Reviews (page 5 of 9)
Kala is the second album from M.I.A. (Maya, or Mathangi Arulpragasam). The album was driven by the success of the ubiquitous single, "Paper Planes," and made M.I.A. into an international star. Kala was named on many "Best Album of 2007" lists, and topped a few of them. M.I.A. makes electronic music with hip-hop rhythms, lyrics that wander towards rap, and world music influences. The resulting mixture is richly textured, upbeat, danceable songs with an engaging sound.
liked the different sounds used - didn't care for repetitive background
listened to again weird, cool, not as consistent as one would hope
Meh 2 stars
Another one. All 5's!!!
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)
A globe-trotting firecracker of an album. Not every swing hits, but the fearless experimentation and infectious energy make it a standout.
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 read about M.I.A. years ago in a newspaper for self-proclaimed young intellectuals. Before that, I was familiar with the abbreviation as the title of rather poor action films. The reviewer described the album as the music of a kindergarten on speed, but was quite enthusiastic. I then listened to an album of it. I remember again, I couldn't understand the enthusiasm. Nothing has changed. 1/5
I thought it was great. 10 years ago when it came out, I would have loved it to tears. Some tracks just didn’t do it for me and sounded like interludes but a majority of the album is pure quality.
I liked this more than I should have. Hip Hop if this is what this album is has never and will never done anything for me. So anything described as such before I even listen is off to a bad start. I dutifully did listen and the first few tracks did hold my attention but as is always the case this interest soon trailed off. Music not made for me but I appreciate here the Artist trying to do something different. My biggest gripe always with this stuff is the tendency to go off in a swearing rant. Thankfully nothing of that nature so a rarity of an album of this genre getting more than one star. 2/5 25/6/25
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.
This is one of those weird albums where I can understand what someone else might like about it, but to me it sounds absolutely unlistenable. Definitely can't listen to this during work - the instrumentation is distracting beyond measure and the voice just makes me angry. Wasn't able to stand more than half of most tracks and gave up trying after the sixth.
I liked it! It was my first time listening. I would love to go to the club (do I go to the club) and hear this. I listened to it while driving home, grocery shopping and then sitting on my balcony. It made each activity more enjoyable.
Ok. Finished. What’s to like? Attitude - Her lyrics and delivery confer loads of attitude but without coming across as hostile. Lyrics- this is a bit more subjective but the subject matter of some of the lyrics was interesting. I don’t know anything about what life is like in Sri Lanka, or the Congo, but there’s kind of a window into that here. Also +10 points to the Australian kid who said he plays the didge and puts fish in the fridge. Made me laugh. Percussion - Reminds me of Gwen Stefani. Rhythms are easy to follow. What’s not to like? Zero Space - Most of the songs are a wall of words. She doesn’t leave much room for emphasis or clarity. Less is more. Lack of musicality- You could get pretty close a covering this album with a karaoke mic and a garbage can lid. Like, 80% of the way. This also comes across in her lack of intonation. Lots of upward inflection, and nasal nastiness. Overall rating 4.5/10 Favorite song - Mango Pickle
used to own the cd when i was a kid. hopefully this album has aged well over the years. Bamboo Banga - 3/5 BirdFlu - 3/5 Boyz - 4/5 Jimmy - 4/5 Hussel - 3/5 Mango Pickle Down River - 4/5 20 Dollar - 5/5 World Town - 4/5 The Turn - 4/5 XR2 - 4/5 Paper Planes - 5/5 Come Around - 4/5 (-1 star because Timbaland's feature RUINS this track halfway through. "duuuuh you and me need to go to your tee-pee" fuck off) Average score: 3.9/5 (rounding up) doesn't hit as hard as it did when i was younger, but it's a fine album. the sound choices on some of the tracks are a bit hard on the ears at times (like that obnoxious chicken clucking on BirdFlu, for example) favs: 20 Dollar, Paper Planes, Mango Pickle Down River least favs: BirdFlu, Timbaland's portion of Come Around
I tried to listen but this really puts the shit into... well...shit.
