Clap Hands

V/A - Beatnicks Vol. 1 & 2

2009-08-08T12:55:00.003-04:00

Who knew the Germans were on the up-and-up with post-Dilla instrumentals? Two Up My Alley samplers featuring some amazing (and diverse) tracks from what I can only assume are going to be some big names in the next few years. Although both great, Volume 1 completely kills it, my personal fave being "Summertime" by Last Order. Get it:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1HG70R70

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=U54HLLKN

Sun Araw - Beach Head

2009-04-12T15:32:00.004-04:00

Hey guys. I'm back. Sorta.

THIS SHIT IS SO DAMN GOOD.

http://www.mediafire.com/?wei5lmcrdig

Black Dice - Repo

2009-02-11T16:06:00.003-05:00

Ask and you shall receive??? Apparently.

hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?lzlywo1aney

CRAP HANDS.

2009-02-09T12:50:00.002-05:00

Yeah, i'm super lazy. Also school. I'll start posting again as soon as I get motivation/get requests/the new Black Dice album leaks.

Mogwai/Fuck Buttons Tour EP

2009-01-15T01:15:00.004-05:00

This is a little gem I stumbled across the other day while somebody was talking about Fuck Buttons. Apparently during the Mogwai/Fuck Buttons tour last year the bands decided to release a short EP with each band doing a remix of the other's work. Mogwai's take on "Colours Move" is pretty underwhelming, but Fuck Buttons step up to the plate and hit it out of the park by essentially covering Mogwai's magnum opus "Mogwai Fear Satan" Fantastic stuff.

Fuck Buttons - Colours Move (Mogwai Remix)

Mogwai - Mogwai Fear Satan (Fuck Buttons Remix)

Big ups to antigravitybunny.blogspot.com for originally hosting the links.

The Beta Band - The Three EP's

2009-01-12T22:05:00.005-05:00

"I will now sell five copies of 'The Three EP's' by the Beta Band"

"Do it."

Combining their folk styling with the drum and tone of trip-hop, the Beta Band created a funky, smooth hybrid of sounds that i've yet to hear duplicated. They provided all the intimate flow of an electronica release, but without that heavy cloud of introspectiveness that seems to typically accompany it. Beta Band is good for the soul.

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=8PCRIHPJ

Dert

2009-01-05T17:46:00.003-05:00

The short and sweet: Producer Dert from LA uses samples from Pink Floyd and Bjork (respectively) to make two beat mixtapes that are more about the gimmick than the beats.

Except they're not.

These beat tapes are smooth, fresh and well thought out sonic explorations, taking deep cuts from both artists to make something both new and relevant. Dert doesn't just go for the easy samples (I was huge into Floyd and I can't recognize half of these drops), nor does he phone in lukewarm beats to appeal to the average joe-shmo freestyler. Instead he creates warmth and atmosphere, channeling both the claustrophobic haze of Flying Lotus and the chop skills of early DJ Shadow. I can only hope this guy comes out with something completely original soon so he can get the props he deserves.

Dert Floyd - West Side Of The Moon

http://www.mediafire.com/?0jtjzfimdzx
(Recommended tracks: 14, 15, 5)

Dert - Talk Strange

http://www.mediafire.com/?n3im2w3cgm0

Hella - Hold Your Horse Is

2009-01-02T19:41:00.006-05:00

Noisy, crazy, lovely math rock.

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=RLO5CHJX

Fucked Up - The Chemistry Of Common Life

2009-01-02T19:29:00.004-05:00

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=L3WLZ8PN

The Bug - London Zoo

2008-12-28T18:14:00.007-05:00

I had given this album a listen when it first came out, but my friend Chris encouraged me to give it another shot about two weeks ago. Whatever didn't hit the first time certainly hit the second. London Zoo, crafted by beat maker Kevin Martin, features a rotating guest list of rappers and sangers throwing down some of the best in grime, dubstep and dancehall. Highly recommended. Straight crushin'.

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=IS99XCWA

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

2008-12-26T15:50:00.004-05:00

It's here:

It's nice to have your pick for 2009 album of the year before the year has even begun.

enjoi:

update: web sheriff = busted.

LIGHTNING BOLT

2008-12-23T21:19:00.008-05:00

Christmas. Lightning Bolt is here to save it.

