Clap Your Hands Say Yeah — Some Loud Thunder

The biggest independent success story of the new millennium are back with more instrumentation, Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann and, believe it or not, still no label. That's by their own choice, though, and they're poised to rake in the dough as a result. Some Loud Thunder features a collection of tracks that perfectly exploit what CYHSY do best: create atmospheric, smart indie pop. No track showcases their ability better than the seething mid-record gem and live staple, "Satan Said Dance," a spooky guitar- and synthesizer-driven wonder that actually sounds like Hell's theme song. Fridmann crafts a sound that lies somewhere between Clap Your Hands' debut and the Lips' mid-'90s output. Anchoring it all are Alec Ounsworth's floating vocals, which are appropriately as haunting or uplifting as the tracks themselves. If more independent bands were so talented, the music industry would really have something to worry about.

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