Reviews (page 5 of 8)
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.
Bamboo Banga - This track layers like a house song. Promising so far. Kind of a silly chorus. BirdFlu - Bird sample is a bold choice. I like the ethnic flavors. The drums are cool but this one gets old fast. Boyz - I've heard this before. She hasn't shown her rapping chops yet. I think these very bold production choices would be better served with a more commanding rapper. Jimmy - A disco cut. I like the less maximalist production as compared to the others so far. Hussel - This sounds like Yeezuz before Yeezuz. The male rappers sounds better than her tbh. The chorus is kinda dumb. Mango Pickle Down River - They got the abos on this one. Reminds me of that petrol song lol. MIA sounds buried in the mix. Digeridoo is cool. I'm starting to get a third worldist vibe from this album. 20 Dollar - Death Grips vibe on this one with the synth. This is the best rapping she's done so far. Blue Monday interpolation is cool. She rips a lot of lyrics from the Pixie song Where Is My Mind. Says a lot that one of the more enjoyable tracks is ripping from two other songs. World Town - Has the same the production as fucking Shake It Off. Chorus is really annoying. Worst track so far. The Turn - Pointless track. Could have made this an interlude. XR2 - She sounds like she's falling asleep. Doesn't work with such an energetic beat. She starts dropping a bunch of acronyms, I guess she thinks it's clever. I found out she was 32 when this album dropped. Paper Planes - Her lazy delivery works with this production. It's properly airy and carefree. This track is a classic. The gunshots and cash register are iconic. Come Around - The flow on this one is actually good. They got Timbaland on this one. I would revisit this track. Overall production was really cool on this one but MIA didn't carry most of the time. She was buried in the mix and the only time she had charisma was towards the end. All this album needed was a more energetic performance. I'm curious to look at her other stuff and I will return to some of these tracks.
There was some interesting production but a lot of it didn't really hit for me. Did not care for the Where is My Mind part either.
Some pretty crazy and interesting stuff on here. 20 dollar sounded like bladee at times and was just a pixies song at times. I don’t think there are any songs I really liked other than paper planes, but paper planes is such a great song
определённый драйв есть, даже меня взбодрило, но в среднем всё равно слишком гнусаво и похоже, чтобы прям целый альбом интересен был
I respect the craftsmanship here and she is a talented vocalist/rapper but this album is too much for me.
A mash up of various sounds and styles in some sort of mad scientist approach to music. But has as many hits as misses but it all comes together perfectly on paper planes. Still 3* overall
Paper Planes is singlehandedly carrying this whole album because although the rest of the songs were intriguing, they weren't that great. Listening to this album was a bit weird, the fourth song is just annoying and is not available, but apart from that, the rest of the songs just sounded like they would belong in a movie soundtrack while something intense is happening, possibly when people are on drugs and trying to do something in a crowded area.
This album definitely took me out of my comfort zone. I did enjoy the main hit, and thought it sounded a lot different than the rest, but I already knew that I liked that one. Possibly worth a relisten.
A really interesting sound, and never boring.
timbaland drops an all-time worst guest verse on the last song
After the first track I was fully prepared to write this off as a cacophonous disaster. But MIA takes a pretty refreshing approach to nabbing music from Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, which is great. What's less great is the massive throbbing bass around the 50-70hz mark. It's overcooked, and really drives the fatigue factor. Now, I love me some sub bass. My speakers can handle 50hz with little trouble, but subbass should really be there as a feeling, not a focus. Perhaps of she dialled it back a bit, this would be a higher rating because I like what she's trying to do.
Poppy Indian - British hip-hop
Cool
Favourite tracks: paper planes
Pretty good, felt more varied than Arular. Whenever there’s a mega hit on an album it jars me, there was no flow or pomp just BAM, Paper planes like a brick through a window
Kinda dig it. Not usually my bag, but this kinda did it for me.
Different, but not great outside of a few
3.5☆/5 10.22.2024
Unique and highly bouncy in a highly disposable, fast-fashion sort of way, even if this meant to be the last word in DIY grittiness. One digs the artiness and free-flowing spirit here better than say the pretentious St. Vincent or silly Lady Gaga. Still, not exactly one's cup of chai, musically, but hard not to admire the energy and orginality, and one is just sympathetic go get why kids would like, especially a song like "Jimmy" which woulda been a hit in any era. But "20 Dolllar" is not only not twice as good as "10 Dollar" from Arular (the better record, reallly), it may not be half as good. Still, as fully globalized pop, it's hard to see this as much more than ephemera or as fully worthy of a spot on this list.
