The Streets - Everything Is Borrowed

180-gram LP
Includes free digital download


Audio Quality: 4.25/5
Song Quality: 4.25/5
Packaging: 4/5


Before it burned down in one of the most devastating moments of my life (PS: I haven't had a very hard life), my local record store used to have a huge selection of CDs for just $1.99. Some of them, predictably, were absolute shit. But if you were willing to devote some time to sifting through the massive stacks, you could almost always locate something that was great and probably didn't belong there. In 2002, during my weekly rummaging, I stumbled upon a copy of Original Pirate Material, the first album from The Streets. I had seen the video for "Let's Push Things Forward" on MTV2 a couple times, and though I wasn't quite sure I loved it, I was definitely curious enough about the sound to warrant a $2 investigation. It wound up probably being the single greatest find I ever had in that bin, with the only other contender being Crass' The Feeding of the 5000. I've aggressively followed all of Mike Skinner's output since, and even when he's at his worst (portions of his last record, The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living), he's still one of the most original artists currently active.

I won't even bother trying to sell this man to you, because either you're gonna love this stuff or absolutely hate it. The biggest problem with The Streets is the difficulty you have categorizing the sound, which walks a fine line between hip-hop, electronic, indie, pop, and so on... without ever stepping into any of those genres definitively enough to warrant using it as a classification. On first listen, it's easy to immediately put him in the hip-hop category solely based on his vocal delivery. This is not only a criminally oversimplified description, but it also places him in a genre where he's certain to be misunderstood by at least 90% of the fans, especially in America where the current (wrong) perception of hip-hop music bears just about no resemblance to what Mike Skinner is doing with The Streets. In fact, what Skinner is doing bears little to no resemblance to what anyone is currently doing in any genre. Having said all that, I recommend this and all Streets releases to anyone with an open musical mind looking for something totally unconventional.

Now, a brief music review for people already familiar with Streets. The production on this album is different from previous efforts in that it's base is far less electronic, with much more jazz and classical influence. There are tracks that feature large choirs of vocal ("Heaven For The Weather"), blues piano ("I Love You More Than You Like Me"), gorgeous trumpet parts ("On The Edge Of A Cliff"), and even a full orchestra ("The Escapist"). Like the beats, the vocal delivery is also more relaxed and less aggressive (save the old-school sounding "The Way Of The Dodo"), which gives the album a very chill vibe from start to finish. Skinner's lyrics here are different too, mostly focused on introspective and philosophical considerations of life, death, and the nature of human existence. Fortunately for us, it doesn't come off heavy-handed or didactic. We just get to hear some musings and considerations from an exceptionally thoughtful individual, maturing and reflecting on his existence as he gets older. The hooks here are memorable, and the weakest track of the bunch ("Alleged Legends") isn't bad, just meh. I'm on board... now how about the sound?

I owned this CD prior to the vinyl, so I was very familiar with these songs before first hearing the LP. Upon dropping the needle, the music immediately sounded fresh and new again. This record, though not an audiophile recording, is an amazing testament to how different a record can sound to a CD. The beat to the opening title track sounds so much more clean and separated on the LP, with the bass and kick drum beautifully warm and articulated and the high organ line clearly soaring above. Skinner's voice sits comfortably in the middle, giving you a warm sounding record with a very large sonic spectrum and great separation. On CD, I never noticed the sound of this record as being especially fantastic, but the vinyl copy here sounds really terrific. Sound highlights include "The Strongest Person I Know," "I Love You More (Than You Like Me)," "The Escapist," and my personal favorite, the gorgeous trumpet sound in "On The Edge Of A Cliff." Very nice listening experience here.


The packaging is nothing amazing. The record is in a printed sleeve, which contains the album credits on both sides (no lyrics), and it sits in a slipcase package. That's all there is to report, except for the fact that it DOES come with a free digital download. With this in mind, I'm happy to tell you that you absolutely should buy this version of the album instead of the CD. It sounds very good and with the digital download included, there's no reason not to grab this one. It's also pretty conservatively priced (about $16), so there are really no excuses people. Get it.

Apparently, Mike Skinner says he's only got one album in him after this one. Not surprising, what with his previous effort, The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living, being primarily focused on all of his gripes with the music industry. With this album as a relatively mellow and meditative effort, he wants to finish up his career with a bang, and apparently the next record we get will be a super fun dance record. I'm definitely down with that, but I'm also very glad that we got the opportunity to hear this side of his personality. This album is a treat, as is his entire catalog, and I'm very excited to hear what The Streets still has in store for us.

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