Ride The Skies:
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=HZ9TSGLL

Wonderful Rainbow:
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=9SM7E7ZS

Hypermagic Mountain:
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=F85F3JC2

"Go forth and stimulate"

2008-12-15T20:16:00.002-05:00

Calypsoul 70: Caribbean Soul & Calypso Crossover 1969-1979

2008-12-13T18:49:00.007-05:00

The title says it all. Hands down, my favorite compilation of music ever. Handpicked by Strut Records, Calypsoul digs deep into the 70's to uncover some of the funkiest, most soulful crossover tracks ever to come from the Caribbean. Simply put, shit's hot.

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=1GUEIW25

Brian Eno & David Byrne - My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

2008-12-12T21:33:00.004-05:00

Excluding "Remain In Light", this is the best record David Byrne has ever made. African rhythms, "found sound" samples and crazy looping made completely without digital sampling. Also possibly the best title for an album ever.

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=BFYDWYEZ

Joe Lally - Nothing Is Underrated

2008-12-09T18:09:00.004-05:00

Poor Joe Lally. Between Minor Threat, Embrace, and Fugazi (not to mention his production stamp on countless classic albums) Ian Mackaye seems to have stolen the spotlight more than enough times from the other DC musicians surrounding him throughout the years. Not that the attention given to Mr. Mackaye isn't warranted, it's just unfortunate that Fugazi's bassist Joe Lally's second solo album, Nothing is Underrated, goes overlooked, while Mackaye's new band, The Evens, is praised for delivering an almost identical aesthetic to Lally's. That all said, Nothing Is Underrated is a damn fine album. Deep basslines, shushed vocals and an overall sense of quiet urgency propel the album, not unlike Lally's contributions to the flagship Fugazi. No, this is not the album for you if you're looking for a complete 180 from the DC post-punk sound, but this album deserves more attention than just-another-side-project.

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=KMQF60BM

Animal Collective - My Girls

2008-12-09T16:26:00.001-05:00

GET IT GET IT GET IT GET IT GET IT!!!!

hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?zemyyjmwneq

Black Dice - Creature Comforts

2008-12-04T21:55:00.007-05:00

My Winter record of 2008. Creature Comforts is by far Black Dice's most accessible album, although thats not saying much. Black Dice aren't concerned with making "songs" per say, as much as creating a percussive atmosphere somewhere between head-bobbing and head-scratching. If you've never heard Black Dice before, you probably won't like this album on first or second listen. But don't give up. Strap some headphones on and walk around in the crisp Winter air. Soon enough you'll feel their groove, too.

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=CVPSDBTG

Lone - Lemurian

2008-11-29T23:22:00.003-05:00

Woah. Guys, Boards of Canada and Flying Lotus had a baby and gave it to Madlib to babysit for awhile. It's name is Lone.

Maybe not the best release of the year, but by far the most chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill. Highly recommended instrumental hip-hop.

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=HW297UHK

Jimmy Buffett - Son Of A Son Of A Sailor

2008-11-25T01:03:00.001-05:00

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=A0ORMALT

I miss my dad.

Les Savy Fav - Go Forth

2008-11-23T21:35:00.003-05:00

My favorite Les Savy Fav album. My girlfriend's bike got stolen and I spend last afternoon listening to this record while searching campus for her cruiser. I'm sick of things leaving this world without rhyme or reason.

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=PX8OZ8FR

Lil Wayne - "A Milli" (Flying Lotus' Robo Tussin Remix)

2008-11-03T15:18:00.003-05:00

I cannot stop listening to this remix:

http://www.palmsout.net/music/remixsunday/121/A%20Milli%20%28Flying%20Lotus%27%20Robo%20Tussin%20Remix%29.mp3

(right click save as)

Marnie Stern - This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That

2008-10-17T01:32:00.010-04:00

I am too exhausted to write a decent review of this album, but this album is too fuckin' good to not post A.S.A.P.

RE-RE-UPPED:

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=CMLYG2QE

Tobacco - Fucked Up Friends

2008-10-07T02:40:00.006-04:00

It's been awhile since i've posted an album here, and that needed to be amended.