Elektronisk, hiphop/pop, for mange irreterende sange, paper planes holder though
Young, dumb and full of fun
3.5
Amazing experimental sample flips and beats but nearly every song is over a minute too long.
Fun, clever, creative, and politically aware, but undeniably sounds like an Ali G. skit at times. 4.0/5.0: Great
even knowing that i liked paper planes, i expected to hate this album given my experience with her first album. i was pleasantly surprised how listenable this was. there are a few odd choices but overall its fun and catchy. as a whole its probably closer to a 3 than a 4 but i saved a few of the tracks so im bumping it up
Hip-Hop meets Dance meets World Music - finally a Hip-Hop / Dance album I like. My favourite track on the album is "Paper Planes".
Supermarkt, Heidenheim, Deutschland Fantastisches Album! 9/10
That was... not very good.
I really tried to give this the benefit of the doubt considering the album as a whole, and trying to suspend judgement after the absolute dross in the first few tracks. But that just carried on throughout. Any plus points for creative/unusual beats and the mixture of different styles cultures etc is lost by the repetitive lyrics that feel like someone is slowly driving a blunt nail through your head. This isn’t one for me. First 1 star review!
Just to be transparent in the first 5 seconds I decided I hated this. Like some kind of blind tribal curse. This music and those like it, I possess a rather specific condition – a self-diagnosed case of unearned musical snobbery. It's a concious delusion, where my limited cultural exposure has convinced me I'm above appreciating anything that doesn't fit my incredibly specific, and uninspired, criteria. Anyway there is my excuse for being an intolerant, old-fashioned insert word. It's a personal failing. Though who's to say my decades of selective listening arent simply more evolved than those "people" that listen to this. Is it my sophisticated filtering mechanism. Higher function or intolerance you decide... And yes I did listen to the WHOLE album. To actually write something about this album. Its like listening to a Haribo advert just less fun as you cant see anything.
This is possibly the most annoying album I've ever had to listen to. I've probably heard worse albums, but not many that were thumped into my head with so much energy and eagerness. To add insult to injury it even includes a mangled Pixies track. 'Paper Planes' started and I suddenly realised how it got on this list. One really great, infectious track that I have liked for a while but never knew where it was from. Sorry though, one decent track does not a decent album make.
- 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.
Pops
Some tracks are really unlistenable and sound like a parrot screaming Paper planes is a classic tho
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
Fun album and very catchy. Paper planes is a classic and this album has a few bangers for sure.
Tanssittaa! Vähän liikaa aggressiivisia kovia ääniä, jotta nousisi mun suosikiksi, mutta ajatusta on pistetty joka biisiin sen verran, että uppoaa hyvin. Uskon MIAa.
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
This was a fairly painful experience. There were things on here that I think I might have enjoyed, but I really don't want to listen to it a second time to confirm. It would be like running back into a burning house just to save a few knickknacks that I'm sure I could find better replacements for on Amazon. Anyway, somewhere in this fiery mess I heard a sample of the Pixies (who are pretty much perfect on their own, though, so this did nothing for me). Oh, and as I barreled through this inferno, I also picked up some Lady Gaga vibes (who wasn't yet on the scene for another couple of years or so); so that's noteworthy, I guess. If this could be run through some magical, noise-cancelling filter, maybe it could be clutched from the jaws of Hell. But as it is in this state, it's unlistenable trash.
I know this is not for everybody. It is for me though. I was a big fan of this when it came out, and still like it to this day. It can be very obnoxious if you aren’t in the mood for it though.
Tøft
Dette er bare møl
Fete låter, krevende å høre hele i en smell
Hm.
