The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living

Having expertly dismantled all the contradictions of geezer culture, Mike Skinner turns his exacting gaze to pop stardom on this antic, droll third record. From drug-induced paranoia (“Pranging Out”) and rock n’ roll cliches (“Hotel Expressionism”) to frosty Anglo-American relations (“Two Nations”), few aspects of the celebrity age escape the wringer of the Brummie lyricist’s imagination. However, it’s “Never Went to Church”—a raw, soulful tribute to Skinner’s late father—that gives this complex sonic experiment its affecting emotional core.