Tobacco, in case anyone was wondering, is the leader of the infamously reclusive group Black Moth Super Rainbow, an odd psych synth hippie freakfest of a band whose last album, Dandelion Gum, was praised by many but listened to by few. The album brought a combination of dreamy pop songs with a sort of analong synth crunch so pure only Boards of Canada could top the band's Moog tweaking. With the new solo album, Tobacco clearly shows who was behind those very Moogs in the recording studio. Fucked Up Friends is nothing new for fans of Black Moth, or at least at first. Tobacco lets his synths shine from track one, with only the occasional guitar or sampled flute show up, if only to accent (you guessed it) those thick thick synth lines. However, a vast majority of the album is instrumental, a key distintion between Black Moth and the solo Tobacco. With the lack of vocoded vocals, Tobacco is free to not only let the synths do the talking, but show off something that I felt was sorely overlooked in many reviews of Dandelion Gum: the Beats. Fucked Up Friends is a dynamo of a beats record, with Tobacco showing off his percussive skills as well his keyboard mastery. This record wouldn't seem out of place next to Flying Lotus or some of his other Warp counterparts, the only difference being Tobacco would rather see you in the forest rather than the record store.

RE-UPPED

hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?o2ndblttfiz

Playlist - 10/07/08

2008-10-07T02:38:00.001-04:00

0: Cop Shoot Cop by Spiritualized
1: Nowhere Again by Secret Machines
2: Kafka Does His Shopping From Home by Pidgeon
3: california by Pidgeon
4: Golden AGe by TV on the Radio
5: Kerosene by Big Black
6: ... by PSA
7: Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads
8: Street Trash by Tobacco
9: Diesel Power by The Prodigy
10: Echoes by The Rapture
11: a by PSA
12: a by PSA
13: Sky Drool by Ponytail
14: Enter Ralph Wiggum by A-Trak
15: Never Stops by Deerhunter
16: Talk On Indolence by The Avett Brothers
17: Dry Clothes by Annuals
18: You Faded by Chavez

Playlist - 09/29/08

2008-10-03T12:45:00.002-04:00

0: I Would Hurt A Fly by Built to Spill
2: Movement by LCD Soundsystem
3: Circumspect by Wire
4: Come Tpgether by Spiritualized
5: Arcturus by crystal antlers
6: Pink Batman by Dan Deacon
7: Bamboo Banga by M.I.A.
8: a by PSA
9: Mr. Tough by Yo La Tengo
10: I (Mikey) Rock by The Cool Kids
11: Dancing Choose by TV on the Radio
12: This Song Is Dedicated To Natures God by Sun Ra
13: Soft Pyramids by Q and Not U
14: Agorophobia by Deerhunter
15: Leave Home by The Chemical Brothers
16: Apesar De Voce by Chico Burque
17: Gladiator by The Jesus Lizard

There were a few more but I forgot to write them down. Buh.

Playlist - 09/22/08

2008-09-24T02:09:00.000-04:00

-3: God Luck And Good Speed by Weedeater
-2: Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock
-1: Manteca by Dizzy Gillespie
0: Blue Rondo A La Turk by Dave Brubeck
1: Walk On The Wild Side by Lou Reed
2: People by Animal Collective
3: The Scythe by Clinic
4: Walkin' With Jesus by Spacemen 3
5: Your Protector by Fleet Foxes
6: August (Die She Must) by Simon Joyner
7: Beg Waves by Ponytail
8: I'm Not A Young Man Anymore by The Velvet Underground
9: Secrets In The Dark by Clean Girls
10: Chinese Children by Devandra Banhart
11: Gobbledigook by Sigur Ros
12: Breaker by Retribution Gospel Choir
13: Golden Age by TV on the Radio
14: Crosseyed And Painless by Talking Heads
15: It Was Suppose To Be So Easy by The Streets
16: Bright Tomorrow by Fuck Buttons
17: Last Believer Drop Dead by Secret Machines

Playlist - 09/15/08

2008-09-18T00:15:00.002-04:00

-2: Shout Me Out by TV On The Radio
-1: After Hours by The Velvet Underground
0: Murder Mystery by The Velvet Underground
1: Back and Forth by Dismemberment Plan
2: Forever Heavy by Odd Nosdam
3: Defect 2 by Tom Ze
4: Halfway Home by TV on the Radio
5: Delivery Man by The Cool Kids
6: Tell The Police The Truth by Mahjongg
7: Last Believer, Drop Dead by Secret Machines
8: Offend Maggie by Deerhoof
9: Water Curses by Animal Collective
10: Wrong Time Capsule by Deerhoof
11: Dead City by Abe Vigoda
12: Nature's Not In It by Gang of Four
13: Good Times Roll Pt. 2 by RJD2

I am the worst...

