There's no overstating the importance of the first track on an album. Attention can be grabbed or lost, and the listener's mind can be made up before they even get to the second song. So what should be made of a band like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, that places the most deliberately confrontational track up front?

Their sophomore effort Some Loud Thunder's titular opening track has deliberately raw production, sounding like a low-quality rip -- fuzzy and indistinct. It's so high in the red that it can be a bit irritating to listen to, and the band has already taken flack for it in many reviews.

Here's the catch: I kind of like it. Here's a band that sold bunches without a record label, got enough hype to all-but guarantee a backlash, and instead of pandering, they open their record with a middle finger. It works musically, matching one of the record's most bouncy songs to great lo-fi production.

Production flourishes are the name of the game all around. Clap has taken the "more layers in the studio means a more advanced band" approach, soaking every song in distortion, reverb and backing vocals.

This leads to missteps when the band mistakes a busy arrangement for interesting songwriting. "Yankee Go Home" has plenty of inconsequential guitar, but it's an unmemorable song with some generic chord progressions. "Love Song No. 7" features pretty accordion sounds, but goes nowhere and seems longer than the four-and-a-half-minute playtime.

But the sense of adventure makes the highs more than balance it out. "Satan Said Dance" wisely matches the effects to a great beat, making the extras flourish instead of the backbone.

Likewise, "Goodbye to Mother and the Cove" rides the same swirling guitars and chiming melody for three minutes, but allows it to settle into a drone instead of making it hopelessly random; and it brings the song together in the end with a forceful, marching drum beat.

Just like their first album, which started obnoxiously and ended with the best song, so does Some Loud Thunder save a great one for last. "Five Easy Pieces" fills the sound out with a lovely harmonica/accordion combo. It's marred a bit by the incredibly reverb-heavy vocal; at this point in the album, you start to believe the singer's afraid to sing without an echo effect. But it's still a satisfying end to the album.

For those keeping score of recent indie-flavor-of-the-month bands' follow-up records, Some Loud Thunder is a more compelling listen than the new Bloc Party. Yeah, it meanders at times and can be a bit aimless for no reason, but that's part of the charm. Grade: B-

-- Reviewed by Dustin Pangonis