Reviews (page 4 of 8)
It's unfortunate that M.I.A. has now rallied against the main message of this album(as the saying goes, you either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain). Anyway, the music is okay. Of course, most of you are here for one of the best songs of the 21st Century. Favorite Track: "Paper Planes".
Tough one. I'm reading NW by Zadie Smith right now and in some ways, this album is bringing that book to life. The polyvocality is doing an especially good job of that; my favorite moment was the Afrikan Boy feature. But mostly I was just waiting for this record to be over. Paper Planes still rules, but it was striking how different it felt from the rest of the record. A full work of art, but not one that I plan to return to ever again.
I really enjoyed this one full of energy, a clash quote, and got it entirely confused with SIA over the look.
J'avais quelque réticences à écouter ses albums. Pas parce que je me considère ennemi à sa cause, mais plutôt parce que son oeuvre est tellement chargée de sa cause qu'il me semblait que l'apprécier du seul point de vue de mélomane desservait sa cause. Cet album... a les bonnes bases pour me plaire: des sonorités alternatives, des sonorités indiennes (et qui en plus sont communes au sega), du hip hop made in Timbaland (les sonorités hip hop sombres que j'aime). Tant pis pour l'intégrité d'activiste de M.I.A. Coup de coeur pour Bamboo Banger, Bird Flu, Hussel, 20 Dollar (un remix vraiment cool), XR2 et Come Around.
3/5
Mashup hypebeast with not a lot to offer by way of music 2.7
There are some fun beats and interesting ideas on here, but for the most part it feels like a collection of good concepts that never quite come together. A lot of the album sounds like it's reaching for something unique but doesn't fully execute it. “Paper Planes” is the obvious exception, it takes all of those elements and puts them together perfectly. That track shows what the rest of the album could have been.
INPUT = {"artist": "M.I.A.", "album": "Kala"} LINEUP = {"men": 0, "women": 1} FEATURED_ARTISTS = {"men": 7, "women": 0} TOTAL_MEN = 7 TOTAL_WOMEN = 1 WOMEN_PERCENTAGE = 63 OUTPUT = "Score adjusted accordingly. 3/5"
Oh MIA where to start. In a much more mild vein than other controversial artists like Ye, MIA immediately leaves a sour taste in my mouth due to her proliferation of conspiracy theories and pro RFK MAGA bs in the wake of whatever recent christian reawakening she's in the midst of. However taking a step back and reviewing this work in a vacuum it's a mixed bag: The album begins very strong with numerous interesting and well produced bops, including Bamboo Banga, BirdFlu, Boyz, Jimmy and Mango Pickle Down River (though what I love about this song was initially made by the Wilcannia Mob, MIAs additions were relatively negligible. In the middle of the album is really where the quality dips imo. Hussel (overly repetitive though the Afrikan Boy portion was cool), World Town and the The Turn were both uninteresting, and XR2 had great proto charli xcx vibes but unfortunately was bloated and overly simplistic. The worst song on here was 20 Dollar with that horrendous Pixies interpellation with poorly utilized auto tune. The end of the album is fine though Paper Planes feels out of place in the vibes and Come Around would have been better without Timbaland. All around I liked most of the album, but the soggy middle of the album drags it down. 3.3/5 -> 3/5
I’ve only known MIA for Paper Planes and Bad Girls. But damn I’m glad I finally listened to all of Kala. It’s such a cool and experimental hip hop album. I totally understand it’s not for everybody but I really enjoyed some of the weird stuff she put together for this record.
Jag förstår att det är bra trots att jag faktiskt inte förstår sån här musik. Den går liksom inte in. För lite fokus på text, röst och story, för lite dramaturgi, det bara pågår. Eller så är jag bara dum i huvudet ... En trea för att det iaf är vackert.
Paper planes is iconic and there are a couple of other good singles here. All in all it’s a lot like Arular.
The one with Paper Planes. 20 Dollar sounded like it sampled from Blue Monday which was neat. Its interesting starting off and thinking wow none of this sounds like Paper Planes and yet by the time it comes up it falls a bit more in line with everything else, making it all the more interesting that it blew up.
I actually quite enjoyed this. Certainly not what I was expecting.
This album is so catchy.
That early tribal sound was kinda neat at first, but got overdone. I liked the 20 Dollar song with the Pixies / Orgy mashup. The album also has Paper Planes on it, so overall it's not too terrible.
Meh.
Fine enough Jai Paul did it better, Paper Planes carries
Forgive me all, but I was obsessed with Paper Planes in elementary school so there is some nostalgia in giving this a 3 instead of a 2. I can also hear moments that remind me of modern artists,which is pretty cool.
OMG some songs from the album I'm obsessed. The hip hop ones and noisier ones. I loved Mango Pickle Down river, World Town and 20 dollar. Also from another album of her's called Mating, Bring the Noize is great!! P.S.: some songs are quite annoying like PAPER PLANES
Bamboo Banga - 3/5 Bird Flu - 3/5 Boyz - 3/5 Jimmy - 3.5/5 Hussel - 3/5 Mango Pickle Down River - 2.5/5 20 Dollar - 3.5/5 World Town - 3.5/5 The Turn - 3/5 XR2 - 3/5 Paper Planes - 5/5 Come Around - 3/5 This may be a bit too experimental for its own good. Don't get me wrong Paper Planes may be one of the best songs of the 2000's, but outside of the highs there really isn't anything else here. The production is alright, but there are a few tracks that are a bit too experimental. They're not awful per se, but just interesting enough to remain interesting. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Paper Planes
Weird
Outside of the singles , this hasn’t aged brilliantly
MIA getting a solid 3 from me, its a fun record with loads of cool ideas, just not my type of fun
3.4 3x love paper planes. the where is my mind cover is interesting but not my thing
mango pickle down river
Not my jam but I admit some of these songs would be bangers at a rave. I like the diversity of sound too
OK is it a problem that I kinda liked it Like "Paper Planes" is a banger yo
I was so close to giving this album a 2 but the last few songs were pretty good and I also read about how this album is named after her mom which I think is sweet....
lol. lmao even. pretty unique sound as a whole but majority of individual tracks are unmemorable
Some incredibly good songs. Really good album. But after a while a lot of the music started to sound the same. Not in a good way.
I really wanted to like it- so many interesting musical choices and genre bending decisions, and I love that her first two albums are named after her parents (and then her next two are named after herself). But musically I found a lot of the choices she made put me off. And I thought I'd get more of a sense of her mum from the album named after her- but I can't imagine that songs like XR2 are at all about her mum, unless they went out raving in the 90s together. Favourite song: Paper Planes Least: World Town
it started really well but got worse in the end, kinda sad tho since i had so many expectations
Satisfying
Fun, though I only knew of airplanes
A fun hip-hop/pop album. The vocal performances were weak, but the production was very creative. M.I.A's most popular track "Paper Planes" is the worst track on the album. I don't have a favorite track, but "Mango Pickle Down River" left the biggest impression on me.
While I like some M.I.A., outside of Paper Planes there are disproportionately more misses than hits here. Again, though, Paper Planes ups it an entire star by itself.
Could’ve been much worse I suppose.
I hadn't come back to this one in a while - Paper Planes is clearly a juggernaut, but I don't think I liked the rest of the album as much as I maybe did when it came out, and certainly not as much as her debut. Mango Pickle Downriver is one I sort of love in an offbeat sort of way. Come Around is cool too. Some interesting sonic elements, but just doesn't work as well as a whole and I'm also sort of soured on her as an artist now that she's gone off the rails politically.
Very cool
Percusión cruda, samples raros. Busca choque y fusión. Paper Planes: pegadiza, pero con crítica social escondida Boyz: pura energía urbana, casi física
Paper Planes is a 5-star song in an interesting album that doesn't quite rise to the same levels.
Kinda liked it. Not my genre.
