Genre: Alternative/Indie
Overall Rating: 8.65
Strong Point: Songwriting and Message
1. Call On My Phone Like I Have Nothing Better To Do: 8.2
Beats and Acoustics: 8.1
Songwriting and Message: 8.7
Flow: 8
Aesthetic Blend: 8
2. None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive: 8.45
Beats and Acoustics: 8.5
Songwriting and Message: 8.4
Flow: 8.3
Aesthetic Blend: 8.6
3. I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him: 8.75
Beats and Acoustics: 9
Songwriting and Message: 9
Flow: 8
Aesthetic Blend: 9
4. You Can’t Afford Me: 8.2
Beats and Acoustics: 7.8
Songwriting and Message: 9
Flow: 8
Aesthetic Blend: 8
5. I Know Something You Did: 9.3
Beats and Acoustics: 9.6
Songwriting and Message: 9.4
Flow:9
Aesthetic Blend: 9.2
6. Eskimo Ice: 8.55
Beats and Acoustics: 8.8
Songwriting and Message: 8.8
Flow: 8.6
Aesthetic Blend: 8
7. My Phone Is Always In My Hand: 8.38
Beats and Acoustics: 8
Songwriting and Message: 9.3
Flow: 8
Aesthetic Blend: 8.2
8. The Poison I Take Hoping You Will Suffer: 8.6
Beats and Acoustics: 8
Songwriting and Message: 8
Flow: 9
Aesthetic Blend: 9. 4
9. Same Direction: 9.1
Beats and Acoustics: 9
Songwriting and Message: 9.2
Flow: 9
Aesthetic Blend: 9.2
10. Falling Down: 8.5
Beats and Acoustics: 9
Songwriting and Message: 8
Flow: 8
Aesthetic Blend: 9
11. Conspiracy Theory Freestyle: 8.8
Beats and Acoustics: 8.8
Songwriting and Message: 8.9
Flow: 8
Aesthetic Blend: 9.5
12. Take Me As I Am: 9
Beats and Acoustics: 9
Songwriting and Message: 9
Flow: 9
Aesthetic Blend: 9
Avg Beats and Acoustics: 8.63
Avg Songwriting and Message: 8.81
Avg Flow: 8.41
Avg Aesthetic Blend: 8.76
Mike Skinner and The Streets return with their first album since 2011 dubbed, “None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive” and in my opinion, it’s impressive.
I like the album mainly because Skinner and his boys don’t take themselves too seriously and this approach leads to some hilarious tracks which I absolutely love!
Skinner’s clever observational humour makes the album what it is. It wouldn’t be a Skinner project without lines like, “She talks about her ex so much even I miss him.” or “My phone is always in my hand/if you think I’m ignoring you i’am” or “If I say I’m five minutes away and you believe me/that’s your problem” or, (and my favorite line of the album) “feels something like a board game/socks and ladders”
Hahaha!
On top of being funny, Skinner aptly captures the everyday problems that haunt us ordinary people in our everyday ordinary lives. On “Calling On My Phone Like I Have Nothing Better To Do”, Skinner tells of the predicament of receiving a phone call you don’t want to pick up so you just watch the phone ringing. On “Same Direction”, he uses an allegory of the dilemma of saying farewell to a friend and watching baffled as your friend walks in the same direction as you.
Hahaha!
But Skinner isn’t all jokes. He uses the same direction allegory to talk about exes who can’t let go. He also issues some heart warming advice of self love on “I wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him” just to show that he is wholesome too.
The titles of the the songs are also too long and quite excessive, which I absolutely love! It plays well into his quirky humour, breaking the rules they taught us in school about keeping your title “short and sweet”. His titles are excessive and delicious. They also hold potent messages, like, “I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him” and T”Poison I Take Hoping You Will Suffer”. As a poet, I’m jealous of Skinner. I wish I had coined these!
Listening to this album just reminds of Friday nights listening to talented poets stringing pictures with words on stage.
I’m truly impressed by Skinner’s fresh, playful and left-of-center style. The album is just one big meme. I will be listening to it excessively.
poetrymaniac 