Lesley Garrett

Photographer

   Grab some friends and glow paint, gather around a bonfire, and clap along if you wish to truly appreciate this band. A Rock/Disco/Soul/Electro/Psychedelia band from New York City, The Phenomenal Handclap Band is truly a unique group. If you’re a fan of MGMT or M83, this band has that same electronic funk with a hint of LSD-inspired music from the sixties. However, despite their name, the band’s music consists more of synthesizers than actual clapping.

    Form and Control, their latest album, was released on February 14th. What better way to celebrate love than with a good rave and some phenomenal hand clapping? The album features groovy beats and spacey vocals that make one want to either dance or reach a state of comatose. Track three, “Written Word” adds in some jazzy electric guitar riffs in addition to the standard vocals that sound light years away. “The Unknown Faces at Father James Park” is a track that offers some superb shoo-bopping straight out of the seventies. The band has also released two previous albums. Their self titled album was released in 2009, and a remix of said album was released in 2010. From the Remixes album, “Tears (Stallion Remix)” should definitely be noted as a prime example of the band’s true hand clap potential.

    Overall, this band is worth checking out if you’re a fan of disco/electronic music, take a fancy to unique bands with little notoriety, or happen to be in Newspaper class with the scent of roof sealant in the air. However, if you’re the Hipster type, you may want to warm your hands up to start clapping before everyone else catches on to this band’s psychedelic swag.