The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light

by The Streets

Overview

Mike Skinner's comeback has been long in the making. After retiring the Streets project in 2011, he spent some wilderness years serving as both a family man and DJ for hire amid the London club scene he'd so faithfully documented on classic albums like Original Pirate Material and A Grand Don't Come for Free. When the Streets began making noise again in the late 2010s, it was often in the form of collaborative singles with Skinner serving as elder statesman to up-and-comers like Hak Baker, Idles, and Ms Banks. That phase, which resulted in the guest-heavy mixtape None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive, seems to have been a stepping stone to the far more substantial The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light. In addition to being the first Streets album in 12 years, it's also the soundtrack to a self-written, self-directed (self-funded, even) feature film of the same name in which Skinner stars. For better or worse, Skinner is a singular voice who operates best when building his own worlds, narrating them, and producing them. The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light is advertised as a noir murder mystery whose central character is a London club DJ. It is firmly in Skinner's storytelling bailiwick, and over its 15 tracks, he hits his marks, occasionally dazzling and at the very least adhering to the distinctive world he's built over five previous records. Lyrically, his signature cocktail of wit, poignancy, and abstract observation remains potent; he is more self-effacing than before, but still sharp and able to toss out eccentric, sometimes eerie observations ("I think the driver is asking for something to happen so he can catch it on his crash cam"). Occasionally, he stays in lanes a little too familiar -- "Too Much Yayo" and "Money Isn't Everything" feel like Streets tracks we've heard before. But in other places, that familiarity works to his advantage; the quirky singsong melodies, the scrappy production aesthetic, and the welcome return of his classic vocal foils Kevin Mark Trail and Rob Harvey all make this feel like an event. The album is paced like one of his DJ sets, very seamlessly and thoughtfully sequenced, and his distinctive cadence as a poet/rapper/vocalist remains one of the Streets' most unique aspects. There are standouts, for sure: the dark skittering Western of "Walk of Shame" and the bouncy jazz age-sampling title track in particular are boundary-pushing highlights. Overall, it feels less like a comeback and more like the latest chapter in the ongoing saga Skinner has been spinning since 2002. ~ Timothy Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	10/20/2023
Label:	Atlantic / Elektra / Warner Music
UPC:	5054197742279

Tracks

1. Too Much Yayo
2. Money Isn't Everything
3. Walk of Shame
4. Something to Hide
5. Shake Hands With Shadows
6. Not a Good Idea
7. Bright Sunny Day
8. The Darker The Shadow The Brighter The Light
9. Funny Dream
10. Gonna Hurt When This Is Over
11. Kick The Can
12. Each Day Gives
13. Someone Else's Tune
14. Troubled Waters
15. Good Old Daze
16. The Good In You
17. Don't Judge the Book
18. Love At First
19. Original Sin
20. Act Nice
21. Obviusly (You Can't Count)
22. We All Need an Enemy
23. Power of Love, Love of Power

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Streets   Primary Artist
Kevin Mark Trail   Vocals
Mike Skinner   Vocals
Robert Harbey   Vocals
Robert Harvey   Vocals
Teef   Featured Artist
Laura Vane   Vocals

Technical Credits

Virginia Liston   Composer
Mike Skinner   Mixing,Composer,Mastering Engineer,Producer
Luke Pickering   Engineer