This got a little repetitive at times but it was a solid album, overall. Paper Planes is an old favorite so having that towards the end to look forward to made it worth it, imo.
Kala by M.I.A. is not the kind of album I would normally choose to listen to, so I went into this with an open mind. There’s a lot going on here. The album is packed with interesting sounds, samples, and cultural references, and it’s actually quite fun trying to pick them out as you listen. It’s creative and energetic, mixing playful, catchy moments with more serious, political themes. That contrast keeps things interesting and gives the album a bit more depth than I expected. It’s an enjoyable listen overall. It’s different from what I’d usually go for, but it never drags and it held my attention the whole way through. Favourite tracks: Paper Planes is a great tune. I also enjoyed Boyz, Jimmy and a few others across the album Least favourite tracks: Nothing I disliked, just outside my usual taste Album artwork: Very cool and colourful cover that fits the energy of the album
Decent hip hop type stuff.
Pretty good, all things considered
"M.I.A" features moments of catchiness, though its primary strength lies in the rhythmic arrangements. The percussion is particularly distinctive providing a strong initial energy. However, the variety begins to diminish after the fifth track, leading to a sense of repetition as the album progresses. Ultimately M.I.A is not to my taste but it is well executed. Three stars. 1 "Bamboo Banga" (3/5) 2 "Bird Flu" (3/5) 3 "Boyz" (3/5) 4 "Jimmy" (3/5) 5 "Hussel" (3/5) 6 "Mango Pickle Down River" (3/5) 7 "20 Dollar" (3/5) 8 "World Town" (3/5) 9 "The Turn" (3/5) 10 "XR2" (3/5) 11 "Paper Planes" (3/5) 12 "Come Around" (3/5) Total - 36 Average - 3 294/1001 157/294 albums reviewed were new to me
Just a whole lot of noise, but she's so cool
I quite liked MIA before I found out about her right leaning politics, but there's some good stuff on here I won't be revisiting very much.
Wish i liked this more
Not my jam, but she is fierce. Tempted to give it a 4 for Paper Planes. 3.5
my love for Paper Planes is the closest I ever got to poptimism
The stuff that goes hard goes crazy. The stuff that's annoying is unlistenable. What do you do with that??
Hectic sounds. Very much a mixed bag - but enjoyably exuberant.
Kala is a wild ride, all over the place with South Asian beats, Bollywood vibes, grimy electronica, and grime. It's trying to be super edgy and talk about some serious stuff, but it's a bit much sometimes. I get the DIY, raw energy, but a lot of the tracks are just too much or get repetitive. It's 47 minutes that feels like a chore, not a trip. It's alright, but "Paper Planes" is the only real winner, a perfect moment in history. Everything else is just kinda there, even the cool stuff like "Jimmy" struggles to remotely reach that same level of brilliance, leaving me mostly just waiting for the cash register and gunshots to kick in.
As far as hip hop/electronic fusion goes this was unique and interesting. Definitely a lot of creativity and use of a variety of cultural sounds. Not my taste, but at least different than: “pimps, hoes, I’m better than you, I’m rich, I want to shoot everyone who disrespects me in sight.”
-different from what I normally hear in a good way -songs are fairly repetitive so may not be something I want to listen to often -Mango Pickle Down River was cute, but also meth? -20 dollar was freaking me out
Crazy, strange bangers broken up by some joyless ugly songs. I can't come up with a sufficiently convoluted analogy for the impression this album gives me Highlights: "Hussel", "Mango Pickle Down River", "The Turn", "Xr2", "Paper Planes"
Af en toe werkt dit domweg op de zenuwen, op andere momenten is het weer creatief en klinkt het nog best lekker ook. Beatjes, verveeld klinkende zang, maffe instrumenten. Het klinkt niet als iets anders maar vooral als zichzelf, dat is ook een kwaliteit. Maar niet iets wat ik dan uit mezelf nog een keer op zet.
We worden door Mia de wereld over genomen. Ze haalt uit allerlei muziekculturen haar inspiratie. Tot en met het gebruik van de didgeridoo. Terwijl ze dat doet blijft ze stevig verankerd in de zeroes. Met interesse heb ik de bruggen die zij heeft aangelegd bewandeld. Aan het eind van die bruggen kwam ik zelden een bijzondere bestemming tegen. We moeten het echt hebben van de reis, met uitzichten op. Die reisjes maken het album zeker een toevoeging aan de lijst. Ik ben wel nieuwsgierig of mevrouw zich nog iets verder heeft ontwikkeld. Dus ik klik nog even door naar wat recenter werk. Het blijft vrij vergelijkbaar met dit album.
Dit is toch een wat vreemd album. Heel veel draait om ritmes en percussie. En vervolgens komt er een italo/india-disco nummer voorbij. Het haalt in ieder geval inspiratie uit vele delen van de wereld, om er vervolgens in een westerse studio een 'moderne' productiesaus over heen te gieten. Wat wil je ook anders met namen als Switch, Diplo en Timbaland. Ik kan niet zeggen dat dit muziek is die ik uit mezelf nog een keer op zou zetten, maar voor een keer was het wel geinig om te luisteren. Al was ik het iets over de helft ook wel weer zat. Gelukkig kwam er nog een hitje. Al met al net genoeg voor een magere 3.
M.I.A.’s Kala hits like a blast of jet‑lagged adrenaline—global beats, sharp edges, and enough attitude to power a small city. Even as a guy who’s been listening to music since CDs were “the future,” I’ve got to admit: “Paper Planes” is one of those rare tracks that stops you in your tracks. It’s clever, catchy, and somehow still feels fresh no matter how many times it pops up in movies or playlists. But the real curveball is “20 Dollar.” The way she weaves in that Pixies “Where Is My Mind?”‑style riff is just flat‑out cool. It’s the kind of reference you catch instantly if you grew up on alt‑rock, and it gives the whole track this eerie, hypnotic pull. Not every song is a home run, but the ambition and energy are undeniable. Kala is bold, weird, and way more inventive than most albums that came out that year. Giving it 4 out of 5 stars (but would be more like 3.6 if I could be more precise)— and yes, I still crank “Paper Planes” in the car. Love that song - moves this album from a 3 to a 4.
Some cool songs and influences from a lot of different genres. But a little sloppy
Man, this was a fun and timely album that actually said something. And then she tarnished it all by being a moron, scammer, and supporting people who are opposed to everything it seems like this album stood for.
Good but too intense for the moment
I do have a bit of a soft spot for female UK rappers. I thought there were many interesting elements in this album. It is not my favourite thing in the world, but still quite enjoyable. 3.5 stars
This is kind of a cool album that I think is probably ahead of it's time in some regard. I think it blends a lot of genres in a pretty unique way. That being said, although it starts well and ends well, I think it does kind of get to be a mixed bag in the middle of the album. Nothing quite reaches the heights of "Paper Planes" either. 3.5 stars.
I'm not sure if I love M.I.A.'s whole thing, but she is *doing it* so well here. Great car music.
A rare album that I think is improved by listening in stereo (at least out of this project which has a lot of 50s-60s experimentations in stereo audio) but overall this felt like it lacked the punch of Arular that made it feel so edgy and new.
Quarter of the way through the process... This sits firmly in the noughties, but quite a unique sound with some interesting ideas, both lyrically and musically. Some ubiquitous radio tracks lift the album, without which I think it struggles. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 250 Already owned : 57 Purchased : 14 To buy list : 2 Nope : 177
It was decent, little bit of a world beat. Honestly i expected a lot of stuff like the lead single, paper planes, but everything else was a bit different.
I really like this, but M.I.A. Is problematic. I’ll go 3 stars.