2008-09-15T11:33:00.002-04:00

So I haven't posted the playlists for the last two weeks. Whoops. I blame it solely on shoutcast, though clearly its my own fault. But seriously, I'll probably maybe actually post tonights playlist.

In other news, the new TV On The Radio album is FANTASTIC. I'll try and type up a review in a couple of days, though you're on you're own when it comes to getting the album before September 23rd. I ain't messin' with no RIAA release, no sir.

Clap Hands: The Radio Show

2008-09-01T11:25:00.004-04:00

Oh hi everybody. For those of you who weren't aware, I originally started this blog as a way to keep talking about music while away from college on summer vay-kay. Well, now i'm back, and with my return comes the return of Clap Hands, my weekly radio show on WCWM 90.9FM. The show will broadcast every Monday from 8-10pm e.s.t., and can be streamed here: http://web.wm.edu/so/wcwm/

Your best bet is to go to your iTunes, click "Advanced", "Open Stream", then copy "http://128.239.102.162:8000/listen.pls" and click ok.

Anyway, i'm going to start using this blog to list my weekly playlist, as well as continue to occasionally post albums or music news that pique my interest. Enjoi, and listen to the first Clap Hands tonight at 8pm!

Mahjongg - Kontpab

2008-08-05T01:31:00.003-04:00

So i've kind of become obsessed with Mahjongg. Let me backtrack a bit: I accidently caught Mahjongg's set at Pitchfork Festival when I showed up early to the B stage to get a good spot for HEALTH. That, combined with the fact that the B stage that day was running about an hour and a half late, put me front row for what turned out to be one of the strongest sets I would end up seeing at Pitchfork that weekend. It was only 1:30pm and it was obvious most of the crowd was still shaking off the late morning haze, which is a damn shame, because Mahjongg can fuckin' GROOVE. This kind of grooving deserves a late night set and strobe lights, not an afternoon warm-up spot for a half-awake crowd. Anyway, I thought they fucking killed.

That brings me to Mahjongg's 2008 release Kontpab. Lets get this straight: this is not a perfect record. It's got lowpoints, not enough to tarnish Mahjongg as a whole, but enough that they can't be brushed off. "Those Birds Are Bats" is a weird half-baked pop-punk number that comes out of left field with its awfulness, and "Problems" drags like none other. As well, a few other songs can tend to feel a little too rigid (ex. "Kottbusser Torr"), like Mahjongg forgot to take their groove pills that day in the studio or something; again, not enough to kill the mood, but just enough to not get you to latch onto this album front to back. Those moments aside though, this record has some amazing tracks. Opener "Pontiac" is a polyrhythmic number based off a Mbira (Worlds of Music what whaaaat) loop that immediately grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go until you've chugged through all glorious six minutes. "Tell The Police The Truth" is perhaps Mahjongg's best song of their career, a sarcastic send up to pigs everywhere all sung over a complex but surprisingly organic beat. Finally, the epic (I guess epic, it's easy to call any song over 8 minutes epic, but seriously, this song is so good) finale "Rise Rice" crunches and crushes, making you want to immediately start the whole album from the beginning again. After listening to this album on repeat I can't help but feel angry that Mahjongg didn't work just a little harder on Kontpab before releasing it into the world. Mahjongg deserves to be a more recognized band with tracks like these, they just need to deliver it next time without the duds.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NW0NY493

Caribou - Tour CD 2007

2008-07-27T18:43:00.004-04:00

Attended Pitchfork Music Festival last weekend, had an absolutely fantastic time there, saw some mind-blowingly good performances from the likes of Animal Collective, Spiritualized, !!! and Les Savy Fav to name a few. One band, Caribou, already had me sold before I even stepped foot in Union Park, so it was really just icing on the cake when they crushed it Saturday afternoon. Afterwards, while perusing their merch tent, I picked up this tour-only CD.

