Set to open across the UK on 24 April, Eran Creevy’s film is based on his teenage experiences and is the tale of two friends reunited for twenty-four hours, one with a responsible lifestyle, the other a drug dealer...

The soundtrack to Shifty is an electronically processed chamber score composed by Molly Nyman and Harry Escott. It was nominated at The British Independent Film Awards in the Best Technical Achievement category.

Nyman and Escott began working as a team in 2001. They composed the score for Michael Winterbottom’s film, A Mighty Heart (2007), award winning Road To Guantanamo (2006), Nick Broomfield’s feature film Ghosts (2006) and the controversial American thriller Hard Candy (2005). They have also written numerous TV scores including New Europe with Michael Palin (BBC), Great Britons (BBC), Monarchy (Ch4) and The Victoria Cross Heroes (Five).

There's an interesting mix of influences and styles here. From the to the more traditional based instrumental themes to the rap inspired track 'CataclysMic'. Although, I have to admit to not really finding much here to really get overly excited about. It's a good, solid album, just not really my thing - I'm more of a traditional orchestrated score person.

The opening track 'Shifty' sounds not unlike something that The Penguin Cafe Orchestra would have composed. It's catchy and unusual and sets the tone of this soundtrack well.

'Why am I Running?" is a compulsive track that will make you get up and bounce around the room, or have you itching to take off running.

'Swings' has a ring of Rolfe Kent about it. Kent composed the soundtrack to Sideways as well as the theme tune to the American TV series Dexter.

The only track I really didn't like was 'CataclysMic' by DJ Trax and Rich Beggar. Rap has never been one of my favourite genres, and I felt that it tried to cater more for those not too familiar with rap - meaning that it will end up appealing to an even smaller audience.

While interesting, the soundtrack to Shifty isn't really one I'll be listening to on a regular basis. It's probably one that works much better when accompanying the movie, rather than a stand alone album.

5

Darren Rea