22 Dec 2024
Clap Clap Riot - TV Knows Better Review
16 Mar 2009 // A review by Trevor Faville
Clap Clap Riot
TV Knows Better
A quick Google makes for a very positive first impression of this four piece from Christchurch, who has obviously made some big inroads over the last ytear or so. This 5 Song CD is their debut recording, and as such is a powerful statement of intent.
It's not often that you see a bands sound so clearly encapsulated in their name. Clap Clap Riot (on the strength of this CD anyway) deal in concise, precise up beat guitar songs with just a flavour of boys-out-to-have-fun-no-real-harm-done-mister in the lyrical content. In another era the words “mod” or ‘new wave” might have been banded about, and indeed there is more than a bit of the skinny tie about the sound to be sure.
But it works. The band is plainly honed from live performances (of which the web is full of praise), and produced with a clarity and precision that captures that energy and feel such that the songs positively jump out of the speakers. Refreshing too, to hear a guitar based sound that avoids the Goodnight Nurse/48May template in favour of a less heavily processed and sampled kind of sound.
This is band whose sound has matured, but who is still looking for “that song” that might give them real chart success. As such, no track on this really stands out, if only because of the consistency of the writing. What happens next, though, will be very interesting-when this band gets the space of a full album to spread out in.
TV Knows Better is a thoroughly engaging listen, full of life and energy and containing much promise.
Review by Trevf
Clap Clap RiotTV Knows Better
A quick Google makes for a very positive first impression of this four piece from Christchurch, who has obviously made some big inroads over the last ytear or so. This 5 Song CD is their debut recording, and as such is a powerful statement of intent.
It's not often that you see a bands sound so clearly encapsulated in their name. Clap Clap Riot (on the strength of this CD anyway) deal in concise, precise up beat guitar songs with just a flavour of boys-out-to-have-fun-no-real-harm-done-mister in the lyrical content. In another era the words “mod” or ‘new wave” might have been banded about, and indeed there is more than a bit of the skinny tie about the sound to be sure.
But it works. The band is plainly honed from live performances (of which the web is full of praise), and produced with a clarity and precision that captures that energy and feel such that the songs positively jump out of the speakers. Refreshing too, to hear a guitar based sound that avoids the Goodnight Nurse/48May template in favour of a less heavily processed and sampled kind of sound.
This is band whose sound has matured, but who is still looking for “that song” that might give them real chart success. As such, no track on this really stands out, if only because of the consistency of the writing. What happens next, though, will be very interesting-when this band gets the space of a full album to spread out in.
TV Knows Better is a thoroughly engaging listen, full of life and energy and containing much promise.
Review by Trevf
About Clap Clap Riot
"Overall verdict? Standing ovation from me..." The Press
"Five bristling songs, 14 minutes . . . doesn't get much tighter than that…" Graham Reid of Elsewhere.co.nz
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Clap Clap Riot
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