Tracyanne & Danny - Tracyanne & Danny

Fans of Scottish indie rock know Tracyanne Campbell from her time spent writing and singing songs for Camera Obscura, the charming group whose five LPs to date carry on the tradition of chiming Scottish pop. And anyone who loves beautifully melancholy acts like The Smiths and Lloyd Cole should already be aware of Crybaby, the masterfully crafted, eponymous 2012 album recorded by Bristol singer-songwriter Danny Coughlan. The lyrics on the tight, ten-song Tracyanne & Danny, the duo's self-titled debut record, draw from deep within their own experiences, from Campbell's steel-guitar-accented "Alabama," a reflection on the life of her late friend and bandmate Carey Lander ("It was important to make it sound joyous," she says), to Coughlan's peppy "Cellophane Girl," a song about his adolescent infatuation with a co-worker at a plastics factory. Inspired by a variety of artists including Serge Gainsbourg, The Style Council, Lou Reed, The Roches, and Dion, Tracyanne & Danny is vibrant, melodic, musical, and at times, even murdery.