By\u00a0Sarah Tachau<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I saw my high school English teacher moonwalk on stage while shredding his traffic cone-orange Fender last night. Maybe Mr. Miller wasn\u2019t there in the flesh, but the leather newsboy cap, blazer, and Blundstones combo donned by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah\u2019s Alec Ounsworth reasonably prompted my hallucinations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Brooklyn and Philadelphia-based indie rock band unveiled the second leg of their Clap Your Hands Say Yeah<\/em> 20th Anniversary tour in St. Paul\u2019s Amsterdam Bar and Hall last Friday, revitalizing their debut album alongside several fan favorites. The group was accompanied by fellow Philly band, Knifeplay, whose shoegaze setlist hypnotized the crowd with intricate, conversing riffs that slowly unraveled into explosive instrumentals, reminiscent of Slowdive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Clap Your Hand Say Yeah (CYHSY) is no faker when it comes to the grainy authenticity of indie-rock. With a voice nasally smooth like dunes and lyrics that break the fourth wall, such as \u201cnow that everybody\u2019s here, let me please have your attention,\u201d Ounsworth did not tear down the curtain when he took stage. In fact, he casually walked out before his set to help soundcheck. The band has embodied the indie-rock genre since their debut erupted in 2005. Their popularity was largely owed to MP3 blogs, pioneering the brief but vibrant subgenre of \u201cblog-rock.\u201d Yet the independent model is in CYHSY\u2019s blood\u2013 their debut album was recorded for a budget of less than $5,000, with CD distribution in the hands of band members. While tuning, Ounsworth\u2019s banter revealed his criticism of Bowie\u2019s limo lifestyle as unrepresentative of the genre. \u201cI do crack then drive,\u201d he mocked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On Friday, CYHSY was performing their debut, self-titled album, the gem of their career before the group \u201cfell off,\u201d according to critics. In youthful spirit, CYHSY loosened limbs as they built mountains from bass, repetitive synths, and racing guitar. Ounsworth\u2019s distinct, swelling vocals snagged on longings, complaints, and protests. Before running through the entirety of their debut record, CYHSY resuscitated \u201cSome Loud Thunder\u201d from their 2007 album of the same title. The recorded track is foamed over in static, while the vocals scratch their way to the surface. Bathed in the indigo lights, Ounsworth\u2019s group picked the song to pieces, polishing each rhythm for a crisp, gradual climb into an LCD Soundsystem-esque outro. Buzzing synths reverberated through bones, hinting that the floor would drop at any minute. If I had recorded the song I would download it\u2013 MP3 style\u2013 and share it with you all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping the energy high, \u201cLet the Cool Goddess Rust Away\u201d followed, pattering the walls with thick bass drums, running toward a resolution. Ounsworth\u2019s voice climbed over and under the instrumentals in a whiny language of his own. Unable to discern the passionate, slurred words, hardly one jean jacket-wearing millennial sung along. Instead, the rhythm spurred a wave of motion that carried through the ringing of \u201cOver and Over Again (Lost and Found).\u201d Flailing bodies sweated sweet dread for success that is \u201cso forbidding.\u201d In synchrony, CYHSY and the crowd rattled off \u201cYou look like David Bowie but you\u2019ve nothing new to show me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The energy only rose as keyboardist Robbie Guertin skipped into the gritty, shimmering synths of \u201cThe Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth.\u201d In CYHSY fashion, the layering of drums and guitars rippled through the room, swaying arms and bobbing knees. One fan, the first to stake out a front row spot, mimed Ounsworth\u2019s rapid strumming. While his lyrics were not quite as voice cracking as they are on the record, the wobbling guitar and the driving bass burst with energy. Between tracks, Ounsworth disclaimed that his mind was elsewhere, quickly self-correcting that maybe the audience shouldn\u2019t know that. The debut album was second nature to the band; after all, they were on their second of two anniversary tours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMost people don\u2019t know it, but this next one is a protest song,\u201d Ounsworth disclaimed before revving up \u201cUpon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood.\u201d Under this light, the melty lyrics carried sharp satire. While his voice was, again, not quite as passionate as on the album, the outro\u2019s repetitive \u201cchild stars\u201d wound breathlessly through the room. After wrapping up Clap Your Hands Say Yeah<\/em>\u2019s most vibrant tracks\u2013 essentially everything but the interludes\u2013 the band left Ounsworth to perform what he credited as an \u201cinside joke\u201d to the debut, a cover of Johnny Thunders\u2019 \u201cYou Can\u2019t Put Your Arms Round a Memory.\u201d The messenger-capped singer stripped back the classic to its raw nostalgia, questioning the vitality of CYHSY\u2019s career gem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To wrap up the show, the band dove into a few newer records, including a throbbing performance of \u201cFireproof\u201d from their 2017 album, \u201cThe Tourist.\u201d The stage burned with smooth improvisation from Guertin and bassist Tyler Sargent, while Ounsworth\u2019s taffy-stretched vocals hinted at his David Byrne influence. In their \u201cfinal song\u201d of the evening, the band unleashed \u201cSatan Said Dance.\u201d The call and response of an off key \u201csatan\u201d rattled the room as Ounsworth hopped off stage and swam in the crowd. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite claiming an encore wouldn\u2019t happen, Ounsworth summoned his band members back with a slow, climbing performance of \u201cWhere They Perform Miracles,\u201d showcasing his intricate guitar skills. To cap off the show on the same energy they erupted with, CYHSY closed out with their 2017 track, \u201cBetter Off.\u201d As I shuffled out of the venue, I overheard two rambunctious dads debating CYHSY vs The War on Drugs: a fitting end to the night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"