Probably the best Sri Lankan Artist ever… Paper planes blew up deservedly and a couple other cool tracks but overall not enough for me for an album.
Inventive, original, irritating. When this album dropped there was nothing that sounded like it. And maybe for good reason. The sounds she chooses for this album are often grating and annoying. But Paper Planes, Come Around and the song with the rapping kids are all pretty great tracks. Also obligatory “MIA is a nut case now so good for her”
Another one I’m not quite sure about and can’t decide if I liked it or not. The initial attack on the senses calmed down a bit and I found myself enjoying it more the longer it went on. Still not sure if it’s good or not though so going for a middle of the road rating.
Really good alternative music but it is still experimental so a little hard to get into
A bit of nostalgia with the song Paper Planes, which is the best song on this album. The rest of the album is ok, but seems somewhat immature. She's a grinder, though, and she has had well deserved success. I'll throw a 3.5 at this one.
This one made me a bit nostalgic. Being from Trinidad and with Trinidad's population being about 40 percent of people of Indian descent (dot not feather) I grew up watching shows called Mastana Bahar and Indian Talent on Review. We also got a decent amount of Bollywood movies on TV and certain radio stations would play music in Hindi. As a child I took an interest in listening to Indian music even though I could not understand Hindi, and I always liked the sounds and rhythms. The sampling of Sri Lankan music on this album reminds me of those days. She presents a unique sound with combining what I am going to guess are Bangra and Chutney rhythms mixed with hip hop and electronic dance music. I think she is innovative and original. If M.I.A has not already done it, I think there is probably a collaboration with Santigold that should probably happen.
Fun pomo stuff: an original blend of big boomy beats, hipster interpolations, slacker rapping, sewn together sound collage production and revolutionary posturing. Paper planes is A+ the rest more of a B/B+...
Versión rara de Where is my mind ... Y Paper planes me sonaba ....
Pretty tight. M.I.A. And daft punk should make an album
Artistically, this album was densely packed with vibrant and interesting sounds that really makes it stand out. The Indian samples were also a cool touch that added flavor and depth to the tracks. With it being diverse it definitely requires an acquired taste since I can see how many people would put this off since it sounds so different. With that being said I personally don't see myself listening to this album religiously but a few of these songs are definitely going in the playlist. Top 3 Fav: Come Around, Paper Planes, and Boyz Top 3 Worst: no bad songs 3.25/5
I thought I was going to vibe with this a lot more than I did. It was just okay. 3/5
I didn't have a particularly positive feeling for this album across the first few tracks, I thought it was overly percussive in an irritating way, but I was surprised to hear distinctive indigenous Australian singing voices on Mango Pickle Down River - none other than The Wilcannia Mob, who I'm familiar with. This led me to read a bit more about M.I.A. and how Kala came together, earning an additional review star out of respect.
Not every track is great, but I'd say it still holds up well.
Okay now THIS is a bop man, some of Kalas songs really just get you to move, very reggae recession funk, maybe even with some 80s Russian funk thrown in there. Im sitting here just jamming, rocking my head, only about half way through. Not surprised this album is so funky with the likes of Diplo and Timbaland producing the album. Some of the songs use some very unique instruments as well, I believe i here a didgeridoo in Mango Pickle Down River. After finishing the album, yeah, this is a good one, not every song is amazing, but the ones that are slap, i mean Paper Planes alone has almost 1 billion streams on spotify, that song was HUGE in the late 2000s. Fav Song: Jimmy (honorable mention is Paper Planes of course) 3.5
Es entretenido! Aunque un poco largo y tuve que esperar mucho para escuchar Paper Planes.
