Mike Skinner has the uncanny ability to make even the most mundane situations seem interesting. In 2002 on The Streets' debut album Original Pirate Material, he made the lifestyle of the 20-something hash-smoking, brandy-downing British slacker seem like the high life, with grandiose and complicated beats to match.
On the band's follow-up, A Grand Don't Come For Free, everything is simplified from the lyrics that follow the life of an everyday guy, to the straightforward, yet irresistibly catchy, beats that compose the background of every song.
But that doesn't make this album any less appealing--in fact, the ordinary nature of the lyrics makes it even more attractive. Who can't relate to having suspicions about the honesty of your friends (as on "Could Well Be In"), money problems ("Not Addicted") or pining for an unattainable member of the opposite sex ("Fit But You Know It")?
And just as all the events in a person's life are connected, all the songs on this album describe a two-week time period in the narrator's life. For instance, "It Was Supposed to Be So Easy," the first song on the album, deals with the loss of $1,000 and a broken television; "Empty Cans," the last song, talks about fixing the TV and finding money.
Skinner's ability to explore a common theme is seen most pointedly in his telling of the relationship between the narrator and his girlfriend, from their initial meeting in "Could Well Be In" to the squabbles in "Get Out of My House" to their eventual breakup in "Dry Your Eyes."
In short, A Grand Don't Come For Free is the ultimate soundtrack to life, complete with funky British slang for every occasion.
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