Review: Shannon and The Clams – Sleep Talk
Shannon and The Clams – Sleep Talk (2011) [1-2-3-4 Go!] // Grade: B
The Hunx and His Punx camp are one brash group of fun-loving hooligans. On new LP Too Young to Be in Love, Hunx’s sass is rivaled by his unruly Punkette, Shannon Shaw. With her name now having registered a few more fans, Shaw rolls out Sleep Talk, the newest and strongest release from her own band, Shannon And The Clams.
If more young girls looked up to women like Shannon Shaw the world would be a lot cooler place. Her throaty wild woman range exudes confidence, bellowing a steady, deep roar across “Baby Don’t Do It”. She milks simple song structures, wringing out clap along hooks, then throwing her voice off the wall recklessly. In title track “Sleep Talk”, a subdued retro croon trades places with a scratchy, impassioned howler of a chorus, backed by the rockabilly swagger of bandmate Cody Blanchard.
Sleep Talk is a much improved Shannon And The Clams. Their 2009 debut I Wanna Go Home was a young band having sloppy fun. Focused songwriting corrals their formerly boundless attitude into a rowdy singalong, led by hellcat and loose cannon extradordinaire, Shannon Shaw.
