rating: ★★★½

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah ask a lot of their listeners. If the band wants the sort of reaction their name demands, the onus is on them to give the audience a reason to break out and shout. And of their past two releases, only one has yielded such a result.

After a four-year hiatus, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have returned with a new release, Hysterical. They can be forgiven for needing a bit of a break, as theirs was a rapid rise to notoriety. In the early 2000s, CYHSY epitomized the DIY ethos. The Brooklyn-based band was label-less, their first discs were home-pressed and, with high-speed word of mouth, they found success through the Internet. The invitingly named group popped up on iPods everywhere in 2005 with the release of their self-titled debut, pushing many of today’s hipsters through puberty. Coercing these kids away from their Top 40 tastes was the band’s self-titled debut album: 38 minutes of hand-clapping, yeah-saying, lyrically obtuse tunes.

And it wasn’t just teens in tight jeans digging the music; Bowie, Byrne and even an ex-Beatle could be counted among the fans. CYHSY had asked for applause but received an onslaught of superlative descriptors. As online caches prove, critics and bloggers were competing for the highest syllable count. Such accolades only compounded pressure on the band for a similarly successful follow-up.

But, meteorologically speaking, high pressure systems usually just create a bit of haze. 2007’s Some Loud Thunder did just that. It was a clear case of sophomore syndrome — not altogether terrible, but switching between bland and irritating. Professional and amateur writers alike slammed the album with the same gusto they had previously used to praise CYHSY. Fans questioned whether the band would survive having notoriously circumlocutory hipster insults hurled at them.

They did.

Four years later, the Clap are back and as infectious as ever. Hysterical starts out promisingly. “Same Mistake,” the optimistic and aptly titled first track, proves the quintet can still produce a solid pop tune. The familiar sound of synthesizers takes a secondary role, however, drowned out by a heavy string section. It swells with a triumphalism that would force a conceding smirk from even the most cynical critic (or critical cynic).

The stand-out single, “Maniac,” is a frenetic track that manages to recreate the classic CYHSY sound. In contrast, Hysterical’s midpoint is markedly melodramatic. The drastic down-tempo turn verges on orchestral overkill. One could be forgiven for thinking it is Brandon Flowers hammily lamenting on “In A Motel Room.” Yet the lyrics are, as usual, only semi-discernable, assuring listeners that it is in fact Alex Ounsworth behind the microphone. The lead singer has not lost his whiny vocal charm, although he does come across as more mature and somewhat suave.

The last of the 12 tracks again captures their earlier energy, but with a twist. “Adam’s Plane” is a perfect summation of the band’s musical journey. It builds with an uppity beat and ends on a calm, even wistful note. Hysterical has a developed sound, which, given that even the guitar dissonance has a strong element of control, borders on over-considered. Ultimately, the album is more tuxedo than T-shirt. It did not leave me in hysterics — in either the Victorian or contemporary sense — but is nevertheless a solid release.

As for a rating, I would give it seven hand claps out of ten. Followed, as requested, by a resounding “Yeah!”

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