I’ve heard of M.I.A. before as a rapper/singer/producer, born under the name Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam. In fact, Maya’s big song “Paper Planes” is off of this album Kala. This is her second studio album, named and themed after her mother and the struggles she went through. I will say this album is very experimental, for better and worse. She plays through a variety of world music styles with a heavy amount of sampling, and the result varies for every song. Some songs are good - the aforementioned “Paper Planes” with the samples of gunshots, cash registers and The Clash’s “Straight to Hell”, “Come Around” with its sole Timbaland production credit, “Jimmy” with its electronic disco melody, and “XR2” with its rave music groove. Other songs are terrible - the first three tracks of this album spring to mind, especially “Bird Flu” with its egregious bird noise samples. Then there are songs that fall somewhere in the middle for me - “Hussel” and “Mango Pickle Down River” have solid melodies, though nowhere near as engaging as the preceding “Jimmy”. Also, I couldn’t ignore how “20 Dollar” sounded like an electronically-filtered hodgepodge between New Order’s “Blue Monday” and the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?”. There is one unifying element throughout this album - Maya’s vocals. I’ll admit, I do not like her vocals and delivery - it’s not for me as it doesn’t come off as raw or emotionally drawn as it should. Not helping matters is that she has a very minimalist lyrical style, which combined with the experimentation can distract from whatever messaging she may have been trying to convey. At the end of the day, it’s certainly not a boring album. You will be engaged through the whole listen, regardless of track-by-track quality. But I don’t see myself returning to this anytime soon.
Interesting album. Very ambitious in style, but some of the songs are a little too scattered. When it works, it really works. 3/5 Probably will listen again
I’m only at a 3, which is kinda disappointing. I don’t think it’s a bad album; I’d recommend it, honestly. It just never really clicked for me as a fully cohesive one from front to back. I think there’s a lot of repetition here, but it’s really supplemented by an energetic vocal performance and a lot of great production tricks. However, sometimes those production tricks either didn’t hit as well on a few tracks, or became an outright hindrance with some awkward mixing between the percussion and the vocals or the synths that felt just out of balance enough to be distracting. I think I liked this album better when it was more focused on being a sort of pseudo-dance record; the heavier beats, the deeper percussion mixed closer to the ears, and the vocals that had just enough processing to blend in without feeling too overdone, and that’s about half of the album. In other words, I liked the songs that feel distinctly modern and about 7 years ahead of schedule for 2007 – super experimental stuff for the time that feels very common now. The other half ranges from “just not really doing it for me” to outright bad on “Hussel” (just REALLY flat for me) and “20 Dollar” (extremely overdone production, and I really did not like the “Where Is My Mind?” interpolation, even though I’m normally a sucker for that sort of thing). When the album hits, it hits really well – Bamboo Banga is a good (if slightly long) opener, Boyz feels like a great sports hype up track, Paper Planes is an all-timer, and XR2 is a perfect 90s club throwback. For me, it just only hits about half the time, and that’s why I’m at a 3. For someone else, I can hear how it might be a 4 or even a 5, but for my tastes, it just never got up there. Very solid 3 though.
Very enjoyable album that has a few sections reminiscent of 1982ish Kate Bush and of Eno/Byrne's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.
Der Sound ist fett, cool und anders. Rhythmisch und kompositorisch mal was anderes, obwohl klar Pop. Die Lieder sind aber zueinander recht ähnlich. 2,8
Toni Basil's granddaughter does D&D
Fun, “Paper Planes” +1, shallow
Yeah that was pretty good. I should have assumed it was decent because the rest of the comments were so negative. 3.16
This is so incredibly maximalist at points that I want to turn it off, but it's not exactly unenjoyable. There's some great biting cynicism and satire baked into the lyrics throughout the album, and I don't know of much else that sounded so punk in that way since Rage. All that said, I don't know that I would have listened to this again on purpose if I weren't participating in this project...
It feels like recently I got her other album. Did she need two albums on this list? I dunno... completely forgettable.
it’s cool just some of the songs aren’t fully there
Wasn’t as into this as I thought I would be. Paper Planes is great though
Fresh and consistent. I enjoyed it. “Paper Planes” is of course fire.🔥
I liked it, it was a fun album.
Way better than expected. I enjoyed her sound.
Once a culture darling/favourite. She rubs people up the wrong way but her musuc is different and interesting.
Bold to put your only banger as the last song on the album. Simpsons: No
She's back. That gobby girl who you want to talk to, but you know she's smarter and tougher than you. The mix of hip-hop beats, electronic blasts, random sound effects, samples from around the world and bratty rapping are all present and correct as they always are on her albums. She's not doing anything different on this album as she does to other albums and I'm glad. Best Tracks: Bird Flu; World Town; Paper Planes
3.5
Best Song: Come Around. I'm just a sucker for that Timbaland influence. Worst Song: Mango Pickle Down River. Good for these kids getting featured on an album like this, but I'm really not interested in listening to this kids bop stuff. Overall: A fun and banging album that, thankfully, knows exactly what it is. No mid-album slow down breaks, no random ballads. Just upbeat, bombastic pop hop. Unfortunately, some of the chosen beats and samples miss the market, registering more as annoying than enjoyable.
