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Arular

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M.I.A. (XL)

 
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Arular
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Avg: 4.0 (606 ratings)

Cross-genre, pan-global, bi-lingual, fan-tastic.

  • We Say...

    Review by Michaelangelo Matos

    Probably the most critically acclaimed new artist of the mid '00s, Maya Arulpragasam is also among its most controversial, in two different ways. Po-faced style purists chide her grab-bag embrace of numerous urban sounds (Brazilian baile funk on "Bucky Done Gun," London grime on "Galang," vigorous neo-electro on "10 Dollar") without having "done her time" in any particular scene (as if pop forms weren't rewired regularly by tinkerers rather than apprentices). The other reason is a lot more serious: Arulpragasam is the daughter of a Sri Lankan political rebel affiliated with the Tamil Tigers, an organization devoted to armed struggle since 1983; they are said to have essentially invented modern suicide bombing. Maya not only doesn't run from this legacy, she devotes a lot of her art (her award-nominated visual work as well as her music) to invoking it: "Like PLO, we don't surrender," she chants in "Sunshowers," for instance. It might not make her a terrorist, but it certainly makes people uneasy.

    Despite all of this, or maybe because of it, Arular, Arulpragasam's debut as M.I.A., is one of the most consistently thrilling pop records anyone has made. What's especially impressive about this is that while the album is hardly devoid of melody (M.I.A.'s sing-songy chatter is highly hummable), it is remarkably short of instrumental detail: These tracks' aural character is almost entirely down to their beats and bass, and their differences come across on the tiniest and tinniest of speakers. Arular is endlessly playful, which means you can play it endlessly.

  • They Say...

    Review by Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

    A cursory listen to Arular makes one wonder how it could generate so much heated, in-depth talk, as it did well before its official release. This is very direct and physical party music, with lots of slang-filled phrasings that might not have any more meaning than "The roof is on fire!" or "Dizzouble dizzutch!" to Americans. It's music that is conducive to dancing or doing other carefree things in the sunshine, rather than what you should hear most often through feeble computer speakers in dimly lit rooms. So why bother discussing it at all? Well, below the surface is a lot more than anyone's basic idea of a good time. The blend of styles -- a dense, often chaotic collage of garage from the U.K., dancehall from Jamaica, crunk from the Dirty South, electro and hardcore rap from New York, and glints of a few others -- is unique enough to baffle anyone who dares categorize it. Beats crack concrete in whomping blasts and scramble senses in exotic patterns; flurries of percussive noise, synthetic handclaps, and synth jabs add chaos; exuberant vocals are delivered in a manner that will be frequently unintelligible to a lot of ears. More importantly, once all the layers of rhythm and accents are peeled away, you'll hear that Maya Arulpragasam -- the London-based woman of Sri Lankan origin who, along with a host of fellow producers, is behind the album -- has a lot more on her mind and in her past than fun, even when she's only alluding to the violence and strife her people have endured. The images that adorn the cover of the album aren't present merely for the sake of design, either; the tanks aren't a nod to the No Limit label. (Enter 10,000-word history of pre-tsunami Sri Lanka here.) The one key definite about Arular is that it's the best kind of pop album imaginable. It can be enjoyed on a purely physical level, and it also carries the potential to adjust your world view.

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