Another M.I.A. album?? One was more than enough. At least this was better than the first. I’ll never listen again.
fun but one note, good background listen
This was an interesting album, to say the least. Everyone knows Paper Planes from this album, unless you live under a rock, so it was definitely intriguing to listen to the rest of the album this song was a single off of. While this is not my preferred genre of music to listen to, I do think this album was cohesive in its sound, tone, and was certainly unique. On the surface, the songs sound a little bland in my opinion with so much repetition in many of the songs on this album. But, as I was reading the lyrics, there was an underlying message of genocide and putting a bouncy beat to lyrics that are frankly quite dark sometimes. I have to appreciate the artistry and individuality of this album, even if it’s not my preferred genre, because I was really intrigued. Also, can I just say that Jimmy was giving influence from both ELO and early Glass Animals? Though maybe Glass Animals was influenced by this album. Regardless, I thought that song was the most musically and lyrically interesting.
Não curto esse estilo de música
It's a fun album to listen to. It's not my favorite M.I.A. album, but everthing is worth it for Paper Planes. Absolutely culture and rage against the system.
I didn't know what was going on, but I thought it was pretty good.
This is not delivered with the same urgency or vibrancy as her first album. There are definitely bangers on here, but not to the extent of her first which blew me away and got a 5 from me. What do I know though as this album stays and her first album has now been removed from the list??
Rip 7 year old me, you would've loved dancing to Bamboo Banga at a kids disco. BirdFlu is just cool, bitches today wish they could make this. By Boyz it does get a bit repetitive ngl. But Jimmy gives us such a beautiful, interesting instrumental that it is a breath of fresh air. Also beautiful sampling. Hussel fucks! Mango Pickle Down River doesn't. 20 Dollar is an experience and I wish it was looped forever. World Town works. The Turn doesn't. By XR2 I start to wonder how MIA managed to have so many good songs, and also so many bad ones. Paper planes is iconic, no words. If I spend the rest of my life only listening to Rundown it wouldn't be enough.
most of the album was a hard listen, some songs had a good beat but nonsensical lyrics, paper planes and come around were rlly good, wouldn't be surprised if she inspired charli xcx
When this album came out it was everywhere in Austin. Side B, Paper Planes excluded, unfortunately drops off a bit
I mean.... it's okay I suppose, but I have no clue why it's on this list of albums. I debated stopping it half-way through because it's pretty uninteresting, but at the same time, it wasn't as bad as some of the albums on here that I absolutely couldn't get past the first couple songs. There are definitely some catchy tunes though, so it's not a total write-off.
I enjoyed the first half of this one. I've always liked tribal percussion (thanks to groups like Adam & The Ants), and this leaned into that for a while. The second half of the album, though, kind of flowed into fairly generic hip hop. Not bad, but not exciting either.
The roster of producers, including Timbaland, add a lot of welcome texture on this. Not really my sort of thing but it was a pretty good listen overall
Cool fusion of musical styles--hip hop, electronic, South Asian, and more that I can't identify. A little frenzied for my taste now, but if I were 30 years younger and going out dancing on Saturday nights, I would have loved this.
After first few songs i was about to throw in the towel, but it got better and better towards the end. Really liked the use of exotic instrumentation (like digeridoo!), the Pixies reference in one song and Paper planes is really good song. M.I.A’s got her own thing going and that can’t be said about most of other artists.
Not really up my alley, but I gotta hand it to her with all those world music samples and how it still works as a coherent whole. Theres was a couple of bangers, but most of the album is a bit off for my interests. It did keep me entertained all the way to work at 7.30 in the morning, so there's that.
Aggressively fizzing, discombobulated, clattering, noisy, unmooring, grating, hard. Plus Paper Planes which is brilliant.
“Paper Planes” is a great song. The rest is sonically innovative and a creative cultural melange, but doesn’t quite rise to the same level.
really interesting indie elctronic
some classics on here but i liked it less on this listen than i have in the past
2000s hip hop, dance hall, electronica. Bollywood and Tamil cinema samples. Hard beats. Interesting, some highlights.
This was fun and interesting, but M.I.A.s voice gets old quickly, unfortunately.
I was really expecting to love this but found it surprisingly underwhelming! When they get it right, it's GREAT, but you album doesn't hold together, it doesn't flow from the track to the next, and most of it just didn't keep my attention. It's too bad, because when they're on, it's fantastic, but alas, inconsistent.
Mixed bag. Some rally good moments blended in with some not so good ones
The album isn’t great, but it has some hits and MIA’s most well-known material. I respect her as a producer, and she’s brought some great sounds to the mainstream. Some of the songs here, much like some of her political beliefs and opinions, are just straight up annoying.
Was not sure on this one (Paper Planes being the only track I recognized) but it grew on me. Some really catchy beats throughout.
Very experimental. She samples old south indian music which reminds me of home. BirdFlu and Boyz are straight up Dappan Kuthu Gaana songs and Jimmy is 80s Indian disco music inspired by Bappi fucking Lahiri. I'm a sucker for fusion. M.I.A. is so goated. Strong start, but the middle and end is pretty skippable except for Paper Planes.
Grew on me by the end, interesting beats with a lot of world music influence, would listen again
Not really my vibe but still cool
7/10 Enjoyed this more than expected. It almost feels like a punk album somehow. Very high energy Highlights: Jimmy Paper Planes
Overall it’s a TERRIBLE album 1/5. Paper planes is giving it +1. The Hindi is giving another +1. But overall hated it. 2/10.
I enjoyed thsi more than I thought, that being said the enjoyment wasnt particularily high
Really slow start but end makes it worth it
Uniquely identifiable as M.I.A.
Love Paperplans, can't say I've invested time in listening to the album but on a first listen it holds up well for me. Good fusions of genre. Always assumed she was American, oh well, every day is a school day!
I did starts to enjoy this album after a few listens. The songs were very varied and the structures were very interesting. Great bass in there as well. Paper planes is an absolute banger. Will i put it on myself? Probably not. Minus another point for MIA being 45 minutes late on Boom Town when we were supposed to see her live.
good ideas, execution could be better
Up to a 3.
There are songs on here that are so over the top that I was getting anxiety while driving. There’s also some chill stuff. Paper planes is a classic and I’ve always had a soft spot for mango pickle. The rest of the album is nothing special but I’ll give her points for going all out on this one, the songs aren’t that great but they are to the max.
Uff, it’s a tough single day album, I must admit. It’s an album that demands attention, but I respect that. Super well produced. Love that it made the list, especially for how multicultural it is. So many cool features in terms of artists, instrumentals, and samples. Honestly, it loses a point (and a half, honestly) bc I am not a fan of MIA‘s voice.
3 out of 5. This album ended up being more fun than I expected.
Production-wise, it's extremely interesting. It was very original in 2007, she managed to collect many influences that weren't mainstream and put them in her music. I always had a problem with her "flow", though. Sometimes I like it, other times I don't.
Det er SLET ikke mig. MEN paperplanes kender jeg jo???
Surprising fun listen; sort of a post-Lil’ Kim, pre-Nicki Minaj bridge. Innovative, modern hip-hop sound. 3.5 but going with a 3 because of the violence it suggests.
Great beats, catchy hooks
Home of the absolute classic "Paper Planes". And while the rest of the album can be fun at times, it's way below the bar the aforementioned track sets. Some good stuff, some bleh stuff, it's a 3/5.
Coupel good songs but a lot of shite on this
Throughly unique album that maintained my attention. While the music was interesting, lacked any deeper meaning or truly catchy beats.
Actually loved the Afro beats in this. Did not expect to rate it.
I don’t think one or two listens is enough to accurately review this. It’s cool sounding but I don’t connect strongly with it. A lot of the songs were forgettable and stressful. I was hoping it’d be dancier since that dude from Major Lazer produced it and it was supposed to be a Timbaland thing. I liked Bamboo Banga, Afrikan Boy and Paper Planes (duh)
Love Paper Planes, but the rest doesn't hit the spot
MIA's vocal quality is a little grating for me, a little twee. Not all the time, but more than I was hoping. Nonetheless, I liked this album quite a bit (with the exception of "Jimmy"). There are some unusual rhythmic bits, some new and interesting lyrics and an odd vocal style not quite rap but won't fit anywhere else. Something sinister is going on under the surface and she acknowledges other parts of the world the the mainstream usually ignores. Worth the time.