Ok
Paper Planes // Come Around 2.5/5
I've listened to this album some years back and I thought I liked it, but this time I found it kind of annoying. I'll be generous and give 3 cos at least it's not boring.
This is probably my favourite hip hop album so far... but still not something I'd want to listen to again.
this album is so insanely hype that it got a bit old. I never knew I could quite have my fill of bangers like this. but I like the sound, it's like a forbidden concentrate of 2007 juice that I only got watered down versions of back then. and hella bri'ish🤘
Not the most inventive songwriting, but what saves it are the well designed sonic layers behind each track that reward you for being attentive
Not bad
“Paper Planes” is the clear star of the album. The rest was pretty good.
Rap meets rave? Genesis of drill? Quite liked it, initially felt innovative but then got a bit repetitive and formulaic.
I love Paper Planes-who doesn’t?
This was better than the MIA we had before, possibly weather having an effect on how I'm reviewing it. Felt the back half picked up a bit. Not sold on M.I.A generally
this album is wild, the production has to have been an inspiration for Yeezus. the songwriting is lacking at times but boyz, jimmy, 20 dollar, world town, xr2, and of course paper planes are all strong moments. aggressive synths, unique percussive sounds, a sample from the pixies and the clash, and afro/indian world influence make this a fascinating listen, with its main detractions stemming from repetitive songwriting and some songs cooking up a clogged mix. the absolute highlight of Kala (and the song probably competing with Hey Ya (ironically from an album i got 2 weeks ago) for best pop song of the entire 2000s) is paper planes. sampling the clash (!!), Mia created one of histories most triumphant tracks. tell me you arent tapping your foot from the start with those sampled opening notes. tell me "i fly like paper get high like planes" isnt one of the most stylish opening lines you've ever heard. tell me these lyrics haven't gotten more relevant every single year since 2008. tell me that the whining guitar, the childrens choir chorus, the finger-snap percussion, the spoken word bit "i got more records than the KGB" don't create a densely layered and intriguing atmosphere. you cant tell me any of that because this song compels you to believe it all just like the bang bang bang kachink hook compels you to bust out the finger guns and mime along gunshot-reload-cash register open. bombastic, iconic, singular, eccentric, and catchy. there is no other song that sounds like paper planes.
Had headache, dnf
Didn't expect to like this.
Wasn't a huge fan
Kinda same-y
Paper Planes is easily the best song on this album. Other than that it’s kinda just okay. Not bad. Not good. Some interesting beats. Some silly lyrics
Not my thing.
A good album, I liked Boyz and Jimmy.
Álbum con sonido interesante, música para poner de fondo, 6/10
Big fan of a blend of musical styles, and this did it very well. I do wish that the lyrics didn't lean on hooks so much, quite a lot of the songs started to feel quite repetitive. 3/5. My name is MIA and Young Fathers was my idea.
Sometimes pretty interesting, sometimes pretty bad. Paper Planes is so good though. The sound of the summer in the common room.
I remember being so disappointed with this when it came out. Paper Planes was such a massive bop, nothing else on here could come close. But with a bit of distance, I can enjoy the rest of the tunes without those sky high expectations. Still nothing great, but a decent album after all.
OK.
I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this. I hated this when it came out in 2007 and “Paper Planes” was extremely overplayed. However, time and mellowing tastes happen and I don’t hate this. I probably won’t seek this out again, but it was fine for 45 minutes.
5.5/10
A lot of repetitive songs, and many of them sounded a bit the same. However, a fun album that would be good for parties and obvs Paper Planes is a great song
This must have been a really exciting album for people who make commercials. The album demands attention.
Puhh. Ret monotomt i lyden store dele af albummet, men underholdende nok til at fastholde fokus. papir planes skiller sig virkelig voldsomt meget ud fra resten, ikke noget at sige til det det blev hittet.
Album Nr. 31 Na ja. Mittelmaß eben.
