Mike Skinner is bang on the Zeitgeist with his Credit Crunch inspired video for ‘Everything Is Borrowed’. House re-possession blues aside, you are left with an album that sits between the chairs.
Credit crunch, recession, housing market slump - it’s all here, condensed into a four-minute soap opera. How much more topical can you get? Watch the video below.
Listening to ‘Everything Is Borrowed’ you’ll already have noticed that there’s a new wind blowing through The Streets.
The Streets mastermind Mike Skinner built a loyal following sounding like the kid at the back of the bus rhyming over some fresh hip hop beats. On his fourth album to date, the kid’s grown up and does poetry readings in the local culture cafe. Somewhere on that journey The Streets’ music has lost some of its sparkle.
When spoken word poetry and music mix the result is seldom larger than its parts. Dub Reggae poets Linton Kwesi Johnson and Michael Smith were the rare exceptions who made the mix work in the 80’s. These days it’s possibly Space Ape with his surreal musings over Kode 9’s Dubstep rhythms.
The Streets’ spoken word lyrics lack the acerbic wit of earlier albums. In a genre that relies heavily on the rhymes, that is a real downer. With all due respect, Dan Le Sac v. Scroobious Pip have the fresher rhymes if that’s what you’re after.
Musically, The Streets are leaning towards a more embellished sound. As a result, ‘Everything Is Borrowed’ is sitting between the chairs: No longer propped up by tight hip hop beats it does not utilise the flexibility and freedom of pop music.
Mind you, ‘Everything Is Borrowed’ is still a very mellow collection of tracks. It’s just not my cup of tea.
It looks like The Streets have come to a turning point, or is it a logical conclusion? Skinner has said in the past that he is fed up with his The Streets alter ego. Maybe it’s time for something new. I’m certainly curious what Skinner will come up with next.
We say: 
Listen Here to ‘Everything Is Borrowed’ on iTunes UK.
