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The Streets - Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living
Released April 10th.
In 2001 slash 2002 if you didn't like garage, UK urban, drum'n'bass or whichever off-shoot was the hip word to use at the time, then you were stuffed.
Either that or Travis were your thing.
Someone had to remedy the situation, they had to slap the kids in the face with something new, but something that wasn't too distant from the sound of the time.
Enter Michael Skinner, one PC and a microphone later 'Original Pirate Material' was born.
Write it down on paper: 'talk about how life is at the moment, and by talk I mean talk-in-tune over some homemade beat'. Doesn't sound too appealing does it.
But Mike's nonsensical to the high class lyrics appealed to many, especially when a good joke or two is thrown in for extra measure.
Fast forward to 2006, and shove a conceptual story-based album inbetween we get 'The Hardest Way to Make An Easy Living'.
Now in his third album Mike ups his game once again, the beats are more refined and the tracks emerge as well produced individual babies that blossom in the summer spring April showers.
So we've all heard 'When You Wasn't Famous', the one that's about Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys on CD:UK, it's a toe stomper basically.
But what of the rest of the album, well, let me tell you sonny Jim.
The album opens with 'Pranging Out' a dark awakening of the downside to fame, it's a route down the treacherous path of drugs, losing your marbles and even suicide. A common theme throughout this album.
It's not all doom and gloom however, did you know cigarette lighters were invented before matches? Mike screams at us on 'War of the Sexes', the strongest track on the album.
Helped by a punchy chorus, provided by a guest vocalist whose name is unknown to me. But he's good.
It also shows off how much Mike's production has evolved over the years, it ticks all the right boxes and even signs off with a nice piece of wisdom, 'People who get hammered, don't get to nail,' so next time someone tells you they're off to get pissed and 'score' reel off that one.
Remember Bob Sinclar's 'Love Generation' from last year? It had an infectious whistle in it. And so does the title track, perhaps stating that life goes on, and we'll whistle while we work.
Mike also hasn't left out the slow tracks, a la 'Dry Your Eyes', but the ones this time round don't seem to capture what made 'Dry Your Eyes' so successful.
Question now is, now Mike has taken the 'I'm famous and hating it route', is there another ponderous album left in him yet?
  
www.the-streets.co.uk
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