Never listened to this one all the way through, but Paper Planes is a jam. TBH this album sort of wore me out. I enjoyed some of the sounds in here and a few of songs were a lot of fun, but there is so much to unpack I find myself exhausted. Of what I enjoyed -- Bamboo Banga grew on me after a couple of minutes; 20 Dollar is pretty wild with an unexpected interpolation of Pixies Where is my Mind; World Town is a bit in your face, but pretty fun as well; and Mango Pickle Down River (while the weirdest named track here) is low-key dope with the digeridoo (or whatever) sound underpinning the whole thing. Really mixed here... A unique listen to be sure, but one I don't see myself spending a ton of time with. 3 / 5 for me.
Paper Planes is an obvious standout on this one. Will always remind me of Pineapple Express. Besides Paper Planes, there were some weird songs that aren't necessarily my type of music but not bad. Was kinda hoping for more.
Gave a fellow brown girl some more attention than usual after the first song. Paper planes obviously slapped, but apart from that, aggressively mid. Also, British.
Not my favorite genre
I tried to go in with an open mind but the Qanonsense she's been spewing the past few years really made it difficult to finish listening. I'll give what I did hear a solid 3.5/4 (other than paper planes which gets a 5 by default because it has reached icon status)
Meh
With its dance-friendly rhythms and beats it is tough to listen to Kala without shaking your booty. M.I.A. raps about some weighty topics, but she doesn't let this get in the way of showing you a good time. I enjoyed the incorporation of samples from different cultures. It gives this album a unique sound and perhaps ironically, considering the many different cultures presented, provides a cohesion to the record. The tracks flow nicely from one to the next. The looping samples from The Clash with interludes from New Order on “Paper Planes” was also fun. I sometimes found her voice to be tiresome, but I can’t really pin down why this was the case. Desite not having a great voice, I think her singing worked better than her rapping, but this could just be personal bias. I don’t know much about this genre of music, but apparently Kala was experimental introducing sounds that have been influential in the years that followed. Considering the album was released while Obama was president, that tracks. One of the better, or at least most fun, hip-hop albums I’ve received through this project so far!
Mostly this doesn't do it for me. Rounding up from 2 point something on the strength of Paper Planes.
3/5 - 3 for audaciousness, not accessibility. Paper Planes is obviously great. Enjoyed Boyz and 20 Dollar. Overall, not my thing, but glad to listen through.
bom, eh interessante. começou meio ruim, mas depois foi ficando bão. tem uns beats mto legais e as inspirações dela são mto massa!!
Single Paper Planes is excellent. Nothing else gets as good, but interesting and eclectic.
its aight
Really starts to grab. Electronica not usually my cup of listen but this is endlessly intriguing. Shout-out to the Pixies? Didn't see that coming. Is raphop a word? Electronirap? Fun.
Airplanes is a 5. The rest of the album is not as memorable
This was a lot better than I expected.
Similar to the other M.I.A. album I've had so far, it's a very interesting and eclectic album, from someone clearly brimming with ideas. Sometimes probably too brimming to be fair.
A bit intense, some interesting rhythms, but mainly over the top
6.5/10 The album is good but not my style, some songs I will rarely listen to... M.I.A was a great artist, but this album didn't appeal to me that much.
fly like paper high like planes
I was really surprised when the first lyrics on the album were Roadrunner by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. It sucked me in with that! I liked this record more than I expected. Her accent makes the vocals sound interesting and the reggae influence does the same for the music. 3.5 would be appropriate.
Paper Planes is still a banger
I like some of her songs but not really on this album. I didn't hate it.
I liked the different take of protest music.
paper planes will forever be a banger. Rest of the album is OK. Lots of south asian influences which makes for a fun electronica vibe.
Like the music but not the artist. Sad.
I have been wanting to listen to this album because I have liked what I heard from M.I.A. The first couple songs were pretty bad. Maybe I just wasn't fully into the right mindset yet. By Jimmy and Hussel, I liked a lot about it, but still there were moments of "yeah this isn't very good". Then at World Town I had found a new appreciation for the album and every song after that hit perfectly. I'm not sure if my opinion of this album is very high, but I loved a lot from it. I think it will only get better with time as I relisten to the best and forget the worst. This is not my genre of choice today, but is not much off from what I listened to as a kid. Some of that appreciation for this type of music is still there and is shown with an album like this.
I liked it, but Paper Planes seems out of place. Good listen though
2.5/5
This album has so many varied sounds that make it really unique as a hip hop album. It is cool to hear the south asian musical elements and the inclusion of so many other musical traditions as well. This isn't an album I would personally be drawn to listen to again, but I think it is objectively well done and very creative. And Paper Planes is obviously iconic.
Tons of nostalgia from this one. When I was in university one of my roommates Robyn loved playing single songs heavily on repeat. Tbh it ruined some songs for me. Especially since most popular songs you already hear everywhere without even trying. So when she became a huge fan of the popular song at the time Paper Planes. I tried to overplay it for her as a ploy to ruin a song for her. Well instead it formed a deep love for the song for both of us. So now every time either of us hear the song we think of the fun times as roommates together. Years later MIA became quite popular in the outdoor film scene. Likely due to the song Bad Girls being used in an all female film. Which made me circle back to her music and dig into her discography. The album Kala overall captures MIAs style well IMO. But out of all her music I tend to visit and play more music off the albums AIM and Matangi. They tend to come off a bit harder and genuine She is also very well known as a filmmaker herself. So make sure to check out her music videos. She has a documentary that I’ve had recommended to me before as well. But I haven’t made the time to watch yet.
This was a fun dance album
Personally, I think this album was really fun overall. It had its dips, and songs that weren't working). But when the bangers bang like the stars on this album do, they can carry the rest of the album on their backs. Some favorites being Boyz (feat JAY-Z), Mango Pickle Down River (feat. The Wilcannia Mob, 5 9-14 year old indigenous boys from Australia lmfao), and of Course Paper Planes. The features from Afrikan Boy and Rye Rye on Paper Planes on D2 are dope. I ventured into both of their discographies years ago through that song. Rye Rye especially having such a unique cadence that I really dig. Not to forget about you M.I.A, you're good too I guess. This would score a 4 for me if I was dancing or groovin on my feet to the sick drum patterns and unique instrumentation. But if you're sitting down or just chillin, its a 3. I was sitting down for most of it, so... I'd still give it a 3.5/5 though, as it had me moving around. Rounding down for the fluff in here.
At the time and place this record hit, now listening back it is good but feels of it's time
I was going to dismiss this album because I am so not into Hip Hop. However, I totally dig "Paper Planes" - it lifted my overall impression of this album - in addition to the solid production skills overall.
El motivo y el mensaje detrás de este album me parece extremadamente necesario y ojalá fuese lo habitual en la música y en el arte en general. Dicho esto, aunque la musicalidad es interesante por lo poco habitual de los ritmos afro-asiáticos en los que se basa, se me hace demasiado repetitivo cada track, donde, como tantos otros fokin músicos, se agarra a una sola idea y la extienden 3 minutos. Aun así, hay temas que funcionan e incluso se me hacen muy disfrutables en según qué contextos, en una ball room, por ejemplo (me creo de Chicago ahora). Las que no me cansaron: Bamboo Banga, Jimmy, XR2, Paper Planes (lo descontextualizada y tergiversada que está esta canción es heavy, malditos anglos)
Pues uno de esos discos que, aunque no terminen de dejarte loco, es imposible no respetar. Es literalmente la globalización sonora antes de que fuese la norma, hay una variedad envidiable de beats de todo el mundo y eso le otorga muchísima identidad. La consecuencia es ser puro collage, claro: brillante por momentos (véase Boyz o Paper Planes, icónicas), pero también agotador en su saturación. Bajo la máscara de DIY hay un juego constante entre ser agitadora política y popstar a la vez, y aunque la mezcla a veces funciona, en otros tramos abruma y descentra un poco. Aun así, hay que reconocerle que este disco suena a mundo. Genuinamente único, y eso ya puntúa. Favs: Boyz, Paper Planes, Come Around (me gusta prime Timbaland, sorry)
Interesting blend of styles and it's a creative album.