Kala by M.I.A. is one of those albums that feels like it’s trying to do everything all at once — and sometimes it works, but often it just ends up a bit messy. The production is undeniably bold, pulling in sounds from all over the world, and there’s a restless energy to it that’s interesting on first listen. Tracks like "Paper Planes" definitely stand out, with that instantly recognisable sample and laid-back groove, but much of the rest of the album feels more chaotic than cohesive. There’s a lot of noise and clatter in the name of rebellion, which can be exciting in short bursts but also gets tiring over the full runtime. It’s not that the ideas aren’t there, it’s just that they don’t always land, and the delivery sometimes leans more on attitude than actual impact. I appreciate the ambition, but for me this album feels more like a collage than a proper picture. Some striking moments, but not one I return to often.
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.
Very similar comments for Kala as I had for Arular. I respect M.I.A. much more than I enjoy the music. 4.8/10
4/5
Insanely ahead of its time. I love paper planes but the rest of the album is just so so for me
Not the best. Paper Planes is an all timer but the rest was pretty boring IMO. Great rhythms, zero melody, and I felt MIA’s delivery was pretty monotonous. 2 stars just for paper planes.
Repetitive, interminable. Really, to get through a whole album just for Paper Planes? Sure, PP is a good song, but it’s definitely not worth the rest of it.
Paper planes. Brat before there was brat.
she got the kanye disease but this album is incredible
2,5
liked that the songs were all so different. i only knew „paper planes“
This shit gave me a headache. Worst cover of "Roadrunner" ever.
Own it. Love it
Really tried with this , especially since I enjoyed the first MIA album more than I thought - but I just can’t with this one. Pretty much just noise with random sounds. The epitome of late 00’s garbage mainstream that started to take emphasis away from rock music. Would be a 1-star if it wasn’t for the fact that Paper Planes is a passable radio song.
Kala is a global bop — restlessly brilliant in its construction. The beats hit hard, the sample choices are smart, and the lyrics land like headlines. Is this the sound of geopolitics on the dance floor? Chaotic rhythms stitched together with genre-hopping production. Disruptive and catchy as hell. The future is unevenly distributed, and for a moment, M.I.A. was broadcasting from the front lines.
Completely ahead of its time. The current face of experimental hip hop as it takes a more electronic direction, including artists like Jane Remover and JPEFMAFIA wouldn't exist without this album. It completely pioneered a whole new way of looking at the genre of hip hop, and the effects of it are still being felt today.
3 stars
Not sure if you can just pigeonhole her to British hip hop/rap. MIA draws from a diverse sound of hip hop, electronica, South Asian music to an eclectically weird mix of empowering high energy music. Sometimes can be a bit much and fatiguing but gotta respect the vision and influence on other musicians.
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
It’s good. She’s a talent.
I have always been a bit unsure of what to make of MIA. But I think she is the real deal. I find her work exciting and energising, with a fascinating mélange of sounds from around the world, especially South Asia. I really like this record, but (like I said), I'm not sure if it is genius or trash. It could be both! It reminds me of the first time I heard Neneh Cherry; I didn't understand 'Buffalo Girls' and thought it was rubbish. It took me a while to understand what she was doing and realise its true greatness. And I think MIA is the same. She obviously rubs a lot of people the wrong way and cops a lot of criticism because she doesn't play by the accepted rules. Maybe she's too female, too non-Western, too confident, not deferential enough for those critics' taste. Some people have describe this as a "world fusion" album, but I think, at heart, it is a pop hip hop album, but with a broad palate of sound sources, including samples and musicians from well outside the usual sources for Western bands. The thematic concerns, similarly, are much more informed by more global concerns. I love the way she incorporates a wide variety of cultural ephemera like a magpie (Pixies, Jonathon Richmond, lots of world influences that I can't name) into a focused and exciting piece of work. Interestingly, the one song I don't really rate, Jimmy, is largely a cover, and I don't think it plays to her strengths, which are simplicity, directness, confidence, colour, pride and openness.
