Alec Ounsworth

'Mo Beauty'

Clap Your Hands yelper enjoys a solo rebirth.

Spin Rating7 of 10

There's no mistaking Alec Ounsworth's voice: Even with backup from New Orleans ringers -- drummer Stanton Moore and keyboardist Robert Walter, among others -- the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah frontman can't escape his nervous yelp. But that's fine when it's paired with the sharpest arrangements and best songwriting of his short career: Almost every tune on Mo Beauty equals or betters those on CYHSY's lauded 2005 debut, mixing spooky folk ("What Fun") with frantic fun (the towering, sax-assisted "Modern Girl […with Scissors]"). Ounsworth's regular band may have a shaky future, but he doesn't.

By Josh Modell

1 Van Halen 'A Different Kind of Truth'
2 Lana Del Rey 'Born to Die'
3 Cloud Nothings 'Attack on Memory'
4 Himanshu 'Nehru Jackets'
5 Kathleen Edwards 'Voyageur'
6 Leonard Cohen 'Old Ideas'
7 Imperial Teen 'Feel the Sound'
8 Of Montreal 'Paralytic Stalks'
9 The Mark Lanegan Band 'Blues Funeral'
10 Skrillex 'Bangarang'

1 Cloud Nothings 'Attack on Memory'
2 Cloud Nothings 'Attack on Memory'
3 Kathleen Edwards 'Voyageur'
4 The Mark Lanegan Band 'Blues Funeral'
5 The Mark Lanegan Band 'Blues Funeral'
6 Leonard Cohen 'Old Ideas'
7 Escort 'Escort'
8 Escort 'Escort'
9 Escort 'Escort'
10 Himanshu 'Nehru Jackets'

Alec Ounsworth

'Mo Beauty'

The Mark Lanegan Band 'Blues Funeral'

Of Montreal 'Paralytic Stalks'

Van Halen 'A Different Kind of Truth'

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