The latest from Clap Hands Say Yeah is soup. Some people like soup, myself included. Some people freak out over the idea of consuming a hot liquid that is technically “eaten.” The new album, Only Run, is melted together with sweeping phase-shifting synths that breath in and out, giving it a gooey consistency. Dave Fridmann (master engineer and “Fifth Flaming Lip”) managed to muscle out individual tones from the muck by condensing them down for your ear, mixing the album. It’s nothing short of a post-production miracle of herculean strength.
There are true nuggets of flavor from “Only Run,” but also duds to leave behind. Matt Berninger, the voice of The National, lends his white-wine soaked baritone to the track “Coming Down,” a fuzzed out, pulsing jaunt that keeps turning up the heat until it boils over and has to be pulled from the fire. The title track sits back and wisely lets the rhythm take control. Alec Ounsworth nuzzles his quavering vocals up and up in “Your Advice.” DJ wonder Kid Kola makes a guest appearance, but dashes hopes with the forgettable “Cover Up.”
One of the finest moments comes during the last dance, the alternate version of a previous song on the album, “Impossible Request.” Alec lets his vocals do what they are built to do: impart meaning from words. If you’re given a voice of sandpaper and glue, it’s inevitable that your words are going to stick longer; just ask Bobby Dylan. By stripping back the veneer, we can see the skeletal wood of Alec’s lyrics and suddenly find ourselves in his shoes, asking the world “please don’t ask me where I’m going, I never know.”
Only Run