A Distance Shore - Tracey Thorn

It's important that you select music that matches your mood. Or at least a mood that you want to inspire to. There's no point listening to heavy rock music when you're in the mood for some soothing tones. Similarly you'd be a fool to put Leonard Cohen on your playlist if you wanted to get into the party mood. It ain't gonna work.

So, as I sit here early on Saturday morning, you'd be forgiven for assuming that I'd selected this album because I wanted a gentle introduction to my weekend. You'd be forgiven but you'd be wrong. It was selected because it's short.

I knew that I'd be short on time today and I knew this mini-album would fit my time constraints nicely. A double album certainly wouldn't have helped me cram things into my day. Similarly you can forget anything by Pink Floyd, Yes or Ten Years After. They didn't know the meaning of the phrase "Let's knock a quick one out". They were in it for the long haul.

Anyway that's not to say that 'A Distant Shore' isn't worthy of inclusion for anything other than its brevity. It's a gentle album with just guitar and Tracey's lovely warm voice. Recorded for less than £200 in 1982 and before she became better known as part of Everything But The Girl it's definitely worth seeking out. So yes it's short, but it's also a nice way to wake up into a hectic Saturday.