M.I.A. - Arular
By: Mark Runyon | Category: Album Archive | 07/23/05 | 07:01 PM
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 Grade: A- |
Genre: Hip-hop/Dance
Summary: File this under smart dance music that you can crank obscenely loud while having those few beers, greasing the inhibitions, before going out.
M.I.A's Arular is an album that has aroused a lot of wayward glances among indie rock followers. M.I.A. is Maya Arul, a Sri Lankan-born Londoner whose sound has a unique blend of hip-hop and dance. Now hip-hop is about as compelling to me as a watching fingernails grow. I just don't get the appeal and happily leave those reviews for others to pick through. M.I.A. is stirring up so much talk because of how she is throwing out the rules of these tired genres and starting anew. The experiment is working as the collective acclaim threatens to burst the floodgates. This album is currently topping Amazon's editors list of the best albums of 2005 thus far. Arular has also made the short list for Britain's ultra prestigious Mercury Prize, sharing time with the latest works from such lofty artists like Coldplay, Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs. So what is so special about this lone girl? |
This is an album I, at first, crazily pushed aside. When you've got music shooting at you from every direction, some things have to hit the back burner. On first listen, this intrigued me, but it fell outside of my usual musical comfort zone so it inevitably drifted away. The chatter about this album refused to die and now that I revisit it, it's damn near mainstream compared to my first look near its release in April. I'm glad I made the time to properly introduce myself because this is a complex adventure that marries ethnic Brazilian wanderings underpinned to the deep thump of bass echoing from urban hip-hop. It's quirky, dangerous and knowingly flagrant in its innovative lung into these songs. Traditional hip-hop this is not. It is more comfortable sharing the experimental space of daring souls like Arcade Fire, Bloc Party and Gorillaz. For bands like these, genres need not apply.
Maya's looks certainly don't hurt her appeal. She is an unconventional beauty whose eccentric style helps assemble a unequaled persona. Its obvious her only concern is to be her own person and senseless attempts to chase societies' definition of sexy is the furthest thing from her mind. She doesn't have to try; it follows her around like a lost puppy dog. Regardless of her alluring cover, her voice is powerful and raw as she flips through her multi-lingual lyrics, sometimes changing course mid-sentence.
"Bucky Done Gun" is proof of her daring. This thing has elements of early 90s cheesy bands like Technotronic floating on its surface. It seems to sink its foundation in this odd retro groove then punctuate the verse with her patented style. A song like this shows she makes music that the she loves, without an ounce of self-consciousness about her peculiar grooves. "Sunshowers" is another standout for its lighter tint that shows there is more to her than simply hard driving beats. "Galang" is a great closer.
When you purchase Arular, you are buying a cornucopia of sound. We have the steel drums of "Bingo" to treat you to a Caribbean twang. The brief "Freedom Skit" weaves around electronic blips that sound like they are out of Contra or some video game we've haven't thought about in twenty years. "Amazon" goes all natural by opening in the drippy rain forests, heat so thick it just creates a foggy haze over everything. The erratic sampling of sounds leave the listener guessing as to what this talented mistress is going to throw at us next. Even with this variety, it is a very cohesive work better viewed as one fluid thought rather than trying to pick apart single tracks. Her unique vocal presence is the common thread that punches through each song to hold the thread together.
File this under smart dance music that you can crank obscenely loud while having those few beers, greasing the inhibitions, before going out. Simply put this is the best dance disk, laced in hip-hop, I've heard in some time. It is a cultural explosion akin to Nelly Furtado after a night spent trippin' on acid. It's an upheaval of life. It's messy, rough and beautiful, all awash in the same chaos. Hip-hop artists need to still their turntables for a moment to take a hard look at Arular and dissect its essence. She's created an unfiltered flow that really cuts at the heart of this genre. If you give this disk the patience to explore every facet of its unique grooves, you can't help but be impressed.
Buy M.I.A's Arular now and be sure to check out Innovative Radio for the featured track "Bucky Done Gun." If you want to catch this act live be sure to check out her handful of tour dates at Billboard.
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