Tracey Thorn, "A Distant Shore"

Tracey Thorn needs no introduction, and her recognizability means she's not really the type of artist I'd write about here, but her debut solo album, from '82, is a treasure that I don't think is all that known, and I want to take a moment to share it.

A Distant Shore was released between the dissolution of her lo-fi group, Marine Girls, and the start of her more sophisticated partnership with Ben Watt as Everything but the Girl. A little bit earnest bedroom vocals-and-guitar daydreaming, a little bit refined and laid-back lounge, it really is an in-between record. Allegedly, it cost £138 to tape, and while it took thirty years, it did eventually manage to move 100,000 copies. Pretty good return.