Its interesting the way someone with a “new sound” can have an album where their songs sound similar on first listen, but as you listen again and again, you slowly notice the nuances of each one. I’ve noticed this on band’s I like and even some of their nee albums that tend to blur togther, only to later appreciate the differences. That was the case for me here. I overall thought it was not bad, but, again, not really for me. And, again, I don’t think it was made for me. And that’s ok. I think sometimes music is made for people of certain ages or certain stages of their lives. And sometime the point is to piss off the parents. That’s what helps us define ourselves, not being who “they” wanted us to be. Anyhow, I liked a couple somgs specifically and will give them a few more listens. Might grow on me.
Some songs just gave me a headache, some I enjoyed. As something that isn’t really my taste, this album was more fun than I thought at the outset. Favorites include ‘Boys’ and ‘Jimmy’, more than the commercial success ‘Paper Planes’. Beats were fun, almost had an Indian/Persian flair at times. I wanted to like/dislike this album more than I did
I still remember the first time I heard Paper Planes, working at a local pizza place in high school. I was shocked such a thing was considered music, but somehow that song grew on me. The rest of the album is alright, but doesn’t rise to that level.
This is a fun album, great beats.
Despite owning this album from release, I think this is my first full listen. Overall ok, but nothing amazing. Really benefits from the production. 3/5
Heel uniek wat ik wel vet vond maar kon er toch niet helemaal inkomen
Mixed feeling over deze, zitten paar echte bangers tussen: Jimmy en paper planes bv. maar ook een paar rare nummers
Track 1 banger. Track 4 Moscow Moscow vibes! Mad where is my mind. Obvs Paper Planes. Rest was ok.
Is it possible to both like and be annoyed by an album at the same time? That's how I'm feeling about this one. Sometimes it felt intentionally grating and other times it just has this cool groove to it that I enjoyed. Crazy to me that "Paper Planes" is track 11, but then it does at least give the back of the album a real banger. Not sure how I feel about the use of those Pixies lyrics in whatever song that was. Hmm.
Krasse Beats. Krasser Bass bei Boyz. Klassiker Paper Planes
3.5 One classic song. The rest is pretty good.
Monotonous. Most of the songs lull you into a bit of trance, largely just because the vocals roll on, the beats roll on, the melody rolls on, etc. I want it to be cool, something about it is exciting and there is a unique energy in the songs, but it never actually hits or reaches the point of feeling like something I want to listen to again. Paper planes is cool but feels like someone wrote it as a single, it really doesn’t fit, and it is coincidentally the only catchy song and her only hit.
Characterful for sure
Dunno what to make of this quite honestly. Could probably do with more listens. I can hear its influence on the likes of Gwen Stefani and Beyoncé. Idk if that’s a Timbaland thing
There are some songs on here that are pretty tiring, same ol' MIA shit that I used to really like when she first came out but stopped seeming very unique after a couple albums. That said, I also still enjoyed a decent amount of it.
Faced again with being kind of a basic bitch about a few things, "Paper Planes," overexposed as it is, is both very different from the rest of this, and also I like it more.
I like the individual songs in this but there's not enough variation to make it a great album. Paper Planes is a banger though.
Definitely one I need to listen to again. It feels like the album is wrestling with two different versions of itself, the first half having a much more experimental and interesting production while the second half has a lot more bonafide "hits" with less crazy instrumentals but ending up more catchy and memorable. In the end it manages to produce great stuff in both ends, with the really odd beat and feature of "Mango Pickle Down River" and the huge chart-topper "Paper Planes" (by far the best track here), but in a single listen it's not giving me too much more than that. By the end of the album I was definitely feeling it a lot more than the start, so most definitely one for a few more listens.
Solid listen. This one is more my time period so I was already pretty familiar. Enjoy the experimental sounds and of course the favorite "I've got more records than the KGB"
I've never been a huge fan of M.I.A, though I did find some of the tracks here really worming there way into my brain (in a good way!). Maybe I need to listen to more of her material.
was aight
Suomuista, eli ei takerru jos myötäkarvaan antaa mennä.. Tiedä mitä sitten jos kriittisesti yrittäis arvostella...
love the production of these songs layered and engaging music. only knew paper planes but liked the album as a whole not usually my cup of tea but fairly solid
Not my thing - but some good tracks, and the album is interesting overall
Not bad. Not hip hop as I think of it. Interesting rhythms combined with some good melodies.
3.5/5
Sonically all over the place but the good tracks are great, pretty of an era.
