Music Preview + Giveaway: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Byrne Up Stubb's Saturday

Followers of the indie-rock scene may be a little shocked to find out that it has only been two years since Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's debut demos stormed across the blogosphere. The decidedly scruffy demos were a revelation, full of Talking Heads-like vocals, soaring minimal guitar lines, and (perhaps most importantly) a very danceable rhythm section that sounded quite different to the many Interpol-derivatives of the day. Having seen the then-unknown CHYSY win over a crowd of Scissor Sisters fans during an opening slot in early 2005, we can vouch for the band's ability to get even the most cynical New Yorkers swaying and dancing.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah arrive at Stubb's Saturday in support of new album Some Loud Thunder, which met with a rather tepid critical response when released in September. Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann and the band went very self-consciously arty on the project, mucking up the production and throwing in a lot of discordant bits that made the record a tough listen. There are a few great songs amongst the rubble, but the album certainly didn't have the immediate gratification of the band's debut. One suspects that without the studio trickery, the album will sound much better in a live setting. This is especially true of live call-and-response favorite "Satan Said Dance," which can occasionally stretch to epic length.

Support tomorrow comes from Elvis Perkins, who should present some sad but beautiful songs of loss and reflection. Perkins reminds the listener of similar folky singers like Josh Ritter and Joe Purdy and has drawn raves from NPR, so he's likely worth turning up early for. It's also worth noting that the weather forecast tomorrow is 75 degrees and breezy at showtime, so we can't recommend a night at Stubb's enough...before the summer heat starts complicating that experience tremendously. We even have a pair of tickets to give away, so try your luck below.

Congratulations, Wes!

[Clap Your Hands Say Yeah MySpace]
[Elvis Perkins MySpace]

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah w/ Elvis Perkins
Saturday, April 28th
Stubb's Outdoors [map]
Doors at 8pm
$23.50 [tickets]

Image via Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's MySpace page. Photographer uncredited.