Shannon and the Clams are one of the greatest gems to have come out of the garage rock/punk mine recently. I know acts like Nobunny, Black Lips and King Khan get all the attention and that’s fine with me; there’s just more Shannon and the Clams left for me to enjoy.Their last album, Dreams in the Rat House, was a definite fan-pleaser as it showcased their strongest songs to date but Gone by the Dawn caught me by surprise. After the perfectly Clams-eque “I Will Miss the Jasmine,” Gone by the Dawn turned into an album I wasn’t quite expecting and I had to give myself time to absorb.
I just had to realize that this is a more complex album for the band and, once that sunk in, I was finally able to appreciate the beauty in these songs. I should have known too – because the band was choosing the song “Corvette” to highlight the album which is a strange choice considering what we’re used to hearing from the band: a more haunting, slower, sinister approach. It’s a song that will take time for fans to appreciate, which is actually perfect for Gone by the Dawn. “Corvette” is a song that takes balls for Shannon and the Clams to record, and that sums Gone by the Dawnup perfectly; it’s a fearless record. It’s sweet, sentimental, strange, scary and charming like only this band can be. In a sense, it’s exactly like being in love.
We are also incredibly lucky to have snagged one of the sky blue vinyls for this release, which just adds to the beauty and mystique of the album with its trans-inducing cover. Seriously this one is worth framing on your wall.
The question is not whether Gone by the Dawn is this group’s strongest effort to date, or whether it’s one of the best albums of the year. Gone by the Dawn just might be THE best record you’ll hear this year.
Artist:
www.shannonandtheclams.com/
www.facebook.com/Shannon-and-the-clams
www.twitter.com/shanandtheclams
Album:
Gone by the Dawn is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .