The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band (self-titled)
LABEL: Friendly Fire Recordings/IODA

"It’s all quite overwhelming on first listen, a motif that has characterized the best albums of the year thus far—and sets even higher expectations for their next album."

The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band is one of the most buzzed about outfits of the year, and for once, it seems the hyperbole may be justified. On their debut album (a first only in the sense that this particular aggregation of musicians has never recorded together; these are all veteran musicians), the Hand Clap Band exploits the alembic of the sound studio to blend late 70s italo, Sugarhill Gang-era hip-hop, Philly disco, electric blues, neo-soul, funk-rock, and God knows what else in to one of the more unique styles of the decade. Since indie's ascendancy began in earnest three or four years ago, we've had to contend with the usual images of willowy prep school musicians playing music for, well, other willowy prep schoolers. The Hand Clap Band, conversely, is stereotype-shatteringly funky—and that's intended as a compliment. Just as Living Colour and a new generation of Afropunk bands have demonstrated that rock isn't always the province of whites, the all-white PHCB can leave solipsism behind and get down preternaturally well.”¨”¨

A catchy opener, "The Journey to Sella De Estrada" effortlessly evokes the cheap disco-influenced soundtracks that Justice routinely plunders; after not overstaying its welcome, the final strains segue into "All of the Above", a sort of discofied take on the San Francisco sound of the late 60s. "You'll Disappear", currently immortalized in Brooklyn nightlife legend as a 12-minute Moroder tribute, is halved and quartered here, but the unexpected opening salvo of that one-two drum machine opening punch more than compensates for what otherwise sounds like a failed experiment on record. The second half of the album is a mélange of downtempo explorations; being more familiar with their pulsating disco oeuvre from catching their initial live performances, much of this is still sinking in. But most of these tracks seem quite promising, especially the Jefferson Airplane-influenced “The Martyr”. It’s all quite overwhelming on first listen, a motif that has characterized the best albums of the year thus far—and sets even higher expectations for their next album.

REVIEWED BY SEAN MURPHY
SEAN'S FAVORITE TRACKS: "The Journey to Serra..." • "All of the Above" • "The Martyr"
Read more by Sean Murphy on his blog, Brooklyn Music

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