I got a nice little package in the mail from Amazon.co.uk a couple of days ago with some a couple of expensive-ass little platters. The Junior Boys album is, like, chillout electopop Coldplay. I like it! But I don't quite get what the big deal is. A lot of very, very smart blog heads are all over them, but it just kinda sounds like pretty microhouse to me. I'll keep listening to it, but it hasn't popped out at me as a work of genius yet, and I have no idea where all the Timbaland references are coming from.

A while ago, Nate Patrin said that vocals-wise Wiley was like Method Man to Dizzee Rascal's Ghostface. I think he's more like RZA to Dizzee's RZA. These grime guys are not so much about flow mastery; they seem to be more about gruff bursts of syllable explosion, and I can't understand what they're saying through the accent half the time (which still has them way ahead of most dancehall dudes). But the production is real, real serious. It's like Wiley stripped all the empty space and immersive bass rumbles from Timbaland tracks and then played everything else on 45. These are some incredibly dense, complicated tracks, and they have that sort of jittery feeling of when you're really tired so you drink way, way too much coffee quickly and your palms start sweating and your stomache hurts. When OK Computer came out, Thom Yorke said in interviews that Radiohead was trying to musically induce nausea in the listener. This Wiley shit is some crunk nausea. It's hot.

Please Hopper don't hurt em! That stuff about Stephin Merritt dressed like Orville Redinbacher just about made me spit out my tapwater. Anyone want to take bets on what band she's talking about? The Walkmen? Jets to Brazil? Um, like, Braid? Blow ya whistle, Jessica! Name some names!