ALBUM REVIEW: Shannon and the Clams Carry Grief Unflinchingly Through ‘The Moon Is in the Wrong Place’

The Moon Is in the Wrong Place, the new album from Shannon and the Clams, is a different one than it might have been under other circumstances. Before recording, frontwoman Shannon Shaw’s fiance, a good friend to all of the band, died in a car accident. The result is an album that explores the various stages of grief while keeping true to the music fans of the band expect. Working once again with producer and Easy Eye Sound label owner Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, the group’s signature garage-soul sound remains intact and the instrumentals are surprisingly up-tempo for such a serious album.

One example of this expression of grief through driving beats is “Big Wheel.” A guitar-heavy, fuzz-toned slice of pure of garage rock, the song can easily be taken as a fun ditty until one gets into lyrics like “Big wheel’s not coming back.” Written by guitarist Cody Blanchard, it’s a good indicator of just how much the loss affected not just Shannon but the band as a whole.

Slowing things down a bit is the Shaw-penned “Real or Magic,” which came about after a dream Shaw had where her fiance, Joe Haener, appeared to her bathed in light. Wondering if the vision was real or just a dream, Shaw takes an appropriately dreamy vocal delivery while the band helps out with a shimmery instrumental approach that puts you in the mood of the hazy state Shaw is singing about.

Album opener “The Vow” is the album’s most heartbreaking but beautiful song. Written by Shaw as a surprise for Haener on their wedding day, it’s an unabashed expression of love and commitment made tragic by loss. When she sings “It feels like it’s over / but forever you’re mine,” it takes on a different feel than originally intended.

But it’s not all loss on The Moon Is in the Wrong Place. “Bean Fields” is an upbeat song, inspired by the trip the band and friends made to Haener’s family farm to camp out in the bean fields, drinking and sharing remembrances. It’s the kind of palate cleanser that’s needed to provide respite from the grief of the rest of the album. It also features a fun music video with dancing grasshoppers inhabiting a bar made from a roadkill armadillo.

Shannon and the Clams walk a tightrope on The Moon Is in the Wrong Place and, overall, they nail it. They don’t shy away from the weight of their primary subject but it never feels needlessly heavy. They produce their most mature album to date without losing sight of the low-tech garage rock that made them popular.

Shannon and the Clams’ The Moon Is in the Wrong Place is out May 10 on Easy Eye Sound.