Hysterical

If it felt like you'd stumbled upon an unsigned, DIY band who were onto something big with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's self-titled debut it was because, well, you had. But like so many others since, the likable Brooklyn band were unable to match the fever pitch that surrounded their debut; 2007's follow-up Some Loud Thunder received a lukewarm reception and frontman Alec Ounsworth released a barely-noticed solo record following the group's 2009 disbandment. Comeback effort Hysterical sounds every bit as urgent as its back story would suggest, and fortunately, the band's ideas are often good enough to carry it along. Though it lacks the DIY charm of 2005's self-titled debut, Hysterical showcases the band's songwriting growth, with spiffy indie pop bits like "Same Mistake" and "Maniac" leading the way. With John Congleton, currently the busiest producer in all the land, behind the boards, Ounsworth and company are able to drape their songs in layers of texture and instrumentation instead of the choppy bursts of aimless energy that used to decorate their songs. Call it sentimentality, call it maturation, but Hysterical is the sort of earnest record you'd expect from a band who've seen the best and worst of indie rock's fickle tastemakers and have lived to tell the tale.