CD REVIEW - SHIFTY


Shifty
Music by Molly Nyman & Harry Escott
Silva Screen Records SILCD1286
14 Tracks

Due for U.K. cinema release on the 24th of this month, Eran Creevy's semi-autobiographical film Shifty follows a reunion of two teenage friends, one with a responsible life, the other a drug dealer.
The score is provided by the composing team of Molly Nyman(daughter of Michael) and Harry Escott, who first began working together in 2001, and have since gone on to score features such as Hard Candy and A Mighty Heart, Road to Guantanamo and Ghosts; as well as having worked in TV on the likes of New Europe and Monarchy. Withe the film not as yet released, the score has already been nominated at the British Independent Film Awards in the Best Technical Achievement category.
The album opens with the title theme, which moves along dreamily, with piano, guitar and wordless voices (presumably those of the composers). Piano again features prominently throughout the score and features again in the slightly tense "Busting My Ghaand," and also the brief "Charming Glen." The pacy "Why Am I Running?" follows, and then the lengthiest cue on the album, the rap number "CataclysMic." Moving on quickly, for I see no musical value in rap, "Swings" is something of a light and pleasant, waltz-like cue, and is followed by the plodding "Blare's House," and the oppressive pulse of "Tough Call." "Good Boy" repeats the tense string-work of "Busting My Ghaad;" the tension continuing in "Look at You." The spacey intensity of "Night Watch" brings things to a head, with a sense of relief following in the flowing "Leave it all Behind." The disc concludes with "Play the Tape," which most displays Nyman's father's influence on her work, although there are touches here and there throughout the score.
The album is available on CD or to download from www.silvascreen.com.