Shannon And The Clams - "Sleep Talk"

I picked up Shannon And The Clams debut, I Wanna Go Home, after a great set at last year's Bender. And now she is back with another slab of retro garage pop, and judging by the lead single, this album will be even better. However, judging from the album art, it could be a little creepier, which isn't too surprising since lately she's been playing with the wonderfully sleazy Hunx And His Punx. "Sleep Talk" (mp3) starts out a yearning stroll that slowly ratchets up the emotion until the vocals are up in red. The album come out April 5th on 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. In the meantime, if you are lucky, you can catch Shannon out on tour with the Hunx and Clams.

Top 5 Favorite 2010 Bay Area Garage Rock Albums

The Bay Area appears to be the epicenter for a kick ass garage rock scene that encompasses the full range of sloppy rock n’ roll, from fuzzy and hazy pop to loud and psychedelic jams. Even though the year isn’t over, there are already way too many albums to include all the great releases. So let’s go see who’s playing at Thee Parkside, knock back a couple tallboys, and argue over who I missed.

5. Kelley Stoltz - To Dreamers (San Francisco)
   Damn catchy retro pop nuggets.
   
   
4. Hunx and his Punx - Gay Singles (San Francisco)
   A wild and hilarious dude fronting a glammy girl group band. Think gay Ramones.
   
   
3. Nobunny - First Blood (Oakland)
   Dude wears a bunny mask and tosses off blistering garage punk hooks. Hell yeah!
   
   
2. The Fresh & Onlys - Play It Strange (San Francisco)
   Seamlessly integrate country chug and classic stroll into fun psychedelic pop.
   
   
1. Bare Wires - Seeking Love (Oakland)
   Like all great garage bands, they only lift from the best and have Seeds-like attitude to spare.