Blue

This is a solid, moody debut from Tracy Shedd, who spreads her indie sadness and wistfulness all over the album. Shedd certainly isn't trying to reinvent the wheel here, and her spare arrangements and quiet vocals contain echoes of the girlishly lovelorn and confessional style established a decade previously by artists such as Juliana Hatfield. The opener, "Faint Pale Smiles," pretty much sets the tone for the record with lightly plucked electric guitar and Shedd's sadly melodic musings. This is a quietly likable album, with just enough punch to keep it from pitching toward the too-weighty end of the slowcore spectrum.