Review Time
So, having dispatched my meagre offering to Threelight, I waited for my Shuffleathon CD to arrive in the post, and last Friday it plopped on to the doormat with a reassuring thud. Tearing at the packaging, I found a nice letter from Cat apologising for any technical difficulties I might experience, and proffering up the following track listing for my aural pleasure.

Girls Who Play Guitars - Maximo Park
Brassneck - The Wedding Present
No I In Threesome - Interpol
Half a Person - The Smiths
Echo Beach - Martha & The Muffins
Fortune Favours Only The Brave - Peter, Bjorn & John
First Day Of My Life - Bright Eyes
Hobart Paving - St Etinenne
Don't Falter - Mint Royale (Featuring Lauren Laverne)
The Golden Path - Chemical Brothers (Featuring Flaming Lips)
Once & Never Again - Long Blondes
Never - The House of Love

With no technical hitches whatsoever, I've now been playing it solidly for a week and my thoughts are as follows:

Girls Who Play Guitars - Maximo Park
I'm not sure if Cat thought to sway my affections at an early stage by introducing some fellow Geordies into proceedings, or just plumped for a thumping great tune. Either way it worked - a top song that really gets us off on the right foot.

Brassneck - The Wedding Present
Unlike the preceding number, this one took a few listens to before I really got into it. However, my perseverance was definitely rewarded, and it carries the momentum of the CD nicely.

No I In Threesome - Interpol
Consider the momentum well and truly carried on, as the lyric exhorting us to try new things could hardly ring truer for the whole Shuffleathon process. So far, so good.

Half a person - The Smiths
I realise that criticising Morissey for being a bit wet and whiny is considered sacrilege in some parts, but I've never really gotten in to the Smiths. However, in small doses and with the benefit of repeated listens, I really enjoyed this song, so thank you Cat. Really should give The Queen Is Dead another go...

Echo Beach - Martha & The Muffins
Still on a four song high, this carries on the euphoric wave with a bouncy paean to wanting to be anywhere but in the office, with a great bouncy tune evocative of all that is good about ska.

Fortune Favours Only The Brave - Peter, Bjorn & John
I always imagine Peter, Bjorn and John as a present day Rod, Jane & Freddie - something to do with the name I think. This song took a couple of listens to get into, but despite the fact that the singer (Peter, Bjorn or John - I'm not sure which, and a little too lazy to find out) sounds like his tongue is too big for his mouth as he splutters and slobbers his way through his F's, this is actually a top record.

First Day Of My Life - Bright Eyes
Changing pace, the CD slows down with the benefit of a bloke and his guitar singing about love in a really nice touching way. Seven songs, seven winners so far.

Hobart Paving - St Etienne
I've listened to this song quite a lot over the last week, and I'll be honest, I really can't stand it. It drags on, and doesn't really seem to go anywhere, and I just don't like it. Is this the start of a downhill trend?

Don't Falter - Mint Royale (Featuring Lauren Laverne)
Thankfully not! I remember really loving this when it first came out, and time hasn't dimmed my love of this brilliant bit of pop. A sparkling return to form.

The Golden Path - Chemical Brothers (Featuring Flaming Lips)
Perhaps not my favourite Chemical Brothers song, this is still a decent record, and provides an interesting bit of dancey variety to an otherwise largely guitar led album.

Once & Never Again - Long Blondes
Back to the guitars, and this again presses lots of good buttons for me.

Never - The House of Love
To finish - well, that'll be an extra helping of guitar to wash down the wafer thin mint at the end of the feast.

So, overall a cracking CD. I feel really fortunate to have received Cat's CD which (with one exception) I really enjoy and have continued to enjoy all week. I'll be sure to shift it on to my mp3 player, and will also be hunting out records by Peter Bjorn & John and Maximo Park to add to the collection. Thanks Cat.

Also big thanks to Swiss Toni, whose brain child this is - I'm delighted I took part, and have received a brilliant CD for my efforts.

I'm now off on holiday, so hopefully will return to find that Cat still speak to me, and Threelight liked at least some (well OK, one) of the tracks on my CD...
- posted by Paul @ 4:55 pm