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High-res photos by Keith Aguiar PIC 1 | PIC 2 | PIC 3 | PIC 4 |
Release Date: April 5th 2011 |
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It has been a very busy 18 months since The Clams debut full length "I Wanna Go Home" was released. They've circled the US on tour after tour (playing shows with Thee Oh Sees, King Khan & BBQ, Nobunny, Harlem, Crocodiles, Fresh & Onlys, Happy Birthday, The Growlers etc), released two additional singles and now Shannon splits her time between The Clams and traveling the world/recording with Hunx and His Punx as a "Punkette". Their new album on the Hardly Art label actually features 3 songs written by Shannon and another written by fellow Clam, Cody. On top of that Cody has actually started another band as well called King Lollipop that has an LP coming this summer on 1-2-3-4 Go! Some how in the middle of all of that The Clams found time to get together and record an album of their own that tops everything that came before it. Sleep Talk features twelve new songs that Kim Fowley and Lou Christie would have clawed each others eyes out to get a hold of in the early 60's. Shannon can belt out fierce and fun like Wanda Jackson and Etta James going head to head in a competition for the last bottle of hooch in a song like "King of the Sea" and then play that heart-broken-bad-girl-tryin'-to-do-good bit that hasn't been done this well since the Tammys or the Shangri-La's in a song like "Tired of Being Bad". Cody, the bands guitarist and other main song writer/singer comes on like a crooning, hiccuping, lo-fi garage version of Buddy Holly with a touch of Marc Bolan and the aformentioned Christie. Although he excercises the economy and agression of Garage Rock in ways a man like Christie would never have imagined but with a tenderness and vocal register you know he'd appreciate. Ian, the bands drummer, in addition to his skill at his own instrument provides additional back ups that would make Ennio Morricone and a tribe of head hunters equally as proud. Together The Clams provide a secret ingredient that binds together doo-wop, early rock and R&B, girl group classics, 60's garage/psych, surf and glints of punk in a way that's hard to get across in words. You have to listen to it. You have to see it when it comes to your town. You have to be there and feel that moment when you're compelled to turn to the stranger next to you and slow dance together to a song like "Done With You" and then immediately shake every part you got that shakes to "The Cult Song". Call it what you want; Young Oldies, Garage Rock, Surf, Doo Wop, Punk, whatever, just call it on Friday night.
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