Song: Grand Canyon
Artist: Tracey Thorn
Album: Out of the Woods
It’s official… I LOVE the new Tracey Thorn album. Not as dancy as I expected, (or hoped) as that was the direction that the Everything But the Girl material had been going over the last few records, but actually… the album seems almost like an EBTG retrospective, with all new songs. Fusing their melancholy acoustic vibe with electronic elements and/or downright dance songs. But I am talking myself into a corner here a little bit because at times it doesn’t seem like EBTG at all. Am I making any sense?
Lead single, the 80’s-tastic “It’s All True” has continued to be one of my favorite new songs of the year. It’s one of the more, if not THE most upbeat track on the album. “Out of the Woods” starts with the almost hymn-like “Here it Goes Again.” Strings serenade Tracey’s perfect voice as the song tip-toes around on a slinky quiet beat. At first I found it such an odd opener, but it’s really grown on me. “A-Z” picks up the pace just a touch with a throbbing consistent beat, and yet you just can’t help but hang on Tracey’s every word.
The rest of the album can be quite beautiful, with the electronic flourishes very minimal. This could be your Grandma’s techno record… and I say that in the most positive way possible. My current favorite is “Grand Canyon” which has a slow build a-la Dido’s “Take My Hand.” Like that song it would have been a great album closer… it never gets super clubby, but returns the beats, though they take a back seat to Tracey’s lyrical poetry. This one reminds me the most of the last EBTG record “Temperamental” with some of the same interesting percussion as songs “The Future of the Future” and “Lullaby of Clubland,” like sounds of glass balls bouncing on glass, etc.“Grand Canyon” would have been a great closing track if “Raise the Roof,” the actual album ender, weren’t better suited. It’s like a lost great Eurythmics track, but still all Tracey. It’s hopeful, sunny, and while again very 80’s sounding, it still remains current.
This one was a long time coming, and I can happily say it was worth it.
Enjoy.
Here is the video for the last Everything But the Girl track, "Future of the Future"
