ALEC OUNSWORTH, the Philadelphian indie minstrel with such a lovely line in pretty lo-fi, has embarked on a digital reissue campaign of his entire catalogue; he’s gonna be reissuing one album a week from now through to September 18th – each being bolstered by rare or previously unheard bonus tracks, demo takes, B-sides and more. This is a great thing.
The new expanded versions of his self-titled debut and the follow-up, Some Loud Thunder, are already available to stream at all digital service providers. If you’ve never caught up with them before, we’ve embedded a Spotify stream of the bonus, supplementary cuts now with Some Loud Thunder down there where the words stop. Trust us; he great.
He takes leftfield pop, a fair few Anglophile references, a little pinch – just a little – of world-weary Americana, the intelligence of Stephin Merritt’s Magnetic Fields, a little new wave and oh, so much more – and just sugar-ices it with the heartfelt tremolo of his voice.
This cluster of welcome expansions come as Alec finally takes back control of his rights, 100%, new deals struck with Secretly Distribution, and Domino for publishing. And he’s a happy man to be truly, fully independent.
“It took some conviction to remain independent – turning down money and perks, etc; and it’s probably the main thing about this project I’m proud of: trying to get through to people in a broader, organic way without having other people deciding for us,” he says.
Next to come in the series are 2011’s Hysterical, 2014’s Only Run, and 2017’s The Tourist: each will now gain demos, outtakes, b-sides, and live and radio session tracks equivalent to one whole standalone album as a companion.
Also up for revisits in the ensuing weeks are 2009’s Mo Beauty, originally released on ANTI-, which will be re-released with three rare bonus tracks; while his side gig as Flashy Python, which released one album in the shape of Skin And Bones, is also due later this year in a deluxe re-release.
Keep them eyes peeled; its probably best you get aboard the tinterweb and follow Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at his website, on Facebook, on Twitter, and at Instagram.
Oh, while we still have your attention: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have plans to tour the UK next February. Again, this is a great thing. There’s only one date announced so far: at the Scala in London on February 23rd. You can buy tickets here. Keep your eyes peeled on the socials and here at Backseat Mafia for more news.
