SKU: 69237195645

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - New Fragility

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Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - New FragilityWhat are we to make of the world? In many ways, the title New Fragility perfectly sums up our collective state of unease and anxiety, but it's particularly apt for singer songwriter Alec Ounsworth AKA Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and the trauma he's spent the best part of three years processing. "It's pretty personal, " says Ounsworth. "It's about what I think we're all experiencing at the moment, certainly here in the United States anyway trying to move

What are we to make of the world? In many ways, the title New Fragility perfectly sums up our collective state of unease and anxiety, but it's particularly apt for singer songwriter Alec Ounsworth AKA Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and the trauma he's spent the best part of three years processing. "It's pretty personal, " says Ounsworth. "It's about what I think we're all experiencing at the moment, certainly here in the United States anyway - trying to move forward amidst an almost cruel uncertainty." Taken from the David Foster Wallace short story 'Forever Overheard', from the collection Brief Interviews With Hideous Men - "You have grown into a new fragility, " says the story's adolescent narrator - the title track documents what happens directly after a long relationship comes to an end, and what's discovered soon after. "There comes a period of making up for lost time in a changed world, " says Ounsworth, "and now is a time of predictable stupidity." "I never want to take another chance on anyone", Ounsworth laments over a steady chug of muted guitar chords, delicate piano, and bustling drums. "I can't believe the things I do to myself". It's a song that takes a long, hard look at itself in the mirror and doles out some uncomfortable truths. Yet it also showcases what Ounsworth has become so masterful at - couching a certain level of seriousness in something fun. Something danceable. It's what's powered some of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's most memorable moments, and what makes New Fragility such an accomplished, affecting record. Powerful too, taking aim at what Ounsworth calls "the failed democratic experiment that is the United States of America" and the supine hypocrisy of those currently in government. The first singles taken from New Fragility, the double A-side of 'Hesitating Nation' and 'Thousand Oaks', are deeply political, charting the decline of a nation. On the former, over quietly picked guitar and static chords, Ounsworth decrys state-sponsored pollution and the ubiquity of advertising, bemoaning our always on, always hustling culture. But it's 'Thousand Oaks', written in response to the fatal mass shooting at the Borderline Bar And Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, on November 7, 2018, where Ounworth's anger reaches fever pitch. "I was watching an interview with Susan Orfanos, who lost her son, " says Ounsworth. "It was difficult to watch, and left me heartbroken for her and infuriated that so little has been done about gun control in the United States. The tragedy of this case is also that this particular shooting seemed almost 'forgettable', insofar as so many people have become inured and apathetic to such events." The soaring chorus and the melodic chug of Ounsworth's guitar provide a stark contrast to lines that drip with fury and rage. New Fragility is not without moments of beauty though. 'Innocent Weight', the first time Ounsworth has employed a string quartet, is a fragile, plaintive ballad that frames the dissolution of a relationship in heart-breaking terms ("I don't know what I've done wrong"). Ditto the wondrously sad 'Mirror Song', which combines piano and toy piano to great effect, and deconstructs the pressure of touring, the perils of self-medication, and questioning one's motives for pursuing music as a career. "The guilt about having so much opportunity but feeling empty inside is not easy to reconcile, " explains Ounsworth. "I'm mostly over it now." Trace the arc of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's evolution and it shows an accomplished musician and composer sounding ever more confident, constantly refining and broadening his sound and indulging an ever wider set of influences. Few have been as consistently brilliant, eclectic, and intimate; fewer still have done so while being defiantly, 100% independent, refusing to sign deals that compromise artistic vision. New Fragility is a continuation of this, yet it also stands apart as one his strongest collection of songs yet. Personal yet universal, New Fragility confronts numerous modern ills. 'Where They Perform Miracles', a song concerning spirituality and alternative methods of healing, harks back to Ounsworth's time as an anthropology student doing fieldwork in Mexico, while 'Dee, Forgiven' is an intimate look at what harm anxiety, and the over-prescription of certain medication, has on the vitality of youth. The song contains one of Ounsworth's strongest vocals yet - a quivering beacon that shifts from a wail to a low grumble in the blink of an eye, a remarkable expressive instrument that sits perfectly amid the understanded orchestration. For 15 years, it's been one of music's most distinctive voices, and it's never sounded as rich or poised. Together with his keen ear for melody and his unique, eclectic approach to composition - witness the gentle acoustic picking of 'Where They Perform Miracles', the spacious strings and woozy synths of 'CYHSY, 2005', or the rambling, slowed down bar-room blues of album closer 'If I Were More Like Jesus' - New Fragility is the sound of an artist completely at ease in his work, and unafraid to confront the difficult questions that haunt us all. "And I'm climbing this ladder / My head in the clouds", he sings on the latter. "I hope that it matters." As a metaphor for his career to date (and also an inside joke - borrowing this lyric directly from Neil Young's "Borrowed Tune"), it is pretty perfect - the dreamer, forever chasing his muse and musical inspiration. New Fragility is simply the latest chapter, and another classic entry in the canon of one of independent music's brightest, and most durable, artists. New Fragility will be released on CYHSY/Secretly Distribution. The album was produced by Alec Ounsworth, with additional production from Will Johnson, recorded by Britton Beisenherz in Austin, TX and mixed by John Agnello in New Jersey, mastered by Greg Calbi.

