The only band to currently have more buzz than Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are the ubiquitous Arctic Monkeys, but only just!  And there are a lot of similarities between the two must have bands of 2006; both have generated considerable grass roots interest via the web and both look set to upset the natural order of the record industry.

However the self-titled debut from the Brooklyn based collective shouldn't trouble the mainstream in the same way The Arctic Monkeys might.  Lead singer Alec Ounsworth's distinctive warble is already polarizing opinion, in a 'you'll either love them or hate them' way.
Personally I love them and think this is already going to be one of the stand-out albums of the year.  The poppy-eighties hooks and David Byrne style vocals are going to draw many comparisons to Talking Heads, but Clap Your Hands have such an abundance of talent, they'll simply take this as a compliment.

Tracks like Is This Love? and The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth look destined for a multitude of playlists over the next year, while their freak show Carnivalesque Intro draws you into the world of Clap your Hands Say Yeah.  It's nice when an album justifies the hype and like The Arctic Monkeys, let it be noted, the record companies didn't generate the hype in the first place.

Kris Shaw - 6 Music