The Streets

Everything is borrowed, except a razor

Everything is Borrowed

While new album might continue the money theme of the previous two titles, Mike Skinner’s latest is a major step forward for this laddiest of laddish types.

Gone is the swagger of before (save for Heaven For The Weather), gone is the minutiae of geezer life, gone are the samples. Instead Everything Is Borrowed introduces a more considered lyrical approach, an eye cast outwards to world issues and real / live musical instruments.

This evolution is certainly impressive and clearly thought through. However, the difference between this album and, say, A Grand Don’t Come For Free is the same as the difference between Later and Top of the Pops. You know one is more musically sound and worthy but sometimes you just want the fun.

Lyrically, things are patchy. ‘When you’re bad you will feel sad’ is Skinner’s take on religion and the less said about that the better. Then you have the title track’s poignant analysis of life: ‘I came into this world with nothing and I leave with nothing but love. Everything else is just borrowed.’

On that score, it’s much the same as all Streets’ albums, however Everything is Borrowed does have a major redeeming quality. The music. Skinner’s switch to real instruments allows for some sweeping arrangements, and more interesting backing than before, from gentle acoustic guitar and harp to full on gospel. All in all, it’s a brave attempt to shift style but some way off being a classic.

We say: Not the album to convert newcomers.

They say: ‘It's an intriguing development for an artist heretofore deeply rooted in the materialistic and everyday. Philosophy is the obvious destination for pop's more reflective lyrical forms, but it's rarely been as enthusiastically taken up as here.’ Independent.

Best Track: Everything Is Borrowed

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