New: The Streets – ‘The Escapist’
In 2006, Mike Skinner released his third album The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living a follow-up to the smash hit 2004 concept album A Grand Don’t Come for Free. That album sold 3 million copies on the back of a huge single, ‘Dry Your Eyes’ but The Hardest Way… in comparison sold one-sixth of that. The album was not a pleasurable listening experience and it showed in the public reaction to it. Skinner agreed calling it an album of “guilt-ridden indulgence”.
Since then, Skinner has been holed up in his own private studio recording the next chapter Everything is Borrowed out September 15th, which he has said has a “peaceful, positive vibe”. He also claimed the fifth album would be his last as The Streets and likened it to Lou Reed’s Berlin. His most recent show in Dublin was also poorly attended so how does the new material fare?
The first single ‘The Escapist’ was made available as a free download from this website from today and the video which was shows Skinner walking the South of France is also below. Skinner’s delivery sounds a lackadaisical as ever but matched with the slow-tempo of the tune, it becomes aimless. It’s a pity because the instrumentation is certainly interesting with a background skiffling beat, nice plucked orchestral sounds and a gospel choir-backed chorus. We’re not feeling it.
Video: The Streets – ‘The Escapist’
[youtube]http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=y2c6g6eG1mQ[/youtube]
A new album teaser mix is up on Myspace.
I definitely think Mike Skinner ran out of ideas two albums in. Ever since, he’s been treading water. He tries to reinvent himself, but I just don’t think he has the talent, and it all sounds like a poor pastiche of former glories.
He sounds like he got a tremendous knock on the head. His conversations must last an eternity!
The best song he ever did was the first track on his first album. It’s been downhill from there. This track is just meh.
p.s. what the hell does “mischievious” mean? Mischievous, surely! It’s like “illuminous” – THERE’S NO SUCH WORD!
You two are daft. No ideas? No talent? A grand doesn´t come for free is surely one of the greatest pieces of story telling in the last 10 years. Where are your albums by the way? Tall poppy cutters.
I don’t recall saying he had no ideas or no talent! And what’s all this about my albums? They’re better than his last one, fo’ sho.
I stick by my original comment, although come to think of it, Blinded By The Lights is superb. But that moment of genius aside, he’s made 3 successive albums of rapidly diminishing quality. Roll on the 4th.
The video really does summarize the song : boring.
He caught a bad case of Eminemitis. In describing his ordinary life he was incandescently brilliant. Then he became famous, took too many drugs, became deluded and is now boring us with addled half-arsed dispatches from the land of rich celebrities.
Eminemitis. Brilliant.
Nail on head, gardenhead.
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