everything is borrowed (2008)

Listening to one of Mike Skinner's albums has always felt like getting cornered at your local pub by a highly voluble English regular. The pint-sipping poet's in a thoughtful mood this time on everything is borrowed: He relates a moving parable about a man contemplating suicide, denounces religious hypocrisy, and generally mulls over the evanescent nature of human experience. Yet Skinner's laugh-out- loud curmudgeonly wit makes sure the conversation never turns too maudlin. And his backing tracks incorporate more live instrumentation, adding some much-needed musical warmth to complement his lyrics' newfound depth. A–
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