This is an incredible album, and it's a real shame they put some of this on a CD mainly sold only on their 2007 tour. Track one, to begin with, is a 30 minute DJ mix by Dan Snaith (the main force behind the "band" Caribou) that covers everything from 60's pop to krautrock to modern electronica. I can't seem to find the tracklist for the mix anywhere, which is a real shame, because every song is amazing. Tracks 2-7 are all Caribou originals and exclusive to the tour CD. After being slightly disappointed by the straightforward pop of their 2007 release "Andorra", I can only hope these tracks set the tone for all future Caribou releases. "Seven Oaks" and "Yo-Yo" show a return to form for Snaith, sounding like B-sides from his 2003 CD "Up In Flames", shoegazey pop electronica at it's finest. "Stones", "Woodcarver Steiner" and "Shim Shimmer" seem like studies in beat-making, being more like sketched outlines of future songs than complete works themselves. Still, the songs hold their own, particularly "Woodcarver Steiner" with its looped acoustic guitar and occasional vocal flourishes. The most curious song on the album is the closer "Hummingbird". Sounding more like LCD Soundsystem than Caribou, the song is a bleep-bloop foray into electronic drums, something Snaith has (until now?) bitterly despised. All in all for a $10 exclusive tour CD, the album is fantastic and worth every penny, which of course is why i'm giving it to you for free:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HS6SVWFV

Ungdomskulen - Ordinary Son

2008-07-11T10:19:00.008-04:00

First, the bad news: Ungdomskulen's 2007 release "Cry-Baby" will not save dance-punk as we know it. I wanted it to, and after listening to this track, you'll want it to, but the album simply isn't that great as a whole.

The good news, however, is we still get treated to a few sparkling gems that hopefully foreshadow a very bright future for Norway's Ungdomskulen. "Ordinary Son", the first and best track off of "Cry Baby", combines arpeggiated overdriven guitar with a punchy bassline, all while not swaying far from the ticka-ticka sixteenth notes that restore my faith in the high-hat as a viable part of the drumset. This is no exercise in discipline, however. This is a full on, seven-and-a-half-minute progged out jam. It's got two seperate sections for gods sake. Imagine if Fugazi dropped all that political mumbo-jumbo and decided they wanted to make arena rock, or if The Dismemberment Plan decided lyrics were for suckers and embraced their inner Muse. Okay, this track is way better than either of those two ideas sound, but still, it comes close to explaining "Ordinary Son" and all its goodness.

Ordinary Son:
http://www.mediafire.com/?nzm5byu4jvm

For Tyler:

2008-07-10T01:45:00.003-04:00

HEALTH - s/t

2008-06-25T17:14:00.005-04:00

HELLO WE ARE HEALTH WE ENJOY NOISE AND FLOOR TOMS STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP

hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?jzg2jztgqmh

Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

2008-06-24T13:19:00.001-04:00

Along with The Secret Machine's "Now Here Is Nowhere", I wonder why this album isn't one of those Space Jamz ex-Pink Floyd addicts in high school immediately latch onto like they do OK Computer. Psychedelica filtered through the late 90's, this album is an epic materpiece of dreamy fuzz.

hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=6XYJO70R

Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing

2008-06-23T02:14:00.000-04:00

The perfect medicine for a troubled head.

hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?0ylcfd91eru

Fix Up, Look Sharp

2008-06-22T17:54:00.000-04:00

The Runners Four re-uped per request. Gonna post some new shit either tonight or tomorrow, any requests? Lemmie know.

The Roots - Rising Down

2008-05-01T23:47:00.000-04:00

Haven't had a chance to sit down and really listen to this yet, but here's the skinny so far:

1. "Get Busy" is one of the finest singles The Roots have put out in a long time
2. "75 Bars" shatters the notion that Black Thought can't put out a fresh rap anymore
3. Common can guest star all he wants, he still sucks.

hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?vmxrsk12bbj

Deerhoof - The Runners Four

2008-04-27T20:30:00.001-04:00

While the world certainly doesn't need another blogger, I felt, as one who gets most of their music from blogposts, that I should give back to the community I so generously plunder. With that, welcome to Clap Hands.

My first album post is not exactly a new release, but the more people that can get their hands on this masterpiece, the better. I'm talking about Deerhoof's The Runners Four, a twenty song journey through some of the most twisted, honest, beautiful pop songs ever composed. While this album was hailed when first released, I feel it still doesn't get enough credit to this day. Yes, Friend Opportunity was a slicker, sleeker album. But what The Runners Four lacks in production it makes up for in raw beauty. Deerhoof is our generation's Velvet Underground, but even the Velvet's didn't have an album this consistently amazing.

hxxp://www.mediafire.com/download.php?1dyvrugwzy9

re-uped: hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?l5mxccmeqlt

Check One Two

2008-04-22T14:57:00.000-04:00

Here we go now.