Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (often abbreviated CYHSY) is the musical project of American indie rock musician Alec Ounsworth; based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and founded in 2004. Until 2014, the project operated as a band; with drummer Sean Greenhalgh being a member for its entirety. Keyboardist/guitarist Robbie Guertin and brothers Lee (guitar/vocals) and Tyler (bass) Sargent were also a part of the band from its inception until their collective departure in 2012. Their debut album, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, was self-released in 2005.
The band, whose members met years earlier at Connecticut College, formed in the beginning of 2004 and played shows in Manhattan and Brooklyn. 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 re-press 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.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is the eponymous debut album by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, self-released in the U.S. on 13 September 2005, and released in the UK on 23 January 2006 by Wichita Recordings. Produced and mixed by Adam Lasus, the album and the band rose to fame after buzz and attention built up on various MP3 blogs and a very positive ("9.0/10") review from influential music website Pitchfork Media. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was listed as one of the 50 most important recordings of the decade by National Public Radio's All Songs Considered.
The success of the album started after bassist Tyler Sargent began mailing out copies of the album from his apartment. As of November 2009, the album has sold more than 125,000 copies in the United States. Although the band still has no official record deal in the United States, they have signed a distribution deal to make the album available to a wider audience. In the UK, the band signed to independent record label Wichita Recordings.
Blue you radiant blue
I don't know how you can stand next to me
You you talk like a noose
And only confuse my perplexity
Now that I'm so sad and not quite right
I could dance all night
I could dance all night
Shake your rattle-snake skin
And become a part of society
Wait on down the highway
To see how far I'll come a-run a-run
run running
All that we had salvaged from the fire
Was a waste of time
(But) what a waste of time
Should I trust all the rust that's on TV
I guess with some distaste I disagree
With quite a fashionable dispassion for
The dispossessed under-stressed
Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme
And I don't care if you don't like it
Or just don't see
Now that we fattened the cow
And set out to plow unknown enemies
"Wow!" shouts the startled crowd
"How now did you see what I did see?"
the ravaged cabbage drifts on dark red skies
and it looks so nice
gee it looks so nice
shout just let it on out
confusion becomes a philosophy
down we're reaching the town where we
don't have to stand around and look
over our shoulders
hell I never knew was what we made it
let's just take it slow IN THIS HOME ON ICE