I think what a lot of the dads on here won't get is how influential this album is on modern dance music. Quite a few of these tracks wouldn't struggle to find a place on a 'forward thinking' Ilian Tape/Livity Sound/Hakuna Kulala/SVBKVLT release from this year (hell even Hyperdub was only a few years old and Night Slugs wouldn't start for years after the release of Kala) and none of those labels will ever achieve the reach M.I.A did with this. Bamboo Banga opens with trademark aggression. Birdflu is all 3/4 polyrythms and angsty doo wop. Boyz applies voice in the rythym track behind an early example of hard drum. Jimmy offers some reprieve from the aggression with an oriental disco banger. Hussel is straight up post-grime with south african bars and everything. Mango Pickle Down River is a cute little rap that presages the explosion of Indigenous Australian rap acts in the 2020s. Second half does fade a bit until XR2 comes out with a fucking Baltimore club number. Class. Paper Planes is a proper hit. M.I.A is rides the grime wave with bombast that few other female vocalists could achieve. There's not much to love in the list between 2000 and 2010. This is the highlight of the decade.
This is such perfect music for a low-life high-tech cyberpunk setting 🥲🥹 Very vibrant and bold- chaotic explosion of sounds in the best possible way! What an absolute banger! Album rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Never listened to the album in its entirety and I feel like I've really missed out. Love how it approaches themes of identity, cultural fear towards immigrants, and the struggle of capitalism from the perspective of refugees. Musically it's fun and stays fresh 18 year later somehow. Just very well done.
Forgot how much of a classic this album was.
Not for me
Every few weeks I get an album that reminds me of why I am doing this project. I have heard of M.I.A., but never listened to M.I.A. - I didn't know what I was missing. Lots of layers/cultural influences, strong beats. I really enjoyed this. Paper Planes was the radio hit, and much more laid back than the rest of the album.
I do love this one.
Bof. Trop techno à mon goût. Journée tranquille, plage et piscine
Thumbs down
I find it odd how polarizing this album seems to be. I enjoyed it - it has a unique sound, good energy any interesting themes. Paper Planes is obviously a banger.
Loved it! Funky and smart, kept me moving and grooving at work
Strange but fascinating. Paper Planes rocks
Very experimental
I like Hip Hop and have given other hip hop albums good ratings. But this is painful. I couldn't finish a single song. The beat, the background, everything is just hard to listen to. I'm surprised how much I hated this.
This was way better than I was expecting. A lot more experimental!
Kind of annoying with a bunch of repetitive songs that don't go anywhere.
I'm actually surprised. Everyone knows paper planes right? It's just a part of the culture. But no one had heard the rest? Maybe that's just me. But holy shit did I hate this. On paper it sounds perfect. But none of it works for me. The weird double vocals that don't even feel synched up or even playing off each other at all. And why is the whole thing recorded on like 3 tracks? I just feel empty when I hear these beats. Like half of what is supposed to be there just isn't. She turned in her half done homework. It's just awful. Paper planes and the final track with timberland feel like the only listen able tracks here. I'm kinda bummed cause i wanted to like it but I just cannot do that
This is #day255 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… two albums by this artist on the list? You must be fucking kidding me. I find this music to be particularly insignificant. Two and a half songs in, and I was done. It's been a while (actually, a month) since I rated an album a 1, so there you go again. Looking forward to #day256.
Just plain yuck.
A club-educated, expertly constructed set of dayglo bangers influenced by anything you’d hear coming out of a car in East London at 2AM. Serious serious skills on display here merging tribal drumming, post-punk, grime, bhangra, baile funk and loads more into radio friendly pop about (more or less) multiculturalism. She puts together sounds that were born apart (didgeridoo bass anyone?) and finds new sounds in them.
It's so odd and all over the place that you can't help but admire the guts it took to make it. Strange beats and features, not every song works but it's definitely worth a listen just for the originality alone. Also it's hard to deny that Paper Planes is one of the most unique pop hits of the 2000s or maybe all time.