Saw M.I.A. this summer open for LCD soundsystem at red rocks. It was kinda like this album, okay 3.5
Last few songs are awesome, first few are not my fav
nostalgic. paper planes represents prying for acceptance to a state of unnatainable euphoric perfect youth but we dont smoke cigarettes in joppa anymore, we guitar run spanish guitar run spanish
At first I was like "again? A third album?" While I don't know if they all deserved to be on this list, I can see why they were picked because the artist showed great versatility and craftiness with them
pretty enjoyable. the big song "paper planes" that everyone knows i've never thought was a big banger, but i did enjoy "jimmy" and "XR2".
Bamboo Banga! Solid album full of heavy drum beats like being at a carnival.
It was pretty good, much better than I thought it'd be.
5.5/10 just not my type. quelques bonnes chansons.
Fun little reminisce with Paper Planes and Come Around
again?
It's great for a few songs then get a bit old
Eerste 2 nummers vind ik maar niets. Daarna betert het wat met iets meer uitgesproken sound van wereldmuziek.
Pretty disappointed, honestly. 3 stars for having Paper Planes though.
Some good songs, some I didn't enjoy as much but overall not bad.
Interesting one this. Obviously Paper Planes is so ubiquitous it's hard to look at it as anything other than standout/separate from the rest of this album, but on first listen it's pretty samey apart from these last two or three tracks - I feel like that would change over time with more listens. There's a lot to like on there and it does whip along nice and quickly.
Decent enough and interesting in places.
buckydonegoneonandonandon
Funky stuff here, lots of cool beats, samples and collabs - cool to hear an indigenous Aussie group in this!
first time listening have heard paper planes favorites paper planes come around
Props for how unique the beats are on this one. Sometimes it was pure hype. Other times like what's going on. Didn't love the tracks with little kids rapping. But a cool blend of electronic and middle eastern.
Definitely interesting. Some songs are way too repetitive for what they have to offer, but there are a few legit bangers here. More than anything I appreciate how unique the blend of styles and influences is. Best song: Paper Planes
Versión rara de Where is my mind ... Y Paper planes me sonaba ....
I'm gonna lie if I said I enjoyed the whole thing. But I greatly appreciate its uniqueness and its daring attempt to incorporate Indian and African sounds into electronic-dance music. It's quite a refreshing and adventurous album and I love it for that.
Huh, electronica fused with world music is usually my jam, but this doesn't quite hit the spot. The beats are a bit basic. The rapping is extremely basic. I enjoyed the novelty of the different influences being mixed in, but I reckon repeated listens to this would actually drop my rating rather than raise it, as the novelty would wear off and it'd start to grow irritating... 🤔 So, I'm giving it one play through a 3, and M.I.A. should count herself lucky... Fave track - "Paper Planes" was the only one I knew before hand, and it is kinda a tune. Liked the Bollywood of "Jimmy", and considering "20 Dollar" is a mashup of New Order and Pixies you'd think I'd like it more...
Despite having spent much of her time on England when developing her hip hop sound, M.I.A. pulls from her formative years spent in Sri Lanka to develop a unique blend of UK hip hop and various traditional folk music genres from the global south. Quite a bit of her work is politically changed as well, likely as a result of her father's political activist roots. While M.I.A.'s production and stylistic choices are certainly innovative and different, it's largely hit-or-miss on the quality of the songs. If you were around radios in the late 2000s then you couldn't escape Paper Planes, but Boyz is also worth it's salt. Otherwise, much of the album is messy.
I've only ever heard Paper Planes before from this album, and probably one more well known track from this artist at all. The first two songs were very unimpressive but it got better as it went I think Saved tracks: Jimmy, 20 Dollar, XR2, Paper Planes, Come Around
I think I might have heard Paper Planes 500 times in my life and it still has not gotten old. Some track get a bit repetitive, but M.I.A.'s blend of styles still feels fresh today. 3.5/5
Kinda funky, not sure if it’s for me 5/10
Paper planes alone makes this album a 8/10
'Paper Planes' is iconic and most of these are stand-alone bangers, but listening to one after the other is a sensory overload. I think it's good and I appreciate that it's included, because this type of music doesn't frequent the list, but I didn't love this album as an entity.
