I was fortunate enough to receive an advance of the upcoming Tracy Shedd release, Cigarettes & Smoke Machines, which Teenbeat is making available this fall. I was a big fan of her previous output, but this is her best record yet. As usual, the standout is Tracy’s vocals, which are delivered in a very earnest, deliberate fashion, reminding me a little of Laura Veirs. But there are also a few surprises in store… thanks mostly to the very tasty and varied lead guitar work of Tracy’s husband James Tritten (of the late, great Audio Explorations).

The entire record is great, but I especially can’t stop listening to “Won Past Ten.” When I first heard it I thought the hooky guitar line sounded just a little too obtrusive, but now that’s the part that I find myself humming almost non-stop. It’s this song that made me think this record fits perfectly on the Teenbeat roster (and would have fit perfectly on Sarah Records, if it were still around), as it reminds me so much of great early 90s indiepop. And speaking of the Teenbeat roster, fans of the band Aden will likely fall in love with this record, as at times while listening to it I couldn’t help but think “this is what Aden would sound like if fronted by a female.” Anyway, it really is great stuff, just check out the track below and keep an eye on Teenbeat for more details of the release.

Tracy Shedd – Won Past Ten (mp3)