Danceable album with intrusive and infectious instrumentals that merge electronic beats, hip hop feel, and rhythms, instruments, and sounds from around the globe. It’s fun and energetic with some social commentary about global culture and struggles. Let the global masses shake their booties toward liberation!
the only reason this gets a 2 star and not a 1 star is bc of paper planes. fuck off M.I.A
Paper Planes was good. The rest was unbearable
This is really good stuff. I'd heard paper planes, but wow. Few have managed to incorporate that much eastern and western music, and those who have don't generally do it with such style. It hits hard, it has silly bits and it is thrilling when she interpolates the modern lovers and the pixies.
I’ve long respected M.I.A as an artist. But her political endorsements of late are rather confounding. I still like her music, but thinking maybe I misunderstood her sociopolitical leanings. I know you can be a good person and still somehow have been led to support the current American presidential administration. But it’s going to take me a minute to reconcile this.
The British vocals and the Indian rhythms made this hip hop more compelling.
Fun with some variety. Paper Planes is a banger. 3.5* and I'm generously rounding up, as I like it more than most dance music.
Hadn't heard any of this besides "Paper Planes" and was in love from the "Roadrunner" interpolation on. On first listen, some of the weaker tracks can grate but the hits—"Boyz," "Jimmy," "World Town," "XR2," "Paper Planes"—GO THE FUCK OFF and I could see bumping up to a 5 with time.
Gave up on this after a few songs. It maybe is good for its genre, but it's really not my bag. 1/5
Mostly annoying.
The experimental nature of the album and stereo effects are laudable, but the listenability of the final product is questionable. The vocals are just plain annoying.
Interesting album nice rythems and great samples. Wink wink. Yeah liked the energy the spunk.
Is there anyone who hasn't covered that Pixies track? Still, I liked this a lot, much better than the previous album on the list.
Very lively, upbeat shouting. I enjoyed this a lot, but I am bemused by there being 2 M.I A. albums in this list, which makes it seem like the author is just a fan.
Sadly, my soft spot for M.I.A. has passed. I found the majority of this album annoying, apart from Paper Planes, which was cool.
It has virtues, but I'm not sure why there's an insufferable version of "Where Is My Mind?" in the middle of it
Great album and I remember at the time of its release it was pretty revolutionary in popular music. It’s a good album imo however it’s a shame M.I.A is not an alt right wacko
It is good, but I like Arular more.
Wow. I could have gone without this. Expecting the album to be slightly better since I remember hearing Paper Planes a lot back in the day, but no. I’d never listen to this again.
i recognize that this one is gonna be controversial for us, but this album slaps hard. it slaps hard today and it slapped hard in 2007. there's only one good single but the vibe is greater than the sum of its slaps. MIA's vocals are smooth and effortless slaps that both sting and cool. the first three tracks are intense, experimental slappers that slap firmly and get you all slapped up. her use of folk samples from around the world adds a certain depth of slap that was unique among hip hop slaps at the time and is executed in a really fun way. the middle third of the album was weaker and left me feeling unslapped but she slaps it back up in the last few tracks. paper planes is and will always be an eternal slap of a single and probably the slap she'll be remembered for but it stood out in the overall sound and felt sort of out of place to me. that said, come around was a perfect followup slap to end the album on. overall it's great, it's joyful and risky and socially conscious, a lot of love went into it and i miss MIA being cool. 4/5 ask not for whom the slap slaps, get vaccinated
anyone else watching S3 of the white lotus right now? lol something tells me they heard Hussel before composing the theme i’m usually a sucker for an album that mashes genres and cultures i really wanted to like this this album has a lot of fun moments, but it’s kinda tough to listen to tho. not even timbaland could save it at the last song. not sure who this is for - this is like the definition of coworker music. soft 2
I guess I wasn’t ready for this yet when it came out. This is a densely textured nightmare of sound in a very positive way, a really cool predecessor to the sick computer music that is still coming out now. I can’t believe this was made in 2007 on Logic. It’s not all hits, there are some misses on here but the aesthetic choices are so sick that it saves it. Shout out paper planes of course.