Buen disco, sonidos experimentales aunque a veces peca de ser muy de los 2000. Mezcolanza entre hip hop noventero y ritmos africanos. Bastante interesante por más que no pareciera tener una propuesta artística más trascendental. No volvería a escucharlo
Dancier than I realized, not my style but clearly solid musically and culturally notable.
Jájá, af hverju ekki? Alveg hresst svona einu sinni amk., þótt þetta sé ekki alveg mín tónlist.
Dig some of the production, though this isn't my thing.
Energetic, Took a while to get into.
super experimental con el hitazo de ariplanes m gusto por mas que sienta q muchos temas quedan claramente como relleno los 3 ultimos temas los mejores del disco
kala... minkäslainen vonkale... lohta vai siikaa...heh...ei tykkää rokotuksista...heh meikääkin itkettää...vaikka terkkari sanoo että on ohi kohta....eka puolisko hyvä, loppupuoli heikompi jimmy
This album was a lot. A lot of good, and a lot of awesome innovation. Also a lot of styles/sounds I didn't love.
Some of these songs are a little hard to listen to, but delightful once you get into them. This album’s surely not for everyone, but I thought it was pretty fun. Obviously Paper Planes is great, but other songs like Boyz, Mango Pickle Down River, and Jimmy certainly don’t get enough recognition. Manor complaint was that it got very repetitive and had hardly any range. 3/5
This is a tough album to review. What do you do when a revolutionary turns out to have feet of truffle oil? Shut up and dance, I suppose. The mix of global beats and aggression still slaps. The content rings a little hollow in hindsight.
Not my kind of music, but still a very interesting pop album. Quite refreshing and out of the ordinary.
When "Bamboo Banga" started I thought I was going to hate this album. However, as the album progressed I found myself slowly enjoying it. I wouldn't listen to it again but overall I thought it was surprisingly decent. Highlights were "20 Dollar", Paper Planes" and "Come Around".
Heard it before?: yes Enjoy it?: Yeah it’s not what I was expecting, some interesting elements and an easy listen Favourite track: Track 11 - Paper Planes
Paper Planes and some other pretty good stuff
This album is a vibe with very danceable beats. That said M.I.A's rapping is a bit hit or miss as she sometimes gets drowned out and she can be a bit repetitive at times which doesn't really work for me.
I enjoyed this one today.
Some nice surprises here, such as finding that MIA is of Sri Lankan background, and discovering rhat annoying song Paper Planes was one of hers. Not my type of music but I do appreciate the lyrical themes, musical creativity and diversity of influences.
I never really knew what to think about MIA - and I still don’t. In a way, this album is kinda childish and stupid and chaotic, but - at the same time - there’s a structure and some thought and some real artsy uniqueness to it. Definitely worth a listen.
Lots of world music sounds, particularly Brazil and India. Unique and fairly upbeat. I liked it better than I thought I would.
9Interesting enough but some of the samples or covers or whatever you'd call them were fucking awful.
Halfway through the first song I expected to hate this. To my surprise, as i listened, it grew on me by the third track. The Indian music samples, melodies, and rhythms are well incorporated and this is genuinely engaging. However, her singing is horrible and so are the vocal effects which sound so dated and cannot cover up her lack of pitch. I can understand anyone who finds this irritating because it teeters on that edge for me as well. Terrible album design/art. 2.5/5
Några spår är alldeles fantastiska typ Jimmy och Paper planes. Köpte singeln på Jimmy när den kom och jag älskar den fortfarande. Ett par spår till som är ganska schyssta.
At first I was like "ok this is gonna be a rough one to get through..." but somehow it started to grow on me the longer I listened to it. I don't know if it grew on me enough to say I liked it necessarily, but I can at least appreciate it for being fresh and innovative.
Was one of the better representations of a very particular trend of pop music from 2006-2010ish. Brought back memories of working at a mall.
experimental, distinto, está interesante y cierra con broche de oro en una palabra: diferente
Paper planes! First time listening to this album. Mia is of Sri Lankan descent and after growing up in UK she decided to sing and rap about socially and politically delicate subjects. Paper Planes is one of those songs. Unfortunately, I never cared about the lyrics to it before, but with that knowledge, it gives an another meaning (on top of very catchy tune). The rest of the album follows suit, with a small exception, that you can't find anything catchy, just your average fillers with an interesting agenda. A little bit dissapointed.
