Computers And Blues was, sadly, the final record by The Streets. For me, Streets records tend to follow a fairly defined pattern of progression. After the almost ethereal chill out of Everything Is Borrowed, Computers And Blues seems like a bit of a step backwards (only in the order of how things unfolded, not in quality). This final release feels to me like it should have come out between A Grand... and The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living.
It is the only Streets record not to be pressed on vinyl. It is also the only Streets album that doesn't jump out at me with some sort of over-arching theme. In that way alone, it is entirely unique in the group's discography, and perhaps this was something that Mike Skinner wanted to have a go at before putting the group to bed? Who knows, I'm just rambling here. Anyways, there are some fantastic songs here. The first four are absolutely solid. The opener, "Outside Inside" is amazing, and the following track, "Going Through Hell", should have been the lead single, in my opinion. Further along the tracklisting, "Blip On A Screen" is Mike rapping for his unborn son, which is actually kinda nice. "OMG" is a bit weak, being essentially about Facebook, but is an interesting concept and has a happy ending (although not the Thai massage kind).
I think it would have been much more mysterious and even mature to end The Streets legacy with the introspective Everything Is Borrowed, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a mega-solid British record, which falls lazily somewhere between indie and hip hop.
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