathering the storm of publicity that followed, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah has concentrated on making a storm of their own with the recording of Some Loud Thunder.
All bad puns aside, most of the tracks presented on this disc can't be considered exactly superb. Seemingly unique and original recording tricks are often no more than a feeble attempt to embellish lackluster material. The track "Satan Said Dance" sounds like an 11-year-old who's just discovered the loop function on his brand new toy keyboard. "Some Loud Thunder," the album's title track, cheapens an otherwise good song by intentionally recording the song poorly with peaked microphone levels and distorted drums and vocals.
Throughout the beginning and middle of the album, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah attempts to recapture the formula which provided such an enjoyable, energizing listen on their previous disc. Singer Alec Ounsworth's shaky vocal nuances, off-kilter instrumentation, original percussion, bass hooks and melodies now sound forced and uninventive. It is not until the three final songs that Some Loud Thunder truly hits its stride. The end of this album is gloriously done and provides some of the best of the band's output to date. "Yankee Go Home" builds into their first true Rock & Roll romper, while the wistful "Five Easy Pieces" brings the band's every attribute into a perfect six and a half minutes. These final tracks divulge a trickle of maturation in Ounsworth's songwriting and give the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah faithful hope that the band will be able to maintain their relevance.
Though Some Loud Thunder is a flawed album, much of the material is not wholly without merit. With the possible exception of "Satan Said Dance," redeeming qualities can be found in each of the album's 11 songs, and the band's previous fans will definitely find it a worthwhile listen. Those new to the group's sound should probably consider picking up the self-titled album first in order to better appreciate the worthwhile material of Some Loud Thunder. In the end, however, each listener owes it to himself to make his way through this album. After weathering the storm of mediocrity which constitutes the first half of Some Loud Thunder, the ending, once the rain clouds have cleared and the thunder has stopped, is absolute bliss.
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