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Computers and Blues

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Computers and Blues
Studio album by
The Streets
Released7 February 2011 (UK)
Recorded2009–2010
GenreAlternative hip hop, electronica
Length43:23
LabelAtlantic
ProducerMike Skinner
The Streets chronology
Cyberspace and Reds
(2011) 		Computers and Blues
(2011) 		None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive
(2020)
Singles from Computers and Blues
  1. "Going Through Hell"
    Released: 30 January 2011
  2. "OMG"
    Released: 17 April 2011

Computers and Blues is the fifth studio album by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner, under the music project The Streets. It was officially released in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2011; at the time Skinner said it would be the last Streets album although the project did subsequently relaunch in 2017 and 2020.

It contains 14 songs, including an appearance from British singer-songwriter Clare Maguire. Rob Harvey of The Music worked closely with Skinner on the album and features on several songs. The cover photo is a close-up of the Ziggurats,[1] Norfolk Terrace halls of residence at the University of East Anglia designed by architect Denys Lasdun. The 'Blues' part of the title refers to Skinner's beloved Birmingham City.

Composition

[edit]

In contrast to the "self-indulgent meltdown" of The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (2006) and the '"philosophy for beginners" approach' of Everything Is Borrowed (2008), Computers and Blues returns to the garage instrumentals and "everyman" presentation of real life of Original Pirate Material (2002) and A Grand Don't Come for Free (2004).[2][3] It is primarily about technology's control on society, such as romantic dates on Facebook and addiction to Xbox gaming.[2][3] Although Skinner sometimes raps about topics typical of his earliest albums, such as drinking ("Without Thinking") and being a stoner ("Roof of Your Car"), he also discusses issues unique to his later years, such as struggling with chronic fatigue syndrome ("Trying To Kill M.E.") and seeing his daughter's ultrasound ("Blip on a Screen").[4] Occasionally, the rapper references science fiction writer J. G. Ballard.[4] As Skinner laments on "Puzzled By People", "You can’t Google the solutions to people’s problems."[3]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubB−[4]
Clash7/10[3]
The Guardian[6]
The Independent[7]
musicOMH[8]
NME8/10[9]
Pitchfork5.7/10[10]
PopMatters7/10[11]
Q[12]

Sean O'Neal of The A.V. Club argued that despite some moments that "remind that he won't be easily replaced", most of Computers and Blues suffered from "rote rehash" in the lyrics, and "awkward nods to trends from a guy who once sought to push things forward", such as Auto-tuned hooks and references to internet lingo like "OMG".[4]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Outside Inside"3:02
2."Going Through Hell" (featuring Robert Harvey of The Music)3:08
3."Roof of Your Car"3:12
4."Puzzled By People"3:08
5."Without Thinking" (featuring Sharlene Hector)3:18
6."Blip on a Screen"3:34
7."Those That Don't Know"2:54
8."Soldiers" (featuring Robert Harvey of The Music)3:37
9."We Can Never Be Friends" (featuring Robert Harvey of The Music)3:37
10."ABC"1:12
11."OMG" (featuring Laura Vane of Laura Vane and The Vipertones)3:27
12."Trying to Kill M.E." (featuring Laura Vane)3:58
13."Trust Me"2:16
14."Lock the Locks" (featuring Clare Maguire)3:08
UK deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[13]
No.TitleLength
15."In the Middle"2:39
16."Lovelight"2:19
Japan deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[14]
No.TitleLength
15."See If They Salute"3:13
16."In the Middle (Nero Remix)"6:09
17."Going Through Hell (Diplo Remix)"4:12

Chart performance

[edit]

On 10 February 2011, Computers and Blues debuted at number 22 on the Irish Albums Chart. On 13 February 2011 the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 8. As of January 2012 UK sales stand at 42,000 copies according to The Guardian.[15]

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 49
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 59
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[18] 11
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 138
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 45
Irish Albums (IRMA)[21] 22
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[22] 37
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23] 32
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 8

Release history

[edit]

The album was released in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2011, but was made available to Spotify Premium subscribers on 2 February.[26] A stream of the album was made available by Guardian News and Media on 3 February 2011.[27]

Region Date Label
United Kingdom 7 February 2011[28] Atlantic

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "University of East Anglia - Ziggurats".
  2. ^ a b c O'Brien, Jon (7 February 2011). "Computers and Blues – The Streets". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Renshaw, David (31 January 2011). "The Streets – Computers And Blues". Clash. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d O'Neal, Sean (15 February 2011). "The Streets: Computers And Blues". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Computers & Blues Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  6. ^ MacInnes, Paul (3 February 2011). "The Streets: Computers and Blues – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  7. ^ Gill, Andy (4 February 2011). "Album: The Streets, Computers and Blues (679)". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  8. ^ "The Streets – Computers And Blues | album reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  9. ^ Review
  10. ^ "The Streets: Computers and Blues | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 28 February 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  11. ^ Review
  12. ^ His fifth and final Streets album turns into his best since "A Grand Don't Come For Free." [Feb 2011, p.123]
  13. ^ "The Streets – Computers and Blues (Deluxe Version)". Apple Music. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  14. ^ "The Streets – Computers and Blues". Discogs. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  15. ^ "Indie rock's slow and painful death". The Guardian. 16 January 2012.
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Streets – Computers And Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Streets – Computers And Blues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – The Streets – Computers And Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Lescharts.com – The Streets – Computers And Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Officialcharts.de – The Streets – Computers And Blues". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  21. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Streets". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Streets – Computers And Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  23. ^ "Charts.nz – The Streets – Computers And Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Streets – Computers And Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  25. ^ "The Streets | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  26. ^ "Spotify Premium – The Streets final album, Computers and Blues | Free Spotify Playlists". Spotify-playlists.eu. 2 February 2011. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  27. ^ Hear the Streets' Computers and Blues – Album Stream
  28. ^ "Buy The Streets – Computers And Blues (With Play.com Exclusive Collector's Edition Poster) online at Play.com and read reviews. Free delivery to UK and Europe!". Play.com. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
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