Life of the Record30 Jun 2025

The Making of CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH (Self-Titled) - featuring Alec Ounsworth

For the 20th anniversary of the debut Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After Alec Ounsworth began recording demos of the songs he was writing, he connected with musicians he met while attending Connecticut College. The band was officially formed in 2004 and included Ounsworth, Lee Sargent, Tyler Sargent, Sean Greenhalgh and Robbie Guertin. As the rest of the band relocated to New York, Ounsworth remained in his hometown of Philadelphia and commuted for rehearsals and shows. They started recording an EP that they were intending to shop around to labels. While continuing to work on new songs, the EP evolved into a full-length album that they recorded in spurts when they could get studio time. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Self-Titled) was eventually self-released in 2005. In this episode, Ounsworth describes his songwriting process for the album and how his demos grew into the full band arrangements. He lays out his vision for the album and how he was hyper focused on adding overdubs, interludes and song segues to create a more impactful listening experience. By releasing and distributing the album themselves, he describes the value he put on being independent at that time. In addition, he talks about the discomfort he felt when the band started gaining a lot of attention, partially due to a Pitchfork review of the album. From being labeled “blog rock,” to developing his unconventional vocal style, to writing about romantic relationships and the prospect of success, to taking inspiration from artists like Brian Eno, Tom Waits, Wire, The Magnetic Fields and David Bowie, to the value of doing it yourself and remaining independent, we’ll hear the stories of how the record came together.

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Episoder(61)

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The Making of Z by My Morning Jacket - featuring Jim James

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22 Jan 1h 37min

The Making of "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues - featuring Steve Lillywhite, Jem Finer and James Fearnley

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The Making of 4 by Foreigner - featuring Lou Gramm

In celebration of the deluxe edition of Foreigner’s fourth album, 4, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After Mick Jones broke into the music industry as a session musician while playing in m...

2 Des 20251h 11min

The Making of PSYCHOCANDY by The Jesus and Mary Chain - featuring Jim Reid and William Reid

For the 40th anniversary of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s landmark debut album, Psychocandy, we take a detailed look at how it was made. Growing up in East Kilbride, Scotland, brothers William and Jim Re...

14 Nov 20251h 45min

The Making of TRAMP by Sharon Van Etten - featuring Sharon Van Etten and Aaron Dessner

In celebration of Sharon Van Etten’s breakthrough third album, Tramp, we take a detailed look at how it was made. Growing up in New Jersey, Sharon Van Etten studied music by learning several instrumen...

21 Okt 20251h 36min

Preview: Fela Kuti: Fear No Man

Subscribe to ⁠Fela Kuti: Fear No Man.⁠ In a world that’s on fire, what is the role of art? What can music actually…do? Can a song save a life? Change a law? Topple a president? Get you killed? In ...

15 Okt 202537min