eMusic Review 0
Even for a guy who records constantly, out of habit, like Prince or Guided by Voices or the early, three-album-a-year Beach Boys, Wiley is prone to throwing things together. “This Is Just an Album” is the title of Evolve or Be Extinct‘s final track, as if to shrug out loud, “It’s the body of work that counts.” That, and Wiley was in such a hurry to get the thing out in time for his 33rd birthday (happy birthday, Wiley) that the listener’s likely to prune some of it. Such as, what the hell is “I’m a weirdo/ But I’m not a bipolar…They ain’t on the same planet as me” supposed to imply? And did we need the four-minute “Customs (Skit)” to introduce the three-minute “Immigration”?
Hardly: “Immigration” is one of Wiley’s best, a jet-setting take on “Illegal Search” or “99 Problems,” as he complains about overzealous customs officials: “I’m in your country ’cause I like it, don’t you get it?/ You think I came to pick up stuff and go back home and sell it.” He’s so utterly English at times it can seem alien to Yank ears – the clipped robotic refrain of “Skanking” seems like a joke before it… read more »
