TRACYANNE AND DANNY is the eponymous debut record from Tracyanne Campbell and Danny Coughlan, released in 2018. After 5 years with no record from Campbell's Camera Obscura and 6 from Coughlan's Crybaby, where do the pair find themselves on this record?
So since my review of Camera Obscura's Let's Get Out of this Country a few weeks ago, I've become a huge fan of the band. Their 2nd, 3rd and 4th records have become some of my favourite pop records of the 2000's, and so I was more than happy to see that there was also this collaboration project- even if I didn't know the other guy. So what does it sound like?
The record opens with HOME AND DRY which is every bit as warm and comforting as the name suggests. The instrumental palette opens up in a really sweet way, the arrangements have this real maturity and restraint; with flute and saxophone leads peppering the rim heavy drum track and guitar licks keeping pace. Campbell and Coughlan's vocals have a really intimacy to them, they're breathy and emotive which fits the track perfectly. It's such a great opener because it both sets the tone for the album and hints at what you can expect later on in the album.
IT CAN'T BE LOVE UNLESS IT HURTS may well be my favourite song on the album. It's definitely up there. Everything from the tragic yet anthemic chorus to the opening line "it started with a kiss, right between the eyes" and the beautiful string accompaniments, and the saxophone solo... I could go on, but you get the point. I only wish it was longer.
DEEP IN THE NIGHT tones it down a bit but maintains the emotive power from the first 2 tracks- it's this pretty love song about feeling safe and protected in someone else's presence and it's garnished with these heart melting piano flutters and sax lines that take it to another level entirely.
ALABAMA is this country rockin' number written by Campbell about the loss of her bandmate Carey Lander- despite it's upbeat demeanor, Tracyanne really lays it all out there in the lyrics, none more obviously than the hook "when I'm an old lady, I'll still miss you like crazy, oh". Danny's only lines in the whole thing are just "I can't remember a day I was ever without you" which despite the delivery in the song, still has a pretty heavy emotional resonance.
The first side of the album closes with JACQUELINE largely lead by Danny, a name he calls many times throughout the song. The song has this sleepy demeanour to it, the instrumental sways in the wind as if everyone apart from the narrator has forgotten Jacqueline entirely. It's a nice tune but not quite as good as some of the others here.
Side B opens with 2006, it's this airy song about an old lost love narrated by Campbell with Coughlan providing this cute vocal loop. Campbell emotes brilliantly over these twinkly combinations of xylophone, piano and guitar while the drums and bass quietly keep rhythm in the back. and of course- the sax is great again. The track isn't one of the most memorable here, but for it's nearly 6 minute runtime it's endearing and cosy.
THE HONEYMOONERS ups the drama in it's opening moments with these wild west soundscapes and lyrics about looking for silence in highlands. The song has this sense of longing, and I like the lyrics about how we call it autumn in the UK and americans call it the fall. It's a nice, if not slightly forgettable tune.
ANYBODY ELSE is kind of crass, Coughlan's repetitive songwriting style from Jacqueline is back but without the charm or wit, the instrumental track is pretty derivative of other parts of the album and even at 3:19 it kind of overstays it's welcome.
CELLOPHANE GIRL is even shorter at 2:45 but shows Coughlan's pop songwriting ability aptitude and arrangement abilities well. Even if it does dip into millennial pop stereotypes with it's "oh oh, forget tomorrow, love me tonight" chorus it's still s memorable and enjoyable tune. It's got a good energy and movement to it.
O'KEEFE closes the record and larges centers around the life of painter Georgia O'Keefe. It's got this swaying swingy piano melody encapsulating the track that's unbelievably sticky, especially since it's right at the end of the album too- the album leaves you with this woozy; almost intoxicated melody line sung by this growing chorus of voices before the song abruptly ends. It's a really solid closer on the album, and kind of ties up some of the themes of the record nicely too- there are lots of themes of heartbreak on the album, so ending it with the narrator being the heartbreaker is a nice turn around right at the end.
So yeh, definitely an album worth checking out- solidly written (for the most part) and constructed throughout with an above average helping of absolutely excellent moments. It's good!
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