FADE IN

Opening credits start to roll as MIKE, a young English man in his mid-twenties, legs it down a London street clutching a bag from Blockbuster Video containing a DVD. He stumbles as he takes a corner and stops to catch his breath against a lamppost. He continues at an urgent pace, breathing heavily and checking his watch every few steps, but doesn't push himself so hard this time.

NARRATOR
It was supposed to be so easy.

It's difficult to review this like a normal album because so much of what makes it so great stems from the cinematic techniques and the storytelling employed by Mike Skinner in the unfolding of this tale. The hapless central character ricochets back and forth between money lost, girls won, drugs taken, chips bought, girls lost, friends betrayed and money gained, his understanding his world always just one step behind the audience. In fact, comparing this to cinema doesn't do it the credit it deserves either. When was the last time you met a central character as flawed yet compelling and likeable as Mike? He's a man of many vices but they're vices we can all identify with, either in thought or action. He's also a funny observer of both his own life and the people around him. Anyone who can't relate to the persistent trouble he has with his mobile phone is a luckier man than most.

As a film or a short story then, it's a hit. But as a piece of music? Double hit with bells on. The way the score matches the various episodes of the drama as it unfolds is both atmospheric and captivating. It draws you into both the arena and Mike's emotional state. Listen to "Blinded By The Lights", close your eyes and you can just see the club around you. Listen a little longer and you can feel the two tabs of E Mike takes as they work their way through his system. When he finally mutters "I'm mashed", you believe it. He's not joking, he's not acting, it's real, cos you can feel it too.

Another album of the year in a list that's already fast filling up. Buy now before some bastard spills the beans on how it ends.

FADE OUT

-Ian Martin, Jun.12.04

A Grand Don't Come For Free