Tracey Thorn "Record (Merge)"
I’ve never read an album described as having come after someone’s “mid-life” and while they are “embarking on a whole new no fucks given phase of life.” (Tracy’s words). But then again, I’ve never heard anything quite like Tracey Thorn’s new record Record (Merge). Forgive me as I try to restrain myself from writing a “who’s on first” bit here with the record being called Record. It would probably involve the band The Band as well… oh well… Tracy refers to the tunes here as “nine feminist bangers” and she’s not wrong. The tunes here are synth-driven, bouncy, and all under 3-minutes (which I think is the definition of “bangers”, right?”) If you were a fan of Tracey’s work in Marine Girls, or from Everything But The Girl, or just a fan of slick, artful pop music, then Record is for you. It’s like Annie Lennox, late-era Talking Heads, and Liz Lemon all met in a bar and recorded this great record… er… Record. Check out the funky “Sister.”