Original Pirate Material (studio album) by The Streets

Really enjoyed it. A unique album. There are some duds but overall a good listen. Love the lyrics, especially on The Irony Of It All. It's Too Late truly is a beautiful song. Weak Become Heroes is a hell of a tune too. Same Old Thing is incredibly catchy.

This record does get overrated quite a bit and I think it is mainly due to nostalgia but there is still quality to find on here. A few songs are very catchy and the whole record is consistent in style making it feel cohesive. The flow is great as well and it is worth exploring just for its experimentation. Where the record struggles is the lack of anything that is better than just alright. Nothing on here is very complex and so that means that once you have heard it a few times it is difficult to be able to enjoy it as there isn't anything else to discover. Some songs are very similar as well and the tracks get very repetitive by the end such as on the song The Irony Of It All. Overall, this is an album that fills me with nostalgia of when I was younger but the quality just isn't there on here and the music hasn't aged well at all.

I enjoyed this album but came to it after A Grand Don't Come for Free - which I loved. This is also a good album but I just prefer the narrative and tunes on A Grand.
Nothing bad on this album with It's Too Late, Too Much Brandy and The Irony Of It All being my favourites

I rarely - if ever - listen to either this or A Grand Don't Come for Free these days - and when I do, they admittedly don't sound as good as they did back then - but I will always have a special place for them, I don't even dare to calculate how many times I listened to them starting from 2004/2005 and for more or less the next decade. This one might not have the central narrative that ties their sophomore album together, but when it comes to production this is on a completely different level, pretty much every track is addictive. His rapping barely qualifies as such, it resembles more spoken word than anything else - with his accent being the icing on the cake - but it somehow works into perfection in this specific environment.
To sum it up, hands down my favorite The Streets album.

I've definitley heard better... BUT still very interesting. Anyone with enough patience for something different should check this out. Over rated by critics in my opinion but not complete trash either.

From sguy157 01/18/2019 03:19

A great album with a very interesting sound! I can definitely see why people might be turned off by the way Mike Skinner raps, as it almost feels like spoken word. I'll admit, I was a bit iffy about the album at first, but after a little while I came to appreciate it. I do still think that the album has a few weak points here and there, but as a debut album, the quality on this thing is pretty impressive - especially after reading about the DIY nature of its production. The dude recorded his vocals in a wardrobe! On the lyrical side of things, I appreciate how he describes ordinary life in a way that isn't too flashy. As a result, this album feels like a glimpse into what regular life was like in central England during the early 2000s. Some of my favorites off of this include "Has It Come to This?," "It's Too Late," "Don't Mug Yourself," and "Weak Become Heroes." So if you're looking for something a little different that gives you a look into someone else's lifestyle and experiences, you should definitely check out this album.

Interesting, well-written garage tunes. The main problem? the "rapping". someone please stop brummie boys from doing so lol

From Graeme2 10/10/2015 22:28

I need to listen to this again like soon. I remember before I heard it having preconceptions that it was probably not going to live up to the hype and be some fad crap. As soon as the first lines on the first track kick in you know it's going to be great. A fantastic opening track sets up the whole thing.

From junodog4 03/14/2015 22:52

Kingy - don't be a moron. The Streets (while decent) isn't the epitome of modern music, and many of those who criticize this aren't fogey dadrockers. I can't wait to see your chart.

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