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SKU: 69237195645

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4.6 ★★★★★
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mad_buyer
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 5
Outstanding book that lays out a blueprint for communist China's war against the US
A short book that sometimes slips into expressions that take a little time to understand, the two political officers that wrote this book had truly studied US (and western) military campaigns and political movements in order to develop strategies to defeat the west without kinetic warfare. While I (like most others, I believe) understood that CCP wanted to take advantage of the US and have region dominance, this book really opened my eyes. I'll merely list the areas in which these two political officers promoted engagement against the US/west - actions that many (including myself) never realizing these were acts of "unrestricted" and comprehensive warfare. The list: diplomatic warfare financial warfare conventional warfare network warfare trade warfare bio-chemical warfare intelligence warfare resource warfare ecological warfare psychological warfare economic aid warfare space warfare tactical warfare regulatory warfare electronic warfare smuggling warfare sanction warfare guerrilla warfare drug warfare media warfare terrorist warfare virtual warfare (deterrence) ideological warfare fabrication warfare cultural warfare international law warfare atomic warfare Of course, as one recognizes these listed arenas of engagement communist China has with the US, remember that espionage and propaganda play key roles in all of these areas. While the US seeks to counter communist China individually in several of these areas, we have to realize that it is a comprehensive strategy that the CCP is pursuing. Remember this book was published in 1999. What has each side engaged in since then? Epiphanal!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2022
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Walter W. Olson, Ph.D, P.E.
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 3
A military reading: The cover is misleading
This book is purported to be a translation of China’s Masterplan to Destroy America written by two Colonels in the People’s Liberation Army in 1999. There is reason, but not confirmed, to doubt this. The authors of the book are clearly Chinese. Whether or not the authors are Colonels in the PLA, I feel, is in doubt, as such a plan would never be available to Western sources as quickly as it was after drafting. The book is no “master plan.” It is a discussion of modern warfare strategy written by readers of the worldwide military strategy publications. Most of the publications have been in the United States and China. The cover of this book is misleading with the statement, “Wake up, America.” This book should be little interest to the non-military American. But it should be read by anyone with potential requirements for field grade service (Major and above,) or higher (and equivalent strategy levels in the Marines, Air Force, and Navy.) As far as “Wake Up,” I can recall discussions about strategy that contained most of the information provided within the book as a staff field grade officer in the US Army. While as military officers, we need to be aware of these issues, we are not entirely ignorant of them. The book provides a somewhat different perspective of the issues from a Chinese viewpoint. The first point the authors make, how technology precedes its best employment in warfare. Most of the technology discussed concerns the information processing capabilities of both computers and software. It is more than computerized warfare. A large part of this is based on the technology to US Forces but not entirely. Part of the problem with technology is that mankind becomes so used to using technology to solve today’s problems that previous methods of solving problems are lost. Thus, if the technology can be crippled, it represents an exploitable weakness in war. The second point made, is that the military forces now must consider nonmilitary actions if it is to be effective in both defense and offense. Warfare developed from point battlefields (using swords, knives, etc.,) to linear battlefields (using machine guns and artillery,) to area battlefields, to 3D battlefields (using aircraft and missiles,) to modern infinite-dimensional battlefields which include space, electromagnetic spectrums, and civilian actions. If one can start a war in a computer room or a stock exchange, is there a non-battle space anywhere? Warfare that transcends military boundaries is “unrestricted warfare.” A “kinder warfare” with critical attacks that take no lives is now possible. Technology is providing a means to attack and enemy’s nerve centers without directly harming anything else. Such nerve centers exist in an enemy’s financial systems, their economic systems, their environmental systems, their public media systems, their political systems, their power and energy systems, and their logistics centers. A third point made is that coalitions of disparate forces, internationally, nationally, and military, are