Yeah I just didn’t like this album. Paper planes is the only redeeming song on this album, bumping it to a 2.
Do not recommend listening to this in the car, this is headphone music. Idk there’s some cool stuff on here, like the closer with Timbaland - even with how dated it sounds, but most of the record MIA seemed bored. I think I’ll stick to Paper Planes and maybe the closer. Bird flu is alright too. The Pixies interpolation hurt my soul, you play a dangerous game when you use source material that’s better than what you’re doing. Just made me want to listen to Pixies
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.
I like it. But not so much as to save it.
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
Not even the great track of "Paper Planes" can save this shit album from a positive review; though it did save it from a 1. On a side note, I was completely wigged out seeing The Wilcannia Mob on here, a group of like 9 year old indigenous kids. I've been to Wilcannia, twice, and much like this album - pretty shit.
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.
I'm convinced the author hasn't actually listened to this album themselves in full, another BS one hit wonder album. That's being said I'm gonna be blasting the most profound lyrics I've ever heard. When it's really hot, we go to the river and swim When we're goin' fishin', we catchin' the bream When the river's high, we jump off the bridge And when we get home, we play some didge' When it's really hot, we go to the river and swim When we're goin' fishin', we catchin' the bream When the river's high, we jump off the bridge And when we get home, we play some didge' 🔥🔥🔥 2/10
Good reason shes know for paper planes and thats it. 2/5
We should ban more artists from producing their albums in the USA. This is going to sound wanky but this feels like a good representation of voices from the global south (rural NSW counts) Jimmy samples a Bollywood song which as soon as I heard the strings on this I went seeking it rabidly as I'd heard it somewhere before. Turns out I had first heard it in You Don't Mess with the Zohan. I should watch the movie, Disco Dancer, to cleanse my mind of Zionist slop (even though Zohan is pretty funny icl). Paper Planes is also a certified GOLD banger and if it were the only good song on here this album would still receive 3/5 I am not going to pretend like this is kind of music is in my usual wheelhouse and that I will give this whole thing a spin regularly but I enjoyed the highlights on here far more than I expected and the album in general was novel and entertaining. There is a good variety of musical style here and the songs are arranged in a way that doesn't leave it back/frontloaded. On a second listen, the variety of style and the quality of the production here is too good to give this a middling 3/5. Also I respect any artist with a massive chunk of their Wikipedia page dedicated to their political/social shitflinging. Highlights: Jimmy, The Run, XR2, Paper Planes
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.
super annoying and spontaneously turning one of the songs to a Where Is My Mind cover seals the deal
Decent background music. Solid 3/5.
Don’t mind it!
I didn’t know you could legally package 11 filler tracks around a decent song and call it an album.
The production and beats are pretty solid, though at times get repetitive. Paper Planes is a classic. She's a decent rapper.
This is some of the worst music I've ever heard. Can't even be saved by the excellent alliwannadoisbangbangbangbangkcccchingandtakeyourmoney
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.
as with most dance/pop albums, the songs are just a redundant mess.
I kinda liked this. I guess.
The BEST
Very fun and quite dark.
It’s more like she talked through these songs than sang or rapped. It’s as if she is forced to put down tracks because she sounds so disinterested. No emotion. Not my jam.
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.
So many different styles, so much musical shoplifting. She's a one, isn't she? I love the DIY approach M.I.A. takes to making music: Fuck it. I'll do my own thing and see what comes out at the other end. I always feel energised after listening to her.
M.I.A. sounds so bored when she sings. The strength on this is boyse and paper planes but for the rest it's a bit grating
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.
I hate this so much.
Don't like the vocal style much. Or any of it really.
