Karla Rendon
News Editor
Oakland-based rock and roll band Shannon and the Clams released their fourth album “Gone By the Dawn” Tuesday with a more mature effort.
The trio – consisting of singer/bassist Shannon Shaw, singer/guitarist Cody Blanchard and singer/drummer Nate Mahan – has been known for its take on a unique sound fusing harsh punk aggression with soft doo-wop lightheartedness.
The anticipated album was followed by heavy promotion from the band’s Instagram account and eager replies from fans.
What the band did not promote, however, was how much they’ve grown as a group and how prominently it shows in “Gone By The Dawn.”
Shaw’s vocals have been polished compared to her singing in the band’s 2011 album, “Sleep Talk,” where her iconic chops were more raspy and rigid while Blanchard’s memorable falsetto guitar riffs have been traded for more modest chords.
“Gone By The Dawn’s” first single, “Corvette,” released early in the summer is a mellow and relaxed tune with an equally mellow music video.
Hardly Art Records released the video on their YouTube account describing it as, “Shannon Shaw dreams of a romantic getaway in this surreal video…”
The single is surprising as it is much more relaxed than their previous efforts but was welcomed with supportive comments by fans.
The album is like a rollercoaster that starts high and fast paced then drops to slow ballads through most of the songs and then picks up to be fast moving again for the last three songs.
The first song off “Gone By The Dawn” greets longtime fans with Blanchard’s familiar high-pitched, wacky guitar melody.
The album’s first of 13 songs, “I Will Miss the Jasmine,” welcomes old fans with nostalgia as it can be mistaken for coming off the trio’s 2013 album, “Dreams in the Rat House.”
The nostalgia is abruptly ended as the album progresses to its third tune, “Point of Being Right.”
The song is a fairly daring take for Shannon and the Clams as it is their most pop-sounding song.
The tune sounds like a commercialized show-tune that can easily fit as background music for a cleaning product.
There is a glimmer of hope that fans would get that old Shannon and the Clams doo-wop/punk sound they loved as the album comes to its 10th song, “Knock ‘em Dead.”
“Knock ‘em Dead” is faster sounding than the previous songs and can be compared to their 2011 songs, “King of the Sea,” but Shaw’s take on keeping her vocals soft reminds listeners that the Clams aimed to achieve maturity with this album.
“Gone By The Dawn” ends with “You Let Me Rust,” a perfect combination of the “old” and “new” Shannon and the Clams. It is a fitting culmination for the album that takes a different approach mid-song.
Though the trio has matured in its sound with softer and more delicate melodies, the heavy repetition in the band’s lyrics can bring the assumption that they have not fully matured after all.
“Gone By The Dawn” is available in stores and on iTunes.
Karla Rendon can be reached at karla.rendon@laverne.edu.
