Monday, October 12, 2015

Shannon & The Clams Are Gone By Dawn



If we are in the middle of a 90's revival clearly someone forgot to tell Shannon and the Clams. You see Shannon and her Clams are firmly entrenched in recording as if it were 1961. This is a three piece group that so fully embraces early rock and roll that you'd swear these guys were well into their 70's and somehow stumbled upon a record label to record them before they shuffled off their mortal coil. Clearly in their 20's, however, Shannon and the Clams are obviously in love with the pure, simple sounds of early rock and roll and their latest record Gone By The Dawn is a living tribute to it.

Much like the Pipettes were, Shannon and the Clams are far from a novelty act; these guys have legitimately good songs and enough pop sensibility to write tunes that twist the night away with hooks. This is modern day doo wop and the sort of thing that would probably make their great grand-parents proud of. Gone By The Dawn isn't the sound of rebellion or angst but pure unadulterated fun and is seemingly from a time when rock and roll was subversive, new and every lyric or note could get you in a whole mess of trouble. Dreams In The Rat House is a fantastic record that's the perfect blend of garage rock rawness, doo wop love songs, and swoony pop in a sugary rush of un-cool hipness.

Sugary sweet and ridiculously authentic sounding, Gone By The Dawn channels it's inner Grease fan perfectly. I love this record, it's simplicity, purity and goodness is simply irresistible. I wish more bands would discover the classic goodness of early rock and roll and embrace a time when music was fresh and fun. It was a brilliant time of discovery, creativity, and honesty...something that the music industry and music in general is lacking today.

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