Really dense production. Some songs have too much going on, and most of the lyrics leave something to be desired. But there are a lot of world music influences on this album, including a feature from an aboriginal rap group. Overall it really isn’t great, but it is interesting. And I really do like the Paper Planes song 🤷♂️
paper planes is the obvious standout and i don’t even really like that song too much. it was cool enough but it never really went anywhere for me. low 3
Highly recommended you listen to her interview with Rick Rubin. She is a fascinating person.
I like parts of this album, but it's all just a little too frenetic for my taste.
Bamboo Banga - 5/10 I can appreciate the experimental aspect of this song but the first minute actually was very hard to stomach. if that wasn't enough I don't think she said anything at all to be honest BirdFlu - 7/10 Boyz - 7/10 Jimmy - the synth was nice touch but its kind of boring 7/10 Hustle - Afrikan boy was lowkey the best part of this song 8/10 Mango Pickle Down RIver - Was gonna say this song has no redeemable qualities and then some kid dropped the hardest bar "And when I catch a fish, I put it in the fridge" still 3/10 20 Dollar - The concept of the song is cool and I think the message of the song is really important but I think some of the lyrics are a bit corny but it was still solid 8/10 World Town - not much to say was decent 7.5/10 The Turn - this is the experimental I thought I was gonna find more of 8/10 XR2 - 8/10 it got a bit repetitive but it still went hard. Paper Planes - 9/10 song was a banger Come Around - the song was really good because M.I.A. wasn't in mortal combat with the beat 8/10 Overall the album had really lows and some high highs I would give it 6.5/10
Overall: 6/10 There were elements of this that I really loved and other parts that gave me a headache. I honestly didn't expect there to be so many elements of dance music. Lots of world music influences peaked through the cracks as well. Sadly, there were a lot of repetitive phrasing that I found pretty annoying. Paper Planes is one of the best songs of this century though. Fav Song: Paper Planes
i want to like this album and m.i.a. a lot more than i actually do in practice. the beats can be so innovative and cool, and her flow and presence is really unique. but a lot of times i find her music to be a bit of a slog, this album included. it has all the potential in the world! but does not meet it for me, unfortunately.
I often wonder, how can a band or artist create one song of immense brilliance and nothing else in their career. 5 stars for Paper Planes. A generous 2 stars for the rest.
This is such a crazy album. I’m not sure if I like it in its entirety as some parts are a bit annoying, but there were some really interesting moments and the production is awesome. And Paper Planes is a great song, didn’t know it was by her.
Chaotic, bold, catchy, and always interesting.
far cry vibes
“Paper Planes” is pretty great, of course. But nothing else on the album approaches that quality. Still, I’d say Kala might be slightly better than Arular. I won’t be returning to either very often, though.
Shot a few holes into the ceiling of Zaphod’s with my imaginary gun to this one… It’ll forever be the soundtrack to indie sleaze but there are some serious jams on it and love the nods to classic punk.
Pretty good. I had only heard Paper Planes before. Started a bit abrasive until I got into vibe
Funky from the jump. By track three I was getting full HBCU halftime-show energy—big, banging rhythms with brassy, drumline confidence. Then it moves into an international-sounding mix of sleek, progressive beats and percussion that feels distinctly African.
Extremely one note, but I do like the note
Well produced, interesting blend of styles. However, I'm not a fan. The music is fine at best for me. Fave track on this listen: Paper Planes
I enjoyed the album. Not the usual type of music I listen to so I am glad I was introduced to something new.
I reviewed M.I.A.'s Arular about 300 albums ago, and I thought it was fine. However, I own a copy of Kala, but it's been a hot minute since I've listened to all of it. I don't really remember much about it, outside of "Paper Planes," but I never chucked my copy in the trash, so I must have found something on it worth keeping. Let's catch a paper plane back to the aughts! I don't regret my decision to hang on to my CD of Kala, but I also wouldn't shed many tears if I'd manage to lose it somehow in the last decade. There were some things about Kala that were great, but it a few negatives as well. A for the positive, the bass beats stood out to me as really great on this album, there were some excellent samples and added sounds on some tracks, and the production was consistently good. However, M.I.A.'s rapping and vocals were pretty sub-par to me, and she relied too much on the bass to drive the sound of this album, and didn't branch out much, creating an album that could be bland for stretches. Kala started off pretty good, with "Bamboo Banga," "BirdFlu," and "Boyz" being carried by some excellent bass elements. Of that initial run though, "Boyz" was easily the best, with the added horns and cheering sounds elevating its overall sound, and giving it a fun vibe. "Jimmy," though, was awesome. It had a great dance beat, and the string samples kicked ass. Hearing this song was the strongest factor outside of "Paper Planes" for owning this album. The humming bass on "Mango Pickle Down River" was really unique, and I liked the song structure of M.I.A. adding her own rap in between verses from the group she sampled. "20 Dollar" made excellent usage of sampling The Pixies, and I enjoyed the slower tempo to the main melody. "World Town" was a solid jam as well, with some excellent bass and percussion elements. But the crown jewel of Kala is still "Paper Planes." The sample usage, pulsing bass sounds, and sound effects all combine to make this song incredibly fun and memorable. I will never pass up a chance to listen to "Paper Planes." Even though there was plenty of stuff on this album that I liked, it wasn't really enough to make me want to listen to this regularly. Kala is a bit of a one-trick pony, and I feel like it could have been more if M.I.A. had been willing to experiment a bit more.
Ihan ok hiphop-levy. Yllättävää, miten erilainen Paper Planes-hitti on verrattuna muun levyn tekstuuriin -- veikkaan, että jokunen levyn ostaja pettyi, kun muut biisit onkin muuta. 3/5
this is what I imagine bad bitches listening too like around 2010
Enjoyed
Fed! Følte mig lidt gammel da jeg regnede ud (quick mafs) at den her plade er 18 gammel. Beholder mixtape-energien fra hendes tidligere dage, hvilket både betyder at det er super kreativt og at der er noget fjollet filler.
Amateurish and unfocused, yet has something unique about it that draws you in at times.
Sometimes decent, sometimes just bad. Barely a 3.
album is kinda of all over
It's a mad record. The sonic variety is a bit bonkers and at times a bit hard to listen to. But hey, it's cool. Sort of becomes more compelling towards the middle end. Jimmy made me laugh out loud. It's just hilarious. The last two tracks almost feel like they shouldn't have been on the album, they're so polished and pop compared to the rest. Paper Planes being a classic and all almost felt as if it should have been somewhere else. Overall, I enjoyed the record, although wouldn't listen to it throughout maybe that much.
I really like the beats, don't love the vocals. Lyrics are super repetitive.
Little bit crazy sound, feels like African hiphop music.
Sounds like the 21st century – that is, strident and shrill, lurid and clangorous, multi-layered and mostly non-melodious, exhibitionist as much as energetic, chaotic, and borderline beserk. Full marks for originality. Not hard to see how/why it (and "Jimmy" in particular) resonated globally.
Whilst i enjoy this album it’s not something i listen to as a whole album on a frequent basis. It’s a good occasional listen to appreciate the artistic intention but not something I consider easy listening and it’s therefore rare I listen beyond the singles and more precisely Paper Planes. The innate catchiness of Paper Planes should not distract from what is a really strong and varied album.
