Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is the underdog hero of the underground world. The Brooklyn five-piece shot onto the scene in 2005 with their self-produced, self-released self-titled album and garnered rave reviews across the board. Their DIY (that’s “do it yourself”) dynamic stood out in a sea of artists turning towards more produced sounds, and made the cute acronym CYHSY one of the most heralded new acts of 2005.

But, with their sophomore album Some Loud Thunder, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah can’t fall back on that same out-of-nowhere charm they enjoyed two years ago. All ears are focused on Some Loud Thunder, so CYHSY needs some new tricks to keep the reviewers on their side. The band is clearly aware of this sound scrutiny, as their latest LP sees the band exploring new sonic territory and moving towards a more studio-cleaned sound. Unfortunately, this cleaner sound produces mixed results. Some Loud Thunder is far less exciting than their debut – you could call it “Clap Your Hands Say “Whatev.”

Opener “Some Loud Thunder” sums up CYHSY’s new direction, as the band belts out a 60’s psychedelia-stained song behind a veil of static. The title track exemplifies every flaw found on Some Loud Thunder. Two years ago, the group would have forgone the fuzzed-out effects and just pumped out a great piece of rock. However, the collective is trying to mix its game up, but the distorted guitars draw too much attention from the whole song and weaken the piece overall. These over-produced pratfalls are plentiful on Some Loud Thunder, and are ultimately CYHSY’s sophomore album’s downfall.

The album features some gems, though. “Underwater (You and Me)” is one of the band’s most charming and polished pop numbers, a nautical-themed tune drifting along to slippery guitar strings, cheery percussion and happy-sounding lyrics (although, with lines like “We’ll retreat to the bottom of the sea/ We were destined to live out our lives underwater, you and me,” the song isn’t exactly the most uplifting number). “Emily Jean Stock” is a slow-developing folksy-ditty that reaches a powerful pinnacle, one of the album’s highlights. Some Loud Thunder’s stand out song, however, is “Mama, Won’t You Keep Those Castles in the Air Burning?,” a slowly moving mope piece featuring quick-striking guitars countered by breezy string sweeps. Lead singer Alec Ounsworth sounds the most heartbroken he’s ever been on a CYHSY song, screeching out pained lines like “I guess I hoped to see you some time/ Though our paths will never intertwine” gorgeously. The song propels itself even higher when the drums kick in, but ends up swallowed by a fleet of “la-dee-da’s” before the emotions swirl out of control. “Mama, Won’t You” is the group’s most emotionally wrenching song, and steals the show on Some Loud Thunder.

In the end, CLHSY needlessly gloss up Some Loud Thunder’s tunes, weakening them in the process. Some songs, like “Yankee Go Home” and lead single “Love Song No. 7” sound polished and nice, but trudge along at a snail’s pace, never quite developing into anything of note. The most bizarre song on the album, “Satan Said Dance,” has a groovy-enough beat, but it’s bogged down with too many bleeps, boings and…something that sounds like a dying frog. Not to mention Ounsworth’s voice sounds eerily similar to Eric Cartman’s through the entire track.

Album closer “Five Easy Pieces” sounds intriguing, with its pleasing combination of piano and Dylan-esque harmonica, but never actually goes anywhere, as Ounsworth bleets out inane noises for six minutes. Even the digitized beeps bleeding through near the end can’t save the overdrawn closer. “Five Easy Pieces” both shows what CYHSY’s latest could have been, and why it feels so lukewarm compared to their self-titled debut.

Some Loud Thunder is far from a bad album, and features a fair amount of great songs, but Clap Your Hands Say Yeah illustrates a growing problem in the realm of indie rock. Whenever a band has a smidgen of success and come under the scrutiny of the music media, the group attempts to diversify their sound in an effort to stay fresh with the critics and fans. This is why Modest Mouse’s new single sounds ripe for radio air play and The Shins’ new album isn’t nearly as pleasing as their previous efforts. Artists need to learn that sometimes, sticking to what you know is the best course of action. CYHSY, the loveable underdogs of indie yesteryear (two years, in fact), have fallen victim to this must-improve mindset, and Some Loud Thunder ends up as a decent, but far from satisfying, sophomore venture.