So. MIA clearly has something going for her. But her albums always remind me of a snarky schoolgirl armed with lots of toys. (XR2 proves this point in more than one way). Paper Planes is a song for the ages, all the above notwithstanding.
Enjoyable enough, though this isn't something I'll listen to often. Not a fan of rap, but could do a lot, lot worse than M.I.A!
Paper planes is a brilliant tune
I think I liked this?
It’s great !
My perception has been that Paper Planes was the mega hit. Reading about this album it seems like there were others and that she's been more musically active since then than I thought. I don't think I had ever listened to the album, but I did recognize some of the other songs. This may prompt a deeper dive into her discography.
Such an unusual album. An album that slides across lots of sounds and samples. The Clash's, 'Straight to hell' is used brilliantly in 'Paper Planes' and there's notes of the Pixies and New Order in this album too.
Was expecting this album to sound more like paper planes so was pleasantly surprised. A great sound but maybe got a little repetitive by the end.
Absolutely massive in 2007
I appreciate the unique sound.
Pretty crazy album. Almost tribal in a lot of the tracks. I liked it, didn't love it.
Paper planes is catchy AF and Boyz is solid. Otherwise nothing really to write home about.
I really liked the beat of Mango Pickle Down River. She kept things interesting with all the different elements mixed in to each song, though it could be too much at times. Would probably listen to certain songs again.
I think I basically only know Paper Planes from this, so excited to hear the rest. Basically, the songs all kinda sound the same, but I like their energy. I kinda feel like Paper Planes is like, the perfect emblem of this album, but you don't need to listen to the whole album--but it's still kinda fun to listen to. Like the Pixies reference in 20 Dolla. Like the last song a lot.
Not bad. Kinda fun beats for background listening. I had a rough morning so really wasn't focused on the music, but that's fine. Nothing that stood out overly to me, but I do enjoy Paper Planes somewhat.
Helvete vad mycket jobbiga låtar. Dock är paper planes ruggigt bra
The playful attitude (bar some darker themes) combined with the particular minimal(?) sensibility of the music makes for a memorable whole……. I dig it
A decent hip-hop album is a rarity.
Interesting. 6/10
Average pop rap album. Paper planes is a great song and will be played for a long time. Most of the album is hit and miss. Some songs are catchy with cool beats. Others can get annoying and feel repetitive. Album could’ve been better if it was shorter and trimmed some songs. 5.6/10
Enjoyed some of these songs but overall it felt a little too abrasive. Would probably enjoy most of the tracks more individually but the whole album felt like a slog
energetic; kinda weird & ratchet vibe;
OK - though in some ways delivers less than it promises. Love Mango Pickle with the Wilcannia Mob though!
So while I love Paper Planes, that's how I discovered this album years ago...the rest of the album is rough to listen to. 3 for Paper Planes.
Some real bangers although not as groundbreaking as Galang
Nice to see a more diverse offering today. An interesting bricolage of styles, if a little repetitive at times. No, I didn’t feel every song on the album. But M.I.A. is clearly doing something really different and special musically here. Even almost 15 years out it’s a fresh sound with an uncompromising perspective. The beats are solid and the non-Western influences and samples make for a distinctive sound. Some of the songs (like the first three, unfortunately) were a drag on the overall pace and flow. That group of songs were all distinct from each other, but all repetitive in the same way, which was just tiring to listen to. She shines on songs like “Jimmy” and “Hussel” though, when the pace picks up and the sound gets way more complex and interesting. I enjoyed this. It's a little outside my regular listening, but that's why we all came to 1001albums right? Fave Songs: Jimmy, Hussel, XR2, The Turn
The Album is a giant cauldron of artificial, natural, social and musical sounds that come from distant lands and distant contexts. Ultimately, though, it is her style and attitude that make it stand out. (6/10) FT: Paper Planes, Jimmy
M.I.A. is one of those artists where I like all the elements of the music, but I can't really get into it.
6/10
It was good at first but the more I listened to it the less I liked it.
Whilst paper planes is the standout thanks to a significant clash sample I also have a soft spot for XR2 having spent many an hour in one of these bad boys back in '92. As Ali G would say aiiiiiii
Электроника не мое
Really not for me, just couldn't get into it. It's still pretty and I did end up enjoying the sort of middle of the album. I don't really feel comfortable giving it more than 3 even if this is a really good album idk.
An average album saved by a much better 2nd half than the 1st. The rapping about the fish though😂👌