I only knew Paper Planes before this listen. I really loved Boyz, which musically just feels full of joy (though is lyrically sparse to say the least). Jimmy, despite being Bollywood inspired felt all ABBAy and 20 Dollar samples Blue Monday (and obviously interpolates The Pixies) which surprised me, but the obvious constant in the album are the drum beats which reflect her heritage. I think I wanted to like this more than I ended up doing (I really didn't like XR2, which I found really grating) but I end up thinking its fine, no better no worse 3/5
This was a fun listen! I was pleasantly surprised by the opening track ("Bamboo Banga") using the lyrics to "Roadrunner" by the Modern Lovers, I wasn't expecting that! Overall this is a fine album, it sounds like what you'd expect from M.I.A. "Paper Planes" still holds up.
One or two songs + nostalgia are doing the heavy lifting here.
I loved this album when it was released and listened to it so much. I still have a lot of nostalgia for it and love parts of it but it doesn't quite hold up. I got to this one before Arular and wasn't connecting as much to that album. Today, looking back, I can see that Kala is the weaker album and the luster has dulled a bit. Maybe my perception of this album has been somewhat influenced by the disappointment of where M.I.A.'s career (and politics...) have gone since (although giving the superbowl halftime show the finger was cool). Still a bop though.
She brings the energy, but I don’t find it a behooving listen.
Interesting album, but in the end, not for me. I can respect the experimentation with different genres and there are some very interesting moments, but there are also some almost unlistenable moments. The production is great. It's a sonically very strong album and omages to other artists are fun. A 2.5/5, a thing of personal taste. Someone who has a preference for this will probably rate it better.
Mid
maby tomorrow
Annoying in quite a good way. Annoying in all the right ways. Good singles, interesting samples, good beat, good vocals. Interesting High 3 lad
This was a fun album! It was definitely hip-hop from a world music point of view. But this is also laden with great electronic and funk sounds. It all just makes for such a fun, heavy-sounded listening experience. And of course, this album is home to M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes", which is no doubt what M.I.A. is most known for. But the general musical growth on display on this album compared to her previous studio album is also notable! That said, "Paper Planes" is a pretty good representative of the entire vibe of this album. A sonically interesting and engaging album for me!
M.I.A.’s Kala isn’t about singing it’s a noisy, chaotic art piece full of sharp political messages and global beats that hits hardest if you’re in the right frame of mind. Paper Planes is a highlight
Went into this somewhat depressed and immediately realized I needed to get on board with it or it was just going to being really fucking annoying. And to be fair, its pretty fucking good. Really cool instrumentation and percussion in the beats, first 4 tracks are back to back pretty solid. Hit a slight downward slope toward 20 Dollar which I didn't particularly enjoy, the Pixies interpolation did nothing for me especially when it sounded out of time over what sounded like a bass boosted Blue Monday. The Turn brought it back and obviously Paper Planes is an absolute gem of a song. Overall pretty good stuff but not 100% my cup of tea.
Paper Planes was niet echt genoeg om dit album te dragen. Voor de rest wel oké om eens door te gaan, maar dit is imo een one hit-album. 2.5
3/5
It was kind of annoying at times, but I liked listening to her voice, and there were some cool sounds. I had only really heard Paper Planes (which sounds way different with headphones than on medium volume in a car on the highway), and it was cool to hear some of her other stuff. I liked the beats. 5/10
★★★½
Some of it I liked and some of it I really didn't, nets out to a 3
Good sound
Interesting, I know very little about this genre and time. Pretty cool that this album was mostly made in Logic. Paper Planes is pretty iconic but all in all this is party music that I don't think I will listen to a lot. 3/5
Interesting Album, not sure how much I like it, lot of interesting vocals and lyrics are well written, but not exactly my style of music so far. Lots of cool beats that are interesting musically, but not something I would listen to for fun. Actually maybe some of the songs. Liked Hussel, and Mango Pickle down river, paper planes obv. Just a lot of noise on some of the other ones.
Very cool beats. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I wish there were half star ratings because 3 is pretty much the catchall for everything that I don't love or hate. This is a 3.5.
This one’s sitting right in the middle for me. The production is incredible, easily some of the best I’ve heard so far. The instrumentals carry everything. There’s so much variation and it all works in its own way, full of layered sounds that feel alive and unpredictable. The beats keep changing and each one has its own energy. The lyrics don’t do as much for me. They repeat a lot and sometimes get buried under the noise, but the production more than makes up for it. Jimmy and Paper Planes are the standouts. Jimmy feels hypnotic, and Paper Planes finally gives that payoff the rest of the album keeps teasing. It’s not a 4 for me, but it’s higher than a 3. If I could, I’d give it a 3.5
Paper planes is a great song but the rest of the album doesn’t live up to it. It is quite annoying albeit unique
I played so much dance central as a kid it’s fuckin crazy. Not much to say about this one but I still definitely enjoyed a lot of what I heard! Not a style that I’m used to listening to but made really good at driving fast in Raleigh NC! Fav Track: Paper Planes
Not good not bad just okay
Cool indie rock rap album that is great party music, good combo of alternative indie, rap, and electronic music.
Liked the production more than most if the vocals. Not to say that there were big misses in the album but I do feel some kind of way (not a good way) about borrowing the pixies chorus like that.
Interesting electronica-hip hop with an African rhythm, Asian influence and a bit of Deep Forest. Kudos to the 1001 Must Hear List as I don’t think I would ever be aware of MIA otherwise. Come Around and Jimmy lead the way, but all good. Comes on at (2.8*s) Fight on!
Paper Planes was absolutely everywhere in the wake of this release. I enjoy that track, but never put a second thought toward M.I.A. and don't believe I ever heard anything from her collection. Only now after listening to Kala did I realize I was missing out. This album is a bit all over the place but it's also a lot of fun. It features some of the most creative and diverse production from Switch, Timbaland and company nearly all of which works. The lyrics and vocal style are somewhat wacky but the hooks are constantly strong and engaging. I found myself getting more and more into this as the album continued. Props to M.I.A. as Kala was a fun surprise that pretty much brings it from front to back. 3.33 stars
70% Best: Jimmy; Paper Planes; Come Around Must-Hear? No
One of the more interesting albums so far—a lot going on. But I did really love the South Asian influences once I figured out what was, in fact, going on. (Don’t like British Hip-Hop) Favorites: Jimmy (!!), Hussel, XR2. Will probably take these few and go. Hip-Hop/Electronica. August 8, 2007. British/English. 12 tracks. 47:32 runtime
I guess I generally like M.I.A. … this is not my favorite of hers at all, though. Does this mean she has like three albums here?
listened to again weird, cool, not as consistent as one would hope
Not heard this album all the way through before, it’s not my bag but at least it’s interesting. Enjoying some of the polyrhythms and the instruments used are unusual (didgeridoo was pretty cool). Cool pixies and modern lovers references. Some of it just sounds ugly though - never want to hear Jimmy again. Always good to hear someone trying out lots of ideas, especially when the charts are full of boring middle of the road slop these days. I don’t understand people on here giving this 1 scores, what’s the point of doing this list if you’re not going to have an open mind? Challenging yourself is a good thing.
Ok listen. not really my thing.
