Hype talk

I'll admit that hype makes me curious. Reviewers are not only prone to hyperbole, but they're anxious to be the first to get excited about a new band, and be the one whose MOST excited about it. Then, of course, they're anxious to be the first one to not like them. But in spite of how jaded I am about reviews, I'll still pay attention and take the advice.

Bands seem to get hyped for different reasons (weird vocals seems to be a must), though I think the main reason is just right sound in the right place at the right time. But I think that the hype around the debut album by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah makes me think that there's one key ingredient to guaranteed good reviews by indie reviewers:

Sound as much like Talking Heads as possible.

Hey, I love Talking Heads, too. But how is it that they're still the standard of cool, angular rock after almost 30 years? I was amazed at how much Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sound like Talking Heads. It's possible that something from the three mp3s I got from the CYHSY website will sneak into my head and I'll love it months from now, but today, it's has that unfortunate quality of good derivative music: it just makes me what to go back to what it's derived from.

Compare and contrast:
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, "Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood"
Talking Heads, "I Want To Live"