Comments (0) Best High-Concept Band - 2001
The Clap Band
Ever noticed that a lot of great pop songs feature hand claps? Have you wondered what it would sound like if the bands got rid of all that extraneous stuff like guitars, drums, and organ? The Clap Band has. On their Rodent Records debut single, Oakland's Axel Geddes and Hal Pearlman use only their hands for musical backing, slapping palms to a variety of rhythms and singing what can best be called minimalist lyrics. In "Auto Asphyxiation Masturbation," the pair offer instructions on how to tie the knot -- with yourself. In "This Is My Notebook," they come off like kids whose mom sneaked a peek at their diaries. Sure, the Clap Band's brand of slapdash sound is stupid, but it's the kind of stupid that's kept the college radio airwaves humming for years. (Naturally, the Clap Band's single charted on both KALX-FM and KUSF-FM.)
