Tracy Shedd - Cigarettes & Smoke Machines

Cigarettes & Smoke Machines is Tracy Shedd's fourth album, which blows me away since I have never ever heard of her before. What reeled me in to listening to this one is the fact that she's being currently compared to Liz Phair and Bettie Serveert. What's interesting is that this comparison still requires me taking a little bit of a gamble, since I love the 90's versions of these two acts, but I'm decidedly lukewarm about their current versions. So is Tracy Shedd reminiscent of old school Phair / Serveert, or the current Avril-ized versions?

Well, to confuse you even more, I'd have to say yes and no. First off, the Liz Phair comparison is really quite superficial in the sense that style-wise, she doesn't really sound like old or new Liz. Vocal-wise however, the similarity is staggering. This is a good thing since I've always liked Liz's
voice. Not too perfect, not too flawed, but just the right amount of human to make her endearing. The Bettie Serveert comparison is a little bit more accurate. Palomine was easily one of the great albums of the 90's, and although Shedd's disc doesn't quite have the same edge, it certainly carries the same level of solid alternative 90's pop sensibility. Not every song will grab you right away, but there are some very catchy ones still.

Some of the highlights can be found in songs like Won Past Ten, which feels a bit nostalgic in its lyrical delivery as well as the slightly Cure-ish guitar sound. James Tritten plays lead guitar and I love how heavily featured it is on this track, making it as much the lead singer as her voice is. Go On is another standout. The lyrics are admittedly quite simple and a little bit mundane, but I've got to believe that this was done on purpose so as to place greater emphasis on the driving buildup of the song which I find very infectious. I'd say that the album is divided equally between the upbeat numbers and the balladry, and personally I'd say overall the faster songs seem to work a little bit better. But Plastic World is a good one, dealing with the monotony of life and the pressure that comes with being forced into the accepted plastic mold that becomes the standard in the world today, leaving very little room for individuality sometimes. That's a subject matter that's always appealed to me, going all the way back to Zappa's Plastic People in '67, and probably even earlier.

Not being familiar with her previous work, I'd be interested in seeing if her music has always been this safe, or if she once had a little bit more of an edge. Not that a touch of anger is always necessary, I mean I like Fountains of Wayne for crying out loud, but it's the misleading Liz Phair comparison that had me expecting something a little bit more 'in-your-face.' The closest she gets is in the song So Sick, where she says some pretty harsh things about being so sick of it all, once again to the accompaniment of a heavily distorted guitar sound. It would've been nice to hear a little bit more of that. Still, as far as singer songwriter pop music goes, Cigarettes & Smoke Machines is better than average and is certain to offer even more grit upon further listenings.

She is currently offering her 'Louder Than You Can Hear' release as a free download on her site.

Above photo is by Skid Severson.

Myspace: Tracy Shedd
Download: Whatever It Takes mp3