Tracy Shedd “Blue” 20th Anniversary LP (2021)
Details: Tracy Shedd’s slowcore album debut “Blue” on Teen-Beat Records was only ever released on CD in 2001, so it is so wonderful to see it given the reissue and remaster treatment (and, on lovely blue vinyl, to boot) thanks to Fort Lowell Records’ James Tritten (longtime partner and collaborator) in conjunction with Teen-Beat—and just in time to celebrate the album’s 20th Anniversary! Pressed to number 100 only, 140g vinyl, hand-numbered, as well—! Really lovely packaging design and color photography by Teen-Beat’s Mark Robinson and original to the 2001 release photography by Emily Wilder. Once these are gone…that’s it!
Description: "This is a solid, moody debut from Tracy Shedd, who spreads her indie sadness and wistfulness all over the album. Shedd certainly isn't trying to reinvent the wheel here, and her spare arrangements and quiet vocals contain echoes of the girlishly lovelorn and confessional style established a decade previously by artists such as Juliana Hatfield. The opener, "Faint Pale Smiles," pretty much sets the tone for the record with lightly plucked electric guitar and Shedd's sadly melodic musings. This is a quietly likable album, with just enough punch to keep it from pitching toward the too-weighty end of the slowcore spectrum."--Erik Hage, AllMusic
“Shedd sings in an unprepossessing, hushed voice that recalls everyone from Mazzy Star and Lush to just about half of early-’90s Britain." - Magnet
“Tracy Shedd has surely been someone’s best-kept secret! Upbeat, bittersweet, and intimate lyrics coupled with a musical style quite human and bringing the right amount of balance needed to ensure there’s nothing pretentious about any of it. There is real grit and honesty within her songs that will endear her to you." – Subba-Culcha
“She has a simplicity of style that leaves nothing behind and delivers overwhelmingly honest songs. Tracy’s vocals are now residing in my subconscious, have taken up residence and have also made me very embarrassed with the ability of making me sing her songs in overcrowded elevators.” – Indie Rock Reviews
Grade: M (New Stock)
TRACK LISTING SIDE A:
A1. Faint Pale Smiles
A2. People Are Changing
A3. What’s On Your Mind
A4. Circles
TRACK LISTING SIDE B:
B1. Sister
B2. Hesitate
B3. Something Good
B4. I Wanna Know
B5. Blue