01) Bamboo Banga - 7,0 02) Bird Flu - 6,5 03) Boyz - 7,5 04) Jimmy - 8,0 05) Hussel - 6,5 06) Mango Pickle Down River - 6,5 07) 20 Dollar - 7,0 08) World Town - 7,0 09) The Turn - 7,5 10) XR2 - 6,0 11) Paper Planes - 10,0 12) Come Around - 8,0 TOTAL: 7,29 (73/100)
Paper Plane pis BirdFlu c'est quand même bon, par contre y'a des gros puants qui vienne gâcher l'expérience, comme World Town (NININININI) pis un autre que j'ai pas la force de trouver
I find it interesting that I am about 30 albums into this project and this is the second UK rap / R&B / hip hop artist that I’ve received to listen to. That’s more than what I’ve received for similar US artists! That’s not inherently a bad thing, it’s just that when you consider what the US has to offer from Sugarhill Gang to Public Enemy to Eminem, East Coast to West Coast rappers, Motown to New Jack Swing R&B singers/bands, etc. there so many more influential US artists I would have been expecting to hear more of. The UK just doesn’t have much to offer from that scene to warrant a ton of inclusion in a list of albums anyone has to hear. That said, MIA’s admittance in this list is fair. Her infusion of rap, hip hop, Asian and African influences, and electronic music is interesting . . . to a point. Unfortunately, this album has a too many songs like The Turn and World Town which drag on aimlessly. Xr2’s name dropping was nostaligic but equally somewhat pointless. What’s interesting is that if you really think about her biggest hit on this record, Paper Planes, it’s reasonably different than what is on much of the rest of this album. She’s better when there’s more singing and melodic elements. Jimmy is somewhat in that vain as well, and it was one of the other songs I liked on this. Unfortunately, these were few and far between. Not that there weren’t other interesting elements at different points on this (eg Bamboo Banga), it just wasn’t strong enough throughout for my liking. All the same, credit given for all the different layers and elements she brings into this album. It’s not bad, it’s just not consistently great.
Little too in your face.
Elektronisk, hiphop/pop, for mange irreterende sange, paper planes holder though
3.5
Amazing experimental sample flips and beats but nearly every song is over a minute too long.
- big fan of jimmy - cool combo of instrumental - I don’t know if paper planes actually has a completely different sound or if it’s just that i know the song so well already - i like it. got nothing interesting to say about it.
Great stuff.
3.4 - Good, but is it good? Paper planes is great
This definitely feels like a more important MIA album, even ignoring Paper Planes. But I have the same critique as her other album in that it’s just quite abrasive and hard to listen to. Lots of sounds and songs lacking melody. 3.4/5
Parhaimmilllaan silloin, kun piilotettu melodisuus on vähän vähemmän piilotettua. Kaikki biisit eivät osu maaliin, mutta jokainen herättää vähintään toivoa ja useammassa tapauksessa nautintoa (afrovaikutteet ja Clash-sample ovat tältä osin käteviä). 3,5
Some good songs on here, but overall not as good as Galang I think. Paper Planes is obviously iconic, but I find a lot of this pretty forgettable.
Proof that choosing the right sample is the key. Without The Clash's sample would we even have heard from M.I.A.? Not too sure about that.
Insanely ahead of its time. I love paper planes but the rest of the album is just so so for me
2,5
3 stars
This album beyond 2 songs has always seemed overrated to me.
I like the concept of this album more than the actual music.
points for being not-the-normal. Its mostly good, best track by far is the Timbaland one at the end. 3.5, but going to keep listening
The highs of this album are absurdly high. Boyz, World Town and XR2 are bangers that really show the skill of M.I.A and Switch and how incredible the global influences are, and Paper Planes is a genuine classic that will be listened to for decades to come. The lows, however, are really low. Mango Pickle Down River and 20 Dollar are terrible, just terrible. Major Lazers's Guns Don't Kill People, Lazers Do does what this album does, with the same personnel, better in my opinion.
My Volkswagen polo has recently had an issue where my Bluetooth will start up and cut out along the drive. While listening to this album, I couldn’t tell if this was happening or if it was just the production choices of this album. It feels like the equivalent of throwing a knife across the map at the start of a Call of Duty match, that is to say the one time the knife hit another player M.I.A. and her producers created one of the most iconic and innovative pop tunes of the late 2000s. Funnier still, this track wasn’t even meant to be on the album in the first place. While I appreciate M.I.A. getting a bunch of Wilcannia mob kids onto one track, a couple songs later she condescends them by claiming “I’ve put people on the map who’ve never seen a map“. Rah. I get the big cacophony of drums is taking after Gwen Stefani and it would have sounded great off a TEAC boombox in some 17 year old girl’s Suffolk bedroom in 2007, but this style didn’t age well at all I want to give it a 2. This album deserves a 2, but I got with a really hot chick in year 9 because I brought speakers to a party and put Paper Planes on for her. Thus, it gets a 3 5/10
Given the pretty rough first impression I got from the start of this album I didn't expect to end up enjoying it as much as I did. It's certainly not my usual preference when it comes to electronic music but even in the tracks that were more of a miss I at least found them to be fun and danceable. Obviously Paper Planes is the standout here but there was still more to like the deeper into the album I got. I'm not sure if I would call the album rear loaded or if my appreciation for it just grew that much over the course of the thing. I am conflicted on giving this too high of a score as I do think this album had a fair few songs that were just quite average. But I also really want to applaud how much of this album feels unique and fresh in a fun way. I feel as though experimental albums like this get a bad rep because of ego stroking artists who are either trying too hard to reinvent the wheel or trying to make up for their lack of contemporary talent.
Any thought I could have had about the musical or artistic merit of this album or the impact on certain singles on pop culture, or even M.I.A's buckshot schizo political views was completely wiped away by track six. How the fuck is the Wilcannia Mob featured on this album? A central NSW town so internationally irrelevant that I as an Australian didn't even know it existed until I saw a youtube documentary about how cotton conglomerates completely fucked their water supply. Mango Pickle Down River has at time of writing 3.3 million listens on spotify. Imagine being some tryhard soundcloud rapper or other struggling artist and seeing that. The amount of exposure a bunch of like 10 year old aboriginal children from the literal middle of nowhere got by a random feature on an M.I.A album. It's all I could think about. Some retarded faggot called yung child mole$ter who is wasting his inheritance trying to become a rapper getting like 49 listens on their mixtape and seeing that listening stat. Unbeatable.
Overall its a really interesting album with great production and tons of layering. Her cadence has a tendency to get annoying to me so the album was a bit of a drag to get through. I can't but notice how much she "borrowed" from other artists from beats, lyrics and even the Iron Maiden font on the album cover.
Decent background music. Solid 3/5.
Don’t mind it!
The production and beats are pretty solid, though at times get repetitive. Paper Planes is a classic. She's a decent rapper.
Þetta var allskonar, pínu aggresívt og sum lögin aðeins of en svo komu lög sem voru frábær og ég þekkti eða þekkti samplið úr eða það sem var samplað. Allskonar. Girl Talk nýtti greinilega mikið lagið Boyz, Pixies og Blue Monday voru í 20 dollar og svo er Paper Planes bara mjög gott og skemmtilegt lag. Fær alveg fullt af stigum bara fyrir þessi þrjú lög.
I kinda liked this. I guess.
Enjoyed this, especially the tracks with guest appearances. But it does rely heavily on samples and 'borrowing' of others' songs. I realise MIA is far from unique in this, but I start to wonder where MIA fits into all of this. I enjoyed Mango Pickle Down River particularly, partly because it doesn't seem to rely so much on familiar loops.
Points for doing something new. A little bit too heavy on the imaginary words for me. I had trouble deciding what review to give, but I think it has to be 3. This isn't really my kind of thing, but m.i.a is a good songwriter, and she is trying out a new sound. 6/10 There's a lot of filler.
Really respect this album for its sheer creativity. M.I.A. is a producer, rapper, singer, who basically put all of this album together herself, and managed to do so while incorporating so many interesting and diverse sounds. Has that level of variety you get from a Gorillaz project. There are some points that missed the mark for me, but Bamboo Banga, Jimmy, and Paper Planes were all great. What a classic Paper Planes is!
Interesting mixture of sounds track to track. Paper Planes is the only track I knew before and one that I like a lot. Jimmy was an absolute banger. Can’t say I loved the rest of the album, but I appreciate there are a variety of worldwide sounds and influences incorporated.
