Everything Is Borrowed

Everything Is Borrowed
Studio album by
The Streets
Released15 September 2008 (UK)
7 October 2008 (US)
GenreAlternative hip hop, electronica, breakbeat
Length38:49
Label679 Recordings, Vice Records
ProducerMike Skinner
The Streets chronology
The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living
(2006) 		Everything Is Borrowed
(2008) 		Cyberspace and Reds
(2011)

Everything Is Borrowed is the fourth studio album by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner, under the music project The Streets. Released in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2008,[1] and in the United States on 7 October 2008,[2] Skinner describes the album as a "peaceful coming to terms album"[3] and as containing "peaceful positive vibes" which stand in stark contrast to the previous album, The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living,[4] which Skinner has described as a "guilt-ridden indulgence".[5]

The album's eponymous first single, was released on 29 September 2008.[6] In the months leading up to the album's release, "The Escapist" was offered online as a free download, accompanied by a music video.[6] The video (directed by Ted Mayhem)[7] follows Skinner as he walks 770 miles from Dover to a beach in France,[8][9] a feat Skinner actually undertook.[10] "Who Knows Who", a track Skinner recorded with the band Muse, was leaked in August 2008 and was initially believed by many to be a track from the upcoming album, until refuted by Muse.[11]

During the recording of the album, Skinner states that he "threw away more music than is on the album now," as he was unhappy with the material recorded, but that "the album is a product of all the stuff I threw away, it was important to the album."[12] Everything Is Borrowed is the penultimate album from The Streets; Skinner has said that he signed a five-record deal, and that he always envisioned a five-album box set.[12] Eight music videos were made for the album, culminating with "On the Edge of a Cliff" being released on 7 April 2009 (videos were not made for "The Sherry End", "Alleged Legends" and "The Strongest Person I Know").[13][14] "On the Flip of a Coin" was used in the 2018/19 video game Life Is Strange 2.

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic63/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Alternative Press[17]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[18]
The Guardian[19]
The Independent[20]
musicOMH[21]
NME8/10[22]
Pitchfork4.8/10[23]
Rolling Stone[24]
Spin8/10[25]
  1. ^ Thompson, Paul (29 July 2008), The Streets Announce LP Release Date, Fall Tour, Pitchfork Media, archived from the original on 30 July 2008, retrieved 29 July 2008
  2. ^ Stanislawski, Ethan (28 August 2008), Mike Skinner talks about the legacy of the Streets, Prefix Magazine, retrieved 4 September 2008
  3. ^ Thompson, Paul (5 June 2008), Mike Skinner Names LP, Declares End of the Streets?, Pitchfork Media, archived from the original on 7 June 2008, retrieved 5 June 2008
  4. ^ "The Streets name new album – but reveal their days are numbered", NME, 2 June 2008, retrieved 5 June 2008
  5. ^ Michaels, Sean (2 June 2008), "The Streets announce final album", The Guardian, London, retrieved 16 July 2008
  6. ^ a b "The Streets offer new track as free download today (July 30)", NME, 30 July 2008, retrieved 4 August 2008
  7. ^ Get your free download from Birmingham's The Streets, Sunday Mercury, 30 July 2008, archived from the original on 14 September 2008, retrieved 4 August 2008
  8. ^ Mike Skinner films epic trek through France, London: The Observer, 10 August 2008, retrieved 27 August 2008
  9. ^ Michaels, Sean (31 July 2008), "The Streets release new material ... and ruin Reeboks", The Guardian, London, retrieved 4 August 2008
  10. ^ Thompson, Paul (19 May 2008), Mike Skinner Walking to France for New Streets Video?, Pitchfork Media, archived from the original on 1 August 2008, retrieved 4 August 2008
  11. ^ Milton, Jamie (4 August 2008), Muse: 'Collaboration with the Streets Result of a Late Night Jam Session', Gig Wise, retrieved 4 August 2008
  12. ^ a b Skinner to release one more album, BBC, 12 August 2008, retrieved 13 August 2008
  13. ^ From the Ladle to the Grave, The Streets, 4 July 2009, retrieved 5 May 2009
  14. ^ Everything Is Borrowed- The Videos, The Streets, 4 July 2009, retrieved 5 May 2009
  15. ^ "Reviews for Everything Is Borrowed by The Streets". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  16. ^ John Bush (15 September 2008). "Everything Is Borrowed - The Streets | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  17. ^ What matters is that Everything Is Borrowed is enough of a triumph that despite all evidence to the contrary, you'll be convinced the world is indeed a beautiful place. [Dec 2008, p.153]
  18. ^ "Music Review: everything is borrowed, by The Streets". Entertainment Weekly. 8 October 2008. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008.
  19. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (12 September 2008). "CD: Urban review: The Streets, Everything Is Borrowed". The Guardian. London.
  20. ^ "Album: The Streets, Everything is Borrowed (Sixsevenine) - Reviews, Music - the Independent". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
  21. ^ "The Streets - Everything is Borrowed | album reviews | musicOMH". Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  22. ^ "The Streets". NME. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  23. ^ "The Streets: Everything Is Borrowed Album Review | Pitchfork". Pitchforkmedia.com. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  24. ^ "Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  25. ^ "The Streets, 'Everything Is Borrowed' (Vice)". SPIN. 7 October 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2016.