formed and broken very quickly, as quickly as within 24 hours! For example, in Desert Storm, the United States weaved together more than 30 nations in various roles. The author’s prescient comment foresaw the alignments that occurred immediately following the 9/11 attack, although this was after the book was written and not available to the authors to use as an example. There was also unity of command established. This, the authors say, stemmed from the US DoD Reorganization Act passed by Congress in 1986. All of the air forces and naval forces were under General Schwartzkopf despite the desires of the individual forces to operate independently. The air tasking order (a 300-page document) drafted in joint sessions by the Air Force, Navy and Marines, had to be approved by General Schwartzkopf before commands were issued to the various forces. The Kuwaiti Invasion Plan that the Marines wanted was put off in favor of the plan that General Schwartzkopf endorsed. Media personnel were incorporated into the military units but controlled with definitions of release timing and content. A fourth point is that Americans want wars which achieve its national interests while having no causalities. This promotes an over-reliance on technology and an unwillingness to support prolonged war. Americans have a blind faith in technology always thinking that the road to victory is with the highest technology weapons. American military budgets are based largely on the acquisition of expensive weapon systems, and little thought given to their integrated use within the military services. American military theory is behind (consistent with point one above.) But the overriding goal is victory without casualties. Thus, the authors recommend that the secret to war with America is to kill its rank and file soldiers. The style of the book is somewhat elliptical: it is written in the Chinese manner which often dances around a subject before coming to its subject. For example, there is a discussion of the Golden Ratio (1:0.618) before the authors show how it can be found in various ancient and modern military operations. There is considerable Chinese military philosophy discussed including the 36 Strategies, which most American military readers have not encountered ( did not at West Point when I was a Cadet studying Chinese!) I first encountered these after a reference from a Chinese Professor while I was teaching in China and then read Sun Tzu in Chinese. Sun Tzu was not the original author of these. In my personal opinion, an English translation this short book should be required reading for all Cadets at West Point. I rate the book 3 stars for several reasons. I don’t feel the book is well written. Many of the references are transliterations of the author’s names in Chinese which do not read as the real names. At this time, the book is somewhat dated having been written in 1999. I also doubt the attribution of the source and authors of the book. The concepts presented in the book are worth thinking about for a person developing military strategies.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019
B
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Beth Rohl
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
No complaints
Format: Paperback
Knowledge is power and everybody should read this book
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2025
C
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Cita
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
Fascinating and beautifully written.
Format: Hardcover
Clear and compelling reading of the much-neglected history of Carthage -- all its histories had been written by the victors in Rome. BTEW y four-colour photo insert was missing a page....shame on Norton, the puboisher.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2026
N
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Nana & Granddad
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 4
Excellent Overview of Carthage
Format: Hardcover
293 pages of text/maps/b&w figures; 8 pages of color plates; 15 pages of end notes (mostly citations); 20 page Bibliography; 6 page Primary Bibliography; 2 page Acknowledgements; 8 area maps; 1 battle map [Cannae]. This is a well written history of Carthage. It provides a one source overview of the background and history of the city/empire. As a reasonably well read layperson, I am familiar at an overview level with the Punic Wars, Rome, Alexander, and the Alexandrine successor states and this book packaged Carthaginian information very well while adding interesting information that I hadn't come across before. I was somewhat disappointed (hence the 4 star rather than 5 star rating) that there was a very limited drill down to a lower level of detail, particularly from such a noted author. However, this is probably an unfair criticism given the limited amount of archeological information available and the millennia of effort that has been spent in pigeonholing Carthage according to the desired perceptions. I recommend the book highly as a well written overview of Carthage.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2026

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