I like the ethnic sounds and energy but after a while this all got a bit tedious. I want to give it 2.5, but even with a mighty fine Clash sample underpinning 'Paper Planes' I'll have to round it down.
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.
THE MOTHER OF MOTHERS
I got 2.5 songs in and I just couldn’t do it. This album isn’t for me. Maybe it has some cultural significance or something because I just doesn’t feel like it should be on this list.
While M.I.A.’s Kala isn’t her most impressive work, it has a vibrant energy and sonic boldness that keeps me hooked. With its innovative beats and provocative lyrics, the album creates a unique sensorial experience that, even among her more acclaimed work, maintains a captivating appeal. The collaborations and blending of cultural influences offer a fascinating perspective, showcasing M.I.A.’s artistic versatility and ensuring that, with each listen, new elements emerge and connect with the listener in unexpected ways.
Kala – M.I.A. – 1/5 Not really my type—too much drumming, odd rhythms, and layered vocals that didn’t sit well with me. The only song I liked and knew was Paper Planes, which is very famous, but the rest of the album wasn’t an enjoyable listen for me.
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
Paper Planes natürlich Klassiker, ansonsten fand ich es etwas experimentell anstrengend.
Not my thing
It has like one, maybe two-three good songs going for it and that's about it. Maybe I'm stupid but I really can't see how her mother ties into this album.
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?
Mycket bra! Den här skivan klickade för mig. Gillar soundet och rytmen. Satt å digga med rejält från första lyssningen. Sen är ju paper plane aningen uttjatad, men en riktig hit. Kul att höra resten. Gillar särskilt mango down the river, en gäng kids från Australien som MIA remixat. Simpel men ändå najs. Men tycker nog inte nån låt är dålig. Når inte hela vägen (paper planes är utan tvekan en femma dock).
Nej, det här är inte min grej. Tycker de timbalandiga beatsen generellt är helt värdelösa och gillar inte hennes rap eller vad det nu är särskilt mycket heller. Hade det inte varit för Paper planes som är bra samt Come around och Jimmy som är acceptabla så hade det blivit en etta.
I have known about this album for a long time, but I am kind of blown away by how forward thinking this is. So many elements that are in this became a part of popular music years later.
Pretty interesting album, just got locked in to the dense hypnotic layers. I’ll return to this one. Rating: 8
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.
Kala has decade defining songs like Paper Planes and Come Around, but isn't cohesive as a full project. I still enjoyed the album, but it misses out on a 5/5. Best Songs: Jimmy, Paper Planes, Come Around Worst Songs: Hussel
This was a pile of self indulgent shite. Paper Planes was the best of a bad bunch.
meh
Back when I was a harsh hipster, I skipped out on this album because i felt it cheapened the Clash. Oh how dumb and how much I missed out by thinking that way. What an album of South Asian, English and American influences all coming together.
Lots of fun, lively tracks. Very unique.
paper planes is one of the best songs of that decade. shame M.I.A went insane.
1.0 - Awful
'I'm a world runner.' She means it: 'When you go Rwanda, Congo / Take me on a genocide tour / Take me on a truck to Darfur / Take me where you would go.' I can't think of a better album about moola. Foregrounding war-sponsored capitalism, Maya triumphs as few rappers do: not only is she smarter than most, she avers proudly that she doesn't read, that she just guesses ('The Turn'). Those 'guesses' figure into precise and luminous choruses that catapult M.I.A. from a 'conscious rapper' to our conscious feeler - our very own funky, can-do-no-wrong t'cha: 'I put people on the map that never seen a map.' Inimitable; unstoppable. What she doesn't do is preachify; what she does do is dig and inform. And make bangers.
3.5
One good song, a couple of decent fillers, that's it.
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.
I didn't like anything about this album. The songs weren't catchy, beats weren't original and listening to the entire album was a chore.
