Clap YOur Hands

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I finally got into Clap Your Hands Say Yeah early this summer, primarily due to my son Jett buying their '05 debut album at a music store in Rome and playing it to death, and then doing the same with their second album, Some Loud Thunder, when we got back to L.A.

I'm not exactly in love with these guys but their stuff grows on you. The lead singer's voice is kind of David Byrne-y, but with a whiney, spazzy, cracked-voice quality that's very much its own thing. I don't know music all that well, but various rock crickets seem to agree they're a cool (i.e., increasingly popular, in a good grove) band.

Now their hip rating has been thrown into question. N.Y. Daily News gossip columnists George Rush and Joanna Molloy reported today that "Tom Hanks got some support -- in more ways than one -- from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on the L.A. set of The Great Buck Howard. The hot indie band appears in the flick and has written a batch of songs for its soundtrack. The film stars Tom, son Colin Hanks and John Malkovich. "

Produced by Hanks' Playtone and co-produced by Philip Anschutz's Walden Media, The Great Buck Howard is a father-son relationship movie. The fact that Playtone mainly produces middlebrow, family-friendly stuff (ditto Walden Media) indicates where this film is coming from. The IMDB plot: "As the career of renowned illusionist (Malkovich) continues its decline, a young man (Colin Hanks) fresh out of school becomes his new assistant. But his father (Hanks) is not enthused about his son's career choice at all." In short, a non-Bronx version of A Bronx Tale with magic substituted for mob values.

It's generally not cool for an edgy GenX rock band to compose music for a family-friendly, vaguely square-sounding PG or PG-13 movie, especially one that's being partially funded by a social conservative like Anschutz. In one fell swoop Clap Your Hands Say Yeah has gone from "wow, really exceptional, catching on bigtime" to "what the fuck where they thinking?" and "are these guys closet milquetoasts"?

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 5, 2007 at 1:07 PM

comment #1

The Winchester says ...

The singer's voice is far too whiny. I think that annoying whining would be apropo for a Hanks-laden family melodrama

Posted by The Winchester at July 5, 2007 2:26 PM

comment #2

James Leer says ...

"Oh noes! Other people have discovered my cool cred band!"

Posted by James Leer at July 5, 2007 2:29 PM

comment #3

George Prager says ...

I'm sure they couldn't give a shit.
And this whole corporate sell-out crap is so baby-boomerish(ironic, since they are the biggest sell-out generation this country has ever produced).
And that great Iron&Wine/Calexico song was played to death on One Tree Hill. I think the tipping point fo this kind of stuff was when I saw an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 which had a scene where Brian Austin Green dropped the needle down on the first Love LP and "My Little Red Book" began to play. And Moby Grape was in "The Sweet Ride." And who the hell is Philip Anschutz? And who cares. And all the really cool kids are listening to Six Organs of Admittance anyway.

Posted by George Prager at July 5, 2007 2:30 PM

comment #4

Monument says ...

I've always felt that this band was kind of foisted upon the music community. They come out of nowhere and suddenly become everyone's favorite band. The music isn't bad, and I would agree that it does grow on you, but I just don't get what all of the hype is about. And that name, just a tad to precious for my taste.

Posted by Monument at July 5, 2007 2:34 PM

comment #5

Mcflyboy says ...

At least its Hanks and not Zach Braff...

Posted by Mcflyboy at July 5, 2007 2:36 PM

comment #6

Josh Massey says ...

So do you think the same now of John Malkovich?

Posted by Josh Massey at July 5, 2007 2:37 PM

comment #7

The Winchester says ...

At least Braff brought us the Shins

Posted by The Winchester at July 5, 2007 2:39 PM

comment #8

thevisceral says ...

Their second record wasn't as good as their first. The National is the cool band now anyway. Catch up.

Posted by thevisceral at July 5, 2007 2:41 PM

comment #9

craiged says ...

I'm a big fan of CYHSY and have to say that when this news came out a few months back i was kind of suprised. Mainly because they have a pretty distinct sound which many may find hard work in the context of a film.

However even if the film stinks i very much doubt it will have a remote effect on the band. Fans of the band will generally only care about the quality of the music that they contribute to it.

But the singer has stated many times he doesnt care about the band being thought of as cool or not.

Posted by craiged at July 5, 2007 2:41 PM

comment #10

Monument says ...

"At least Braff brought us the Shins"

For fuck's sake, I hope you're being sarcastic. When Natalie Portman handed over those headphones and said the Shins will change your life, I almost left the theater.

Posted by Monument at July 5, 2007 2:42 PM

comment #11

The Winchester says ...

"But the singer has stated many times he doesnt care about the band being thought of as cool or not."

Yeah, because no lead singer of an indie rock band has ever stated that before.

Posted by The Winchester at July 5, 2007 2:43 PM

comment #12

Monument says ...

"But the singer has stated many times he doesnt care about the band being thought of as cool or not."

Which means that he does, he really really does.

Posted by Monument at July 5, 2007 2:43 PM

comment #13

christian says ...

