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May 25, 2018 Album of the Week By Christopher Roberts

Tracyanne & Danny, is a new project from Camera Obscura frontwoman Tracyanne Campbell and Danny Coughlan (who has previously released music as Crybaby). Their self-titled debut album, Tracyanne & Danny, came out today via Merge. We weren’t able to put together a full on new write-up for this week’s Album of the Week, but we still wanted to acknowledge Tracyanne & Danny as our favorite album this week. It’s something we’ve been building up to, as every one of its pre-release singles made our Songs of the Week list.

Previously Tracyanne & Danny shared a teaser trailer for the project and their lovely first single, “Home & Dry” (which was our #1 Song of the Week). Then the duo shared a second song from the album, “Alabama,” via a music video (it was our #2 Song of the Week). Then they shared the album’s third single, string-swept duet “It Can’t Be Love Unless It Hurts” (which was also one of our Songs of the Week).

Camera Obscura understandably haven’t had much activity since the tragic and untimely passing due to cancer of founding member and keyboardist Carey Lander in 2015. The band’s last album was 2013’s Desire Lines. Campbell is from Glasgow, whereas the London-born Coughlan is Bristol-based. They were introduced by mutual friends in 2013 and Campbell liked his music as Crybaby and asked him to open for Camera Obscura. They worked on songs together, but the project was shelved for Campbell to focus on Desire Lines. After Camera Obscura went on hiatus the duo revisited the project and recorded the album at Clashnarrow, Edwyn Collins’ studio in the Scottish Highlands. Collins co-produced the album along with engineer and multi-instrumentalist Sean Read (Dexys Midnight Runners), using Collins’ vintage gear. A previous press release said mutual influences on Tracyanne & Danny include “The Roches, Dion, Lou Reed, The Flamingos, Serge Gainsbourg, Santo & Johnny, and The Style Council.”

Campbell said in the previous press release that the album is “melodic, musical, and murdery. It’s not a duet record. We’ve tried our best to marry our voices, songs, and melodies.”

Read our review of Tracyanne & Danny.

Tracyanne & Danny Tour Dates:

May 28 Bristol, UK - The Lantern @ Colston Hall
May 29 London, UK - Oslo
May 31 Glasgow, UK - Saint Luke’s
Jun 13 Birmingham, AL - Saturn*
Jun 14 Atlanta, GA - Terminal West*
Jun 15 Durham, NC - Motorco*
Jun 16 Washington, DC - Union Stage*
Jun 17 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s*
Jun 19 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg*
Jun 21 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair*
Jun 22 Montreal, QC - Le Ministère*
Jun 23 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall*
Jun 24 Detroit, MI - El Club*
Jun 25 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe*
Jun 27 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall*
Jun 28 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club*

* w/ Lomelda

Album of the Week Runner-ups (Also Released This Week):

Bernice: Puff LP: In the air without a shape (Arts & Crafts)

CHVRCHES: Love Is Dead (Glassnote)

Hatchie: Sugar & Spice EP (Double Double Whammy)

Wooden Shjips: V. (Thrill Jockey)

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