Contrast Podcast | Handclaps

In the past, I've contributed songs to the various podcasts over at Contrast Podcast. However, this week, we upped the ante a bit. Tim, who runs Contrast Podcast, let me select the theme for the podcast.

So, what was my great suggestion for the masses of bloggers to dig out of their iTunes libraries??? Handclaps. That's it. Nothing high brow. Just simple but fun handclaps.

I love handclaps and even moreso, I love songs with handclaps. There's something raw, rhythmic and exciting about handclaps and they usually accompany the poppy type of songs I enjoy.

The problem with picking a theme for a podcast is that you need to come up with a real humdinger of a tune to justify the selection of that theme. And once the bar is raised so high, it becomes very difficult to succeed. At first I thought about going with a tune from Elevator to Hell called "Everything Made More Sense" since it features handclaps throughout the entire song as the backbeat. However, the beats are kind of off and I feared folks would think I was nuts for using a song with mistimed handclaps as the crown jewel of the theme. Then I thought of going with Eux Autres' "The Sundance Kid" but the claps get kind of drowned out in the regular drum beats. Then I decided to just go with the song that inspired me to send the suggestion to Tim in the first place. Super XX Man's "Coulee City".

The handclaps in "Coulee City" don't last very long but are good clean examples of how handclaps can enhance a song. So, I'm happy with the choice. In the comments, nobody has said anything about the song but it sounds like folks enjoyed the theme which is good to hear.

By the way, for the next podcast, Tim said the theme will be a surprise. Since it will be the half-year anniversary of Contrast Podcast, my guess is that Tim is going to make one podcast out of all the overflow suggestions that folks sent in after the various podcasts were full. But that's just my guess.

Elevator to Hell | Everything Made More Sense | Buy
Eux Autres | The Sundance Kid | Buy