"And this whole corporate sell-out crap is so baby-boomerish(ironic, since they are the biggest sell-out generation this country has ever produced)."

you must speak from experience.

but i can't think of anything less cool than to be a mouseketeer, then be in a pop tart boy band, then pimp mcdonald's by "lovin' it" then get put on the cover of "rolling stone" as some kind of bad boy -- i speak of justin timberlake who sucks more corporate cock than celine dion. but nobody cares except those with taste left in their mouth.

Posted by christian at July 5, 2007 2:52 PM

comment #14

George Prager says ...

I'm GenX, christian. And Justin Timberlake is not the problem.
And The Shins blow.

Posted by George Prager at July 5, 2007 3:00 PM

comment #15

The Winchester says ...

Being sarcastic about the Shins? But Braff brought a voice to a whole generation!

Posted by The Winchester at July 5, 2007 3:03 PM

comment #16

MilkMan says ...

I was sitting at my desk, listening to In This Home on Ice, reading Wells' post about CYHSY, when, without warning, like Christopher Reeve in Somewhere in Time, I was transported back to the year 2083.

Realizing that Wells and I listen to the same music is embarrassing, very similar to how I felt when I discovered that my father had been using my Stacey Valentine Real Vagina, which I thought I had all to myself, as it was kept under bed, like a serial killer's memento, since my senior year of high school.

Posted by MilkMan at July 5, 2007 3:11 PM

comment #17

christian says ...

i'm genx too but i don't drop that tired "baby boomers sell-out" line as it's pretty selective.

but justin timberlake is a problem.

Posted by christian at July 5, 2007 3:14 PM

comment #18

The Winchester says ...

And Prager, compared to Clap your Hands..., the Shins might as well be the beatles

Posted by The Winchester at July 5, 2007 3:15 PM

comment #19

christian says ...

now if "godspeed you black emperor" did a song for ONE TREE HILL...and stay away from chuck klosterman, the biggest pop tool on the planet.

Posted by christian at July 5, 2007 3:16 PM

comment #20

lazarus says ...

My god, has hell frozen over? I really have to give Wells credit here. Some parents won't give their kid's music the time of day, and even if he's desperately trying to hold onto what little bit of youth is still left in him, CYHSY is certainly an acquired taste. If he had raved about The Arcade Fire or something I'd say "okay, grandpa, way to hop on the bandwagon" but this takes a commitment. I can actually picture him listening to about 30 seconds of the eponymous album's first track and begging to have it stop.

While I agree with the David Byrne comparison, musically they occasionally remind me of old school New Order with a bit of Pavement thrown in and that pleases me to no end.

Wells would further his indie cred by dismissing Some Loud Thunder as a disappointment. I know it's cool to knock down the stuff you've previouslty built up, but that album is one hell of a sophomore slump (especially when compared with The Arcade Fire's triumph). And for the record, CYHSY wasn't forced on anyone. They got a great write up on Pitchfork Media, and managed to sell a shitload of albums by themselves without any real record company distribution (at least initially). Their success is solely due to word of mouth, which cerainly brings its own bandwagon, but it's a lot purer.

Posted by lazarus at July 5, 2007 5:13 PM

comment #21

BurmaShave says ...

Next I'm going to find out Man Man did the soundtrack to ENCHANTED.

Posted by BurmaShave at July 5, 2007 8:15 PM

comment #22

Monument says ...

Fuck Pitchfork, self important bastards, every one of 'em

Posted by Monument at July 5, 2007 8:53 PM

comment #23

Moneypenny says ...

GUIDED BY VOICES.

That's all I have to say.

Posted by Moneypenny at July 5, 2007 9:32 PM

comment #24

Breedlove says ...

RADIOHEAD.

That's all I have to say. Greatest. Band. Ever. Them and The Smashing Pumpkins, whose new album drops this week!!

Posted by Breedlove at July 6, 2007 8:00 AM

comment #25

The Winchester says ...

Breedlove is half right.

Radiohead=Greatest Band Ever.

Posted by The Winchester at July 6, 2007 8:05 AM

comment #26

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Christ, my dick is shrinking reading all these comments about indie rock outfits (some of which admittedly are pretty good). Doesn't anyone here listen to metal?

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at July 6, 2007 9:28 AM

comment #27

christian says ...

RADIOHEAD:

greatest. hyperbolic. music. fans. ever.

Posted by christian at July 6, 2007 11:35 AM

comment #28

George Prager says ...

Radiohead are the Styx of the `90s.

Posted by George Prager at July 6, 2007 12:05 PM

comment #29

polevod says ...

The song The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth is a great song. Definitely whiny, definitely david byrne, definitely to be played loud enough to annoy the neighbors.

Posted by polevod at July 6, 2007 12:18 PM

comment #30

BurmaShave says ...

George Prager, THAT is the dumbest thing ever written on this site. And fightin' words!

polevod, The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth is fantastic.

Posted by BurmaShave at July 7, 2007 9:45 PM

comment #31

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