Good not great. But Paper Planes is a jam.
I liked this record. It is weird, and experimental, and I've never heard anything like this album. But I'm not sure if I'm seeing myself coming back, specially because not every track stuck with me.
Sehr interessante Lieder. Das Timbaland Lied am Ende hätte man sich schenken können, dadurch fällt aber auf wie viel spannender die anderen Lieder konzipiert sind
I really, really enjoyed how modern, weird it sounds, but come on. Do we really need Timbaland or another artist to come in and destroy a perfectly good solo album with some weird segue?
Pretty good but quite samey. Bamboo Banga and World Town are the best aside from Paper Planes.
Besides Jimmy and Paper Planes for nostalgia, I didn’t find a lot on here that would keep me coming back for. Her sound for sure was fresh and new and since then has been picked over and heard elsewhere, but groundbreakers like M.I.A don’t come around often.
meh
3.5
As big as "Paper Planes" is, I'd never actually listened to this album in full. After listening, "Paper Planes" completely carried it, some other tracks were good, but came nowhere close to that song.
Not my cup of tea, but “Paper Planes” rules. Pleasantly surprised by “Jimmy” and “20 Dollar”
Houmous & Chutney played the opening ceremony for the inaugural PPTA World Championships back in 1959. They asked us to compete for a bit of a marketing stunt. What they didn’t know was that Len had just come out of the Korean War - he twisted his ankle badly and spent a long time in the medical tent. He’d spent that time perfecting paper aeroplanes! He won! The rest of the field were furious! The entire Paper Plane Throwers Association folded! It was mad! 3.3
Interested
Loved the inclusion of the Wilcannia Mob, look em up!
it was not terrible. it was not great. Not going to listen to it again
Paper Planes is such a banger. The rest of the album was okay, but not earth shattering.
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Kept me moving.
Fun, slightly-experimental hip-hop that becomes pretty repetitive about halfway through. There are still some great tracks, and Paper Planes is obviously a classic, but the rest of the album doesn't really live up to that highlight. 6.5/10
3.3 Couple absolute burners on the album. Still very original and unique but not everything hits the mark
3.75
Most of this straddles the line between catchy and annoying . A lot it sounds like world music mid days on a college radio station. But Paper Planes is undeniably great. The sum of its parts are equal? Possibly the soundtrack to Top Boy. Didn’t need to hear Timbaland. From a moment in time that I missed.
Ok, I’m on track 5 and these all sounded the same to me. I can understand the appeal to this is a club. Or even a track on a playlist, but the whole album feels excessive. Maybe that’s not the right way to describe it. I do like what I’m hearing and I love the energy.
Paper Planes is of course the biggest hit, but I found most of the album to be quite catchy. The rap flow is more of a hit and miss, with the most awful outlier being Mango Pickle Down River, which feels like baby's first rap beat. Maybe that was the point, but it was jarring enough for me to no longer feel this album.
Most of the songs feature heavy use of experimentation with different genres and styles. Not all of them land with me. Though at the right kind of party this would really slap.
The good tracks were really fun (Jimmy, Paper Planes) - I just wish it was more consistent. There’s some cool and creative stuff going on here with the different world music influences, so it was worth a listen.
Kolejny problematyczny album, który chciałbym lubić bardziej, niż lubię. First things first, absolutnie uwielbiam "Paper Planes" i słucham tego kawałka regularnie od lat, bo kilkanaście lat temu zagrywałem się w "Far Cry 3", jedną z ostatnich gier Ubisoftu, która nie była totalnie odgrzewanym kotletem. A tam ten kawałek był wykorzystany. Także za samo to duży plus dla albumu od mojego sentymentu. Lubię eksperymentalność i zakres inspiracji tego albumu - wpływy afrykańskie, brazylijskie, południowo-azjatyckie, wielość gościnnych występów, to wszystko jest szalenie interesujące samo w sobie. Moim głównym problemem z tym albumem jest jednak jego prostackość. Mam wrażenie, że to jest symptomatyczny album dla pewnego rodzaju zubożenia i spłaszczenia muzyki, które nastąpiło w ostatnich latach. Oczywiście może to być też symptom mojego starzenia się i braku zrozumienia dla "dzisiejszej młodzieży", ale ten album wyszedł mimo wszystko 18 lat temu (btw, rocznik 2007 osiągnie pełnoletniość w tym roku, krejzi). Wracając do albumu - mam wrażenie, że przez większość czasu po prostu łupie; teksty są koszmarnie ubogie i degenerackie. Chciałbym powiedzieć, że ten album jest "surowy", na pewno balansuje momentami na granicy tego określenia, ale brakuje w nim chociażby minimalnej głębi. Wszystko jest bardzo wsobne, zaskakująco white-trashowe jak na osobę pochodzącą ze Sri Lanki i czerpiącą garściami z kultury muzycznej globalnego południa. Zwłaszcza, że ewidentnie ekipa pracująca nad tym albumem ma głowę na karku i wszystko robią bardzo świadomie. Podobało mi się chociażby nawiązanie do "Where is my mind" The Pixies połączone z self-reference do jej poprzedniego albumu - to wszystko w piosence "20 dollars". Także to nie jest bezmyślny album. Ale jest to album, który świadomie idzie w spłaszczenie przekazu i dosyć ogłupiające aranżacje. Są momenty, które mi się podobają, ale album jako całość ma jednak zbyt duże mankamenty, żebym wracał do całości. "Paper Planes" jednak na zawsze w sercu.
It was fine, the song with ka-ching and gun was cool and no wonder it was a hit. I don;t know if Miss Mia became popular but from this album I would say it's a one hit wonder.
This is really not my kind of stuff if I'm being honest. That said I can appreciate this is kinda fun to listen to, it still does all the things I find irritating about this kind of music so I can rate it very high. But from this genre this is potentially the most interesting album I've heard
Okay, not my fave.
Great inclusion to the list. I don’t think this would have ever landed on my radar, but thoroughly enjoyed it!
Mostly weak rhymes over annoying ass beats. Still, I get why people dig it and appreciate that it's not another no name British punk or Electronica album.
Another great album. "Paper Planes" is a favorite of mine, one of those where I remember the when and where of my first listen. There are some other great tracks on this album too. I'm going 3/5 because I can't go 7/10.
Happy to drive the mean streets with this on the go.
Here's an interesting album. M.I.A. is an artist that I've definitely heard of before, but have never really listened to the music of. I think the biggest thing I've heard about her is that she's a crazy conspiracy theorist now or something? It's a shame because this album of hers is pretty good. It's not exactly my thing personally, but I definitely respect Kala quite a bit. I think my favorite thing about this album is the variety in songs. No two songs on this album sound exactly the same, which I'd say is a good thing. Fortunately, most of the songs here are pretty good. I know I said I had never listened to M.I.A.'s music before, but I'm like 99% sure I've heard "Paper Planes" somewhere before. I don't know where or when, but I've heard it. I like that song. Some don't hit as hard as others, but the good ones are pretty good. M.I.A.'s voice is interesting, but certainly not bad. The writing is solid. There's a variety of world influences throughout this album, with the album being recorded in countries like India, Liberia, and Australia. That's cool. This album's nice. It definitely grew on me over the course of the listen. It's still not my favorite, but I would definitely call it good. Solid 3/5.
Ganz nett, aber die Lieder hören sich in sich sehr ähnlich an.
Paper Planes!
i hated the album on first listen expect for liket wo songs but the more i losten to it the more i enjoy the drums and the production of the song. would i listen to it on my own? no. but it is very enjoyable and i did like it
Interesting, definitely has a vibe all its own. I don't love it, indeed after a while it grates, but has some definite high points.
I almost really like some of M.I.A.'s stuff, but it just doesn't quite cross the line between exciting and annoying.