I’ve tried listening to this album a few times before and I really just can’t get into it. I think it’s pretentious bullshit and no matter how hard I try I just can’t get into it.
A fun record to dance to
3 songs were good. The rest were trash. No bueno
Not my cup of tea, but “Paper Planes” rules. Pleasantly surprised by “Jimmy” and “20 Dollar”
No
She is one of the best female rappers of all time. Completely original and changed the genere amd influenced so many pop rap artists today that its insane.
Just not my kind of music. didn’t enjoy. Giving it a 2 just because paper planes is goated
zwei bis drei
One song of note, and only because it blew up, not even sure why.
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
It's the same I said about Arular. Interesting mix of genres, her lyrics are rare and unique, but too many repetitions. It's a tad better than it's predecessor.
Interested
Liked it!
Loved the inclusion of the Wilcannia Mob, look em up!
A generous 2 stars because “Paper Planes” is so damn good. Was surprised by how borderline insufferable I found the rest. 2/5
it was not terrible. it was not great. Not going to listen to it again
Brilliant
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.
Ehhh, not for me. Love "Paper Planes" though, that bangs like a hairstyle also known as a fringe
Pretty good, might revisit later.
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
2/3 of this album is unlistenable but paper planes is still a great song. I also liked the last song (redemption for Timbaland)
3.3 Couple absolute burners on the album. Still very original and unique but not everything hits the mark
All I wanna do is (Gunshot) (Gunshot) (Gunshot) (Gunshot) (Cash register sound) Kiss Luigi
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.
even the one track that I had heard previously and quite liked could not save this from a low rating
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.
Mid w chuj, M.I.A. na mojej playliście, bo nigdy nie wrócę, huhuh.
So far, almost halfway through, this is the most exciting hip hop I’ve heard on this list that’s unfamiliar to me - in 2007 I was too busy discovering Adorno’s “Minima Moralia”, Berlin, D.I.Y. noise and the luxuries of amorous turmoil to notice how great “Paper Planes” is, which is funny as I can pick up some of all of that on “Kala”, a record that’s inconsistent in the trad romance sense, determinedly capricious in what it loots - references to “Roadrunner”, “Blue Monday” and the Pixies feel like theft rather than worthy homage - and manifestos that M.I.A. tears up even as she spiels them, sex, war and capitalism snapping at the ears throughout, the rhythm patterns mock-militaristic, and the rare perfect measure of mockery in her delivery. “Art school”, I hear some muttered: I agree, but in the best, post-punk connotation. This hits what riot grrrl was reaching for, and I finally have a name to associate with a shift I perceived when South Asian sounds that mainstream media had treated at best as canned exotica, at worst as comedic prompts, started to be expressed loudly and fiercely as their own thing on radio and screen. New to this near twenty years later, I’m struck by how modern it sounds.
Entertaining modern take on the ol' Adam Ant style - incessant and insistent rhythms banging the song into your skull without relying on a tune for its delivery. The best bits all have co-authors credited with their origins. My kids quite like this; not sure I'd listen again but you can't have everything.
Kala was cool when it was released, and it is still cool now.
I literally listened to this like a month ago now, I've been putting off rating it. I listened to it twice. I sat on it. I really truly wanted to like this. Like I tried really hard. I read all about M.I.A. and her family moving to London as Sri Lankan refugees and how the album tackles the subject. I promise I tried. Still nothing for me though. Two stars for the social commentary and "Paper Planes" (which is iconic). The music is just not for me though. Apparently she was dating Diplo when "Paper Planes" blew up, it's pretty easy to imagine her never really breaking through. She was also married to and has a child with a Lehman Brothers heir that she met in Bed-Stuy. Also like M.I.A. probably has had a tough life and all, but she seems to have completely gone off the deep end in recent years. Like batshit crazy. Anyway, moving on. Favorite song: Paper Planes Other: Boyz, Jimmy, 20 Dollar, Come Around 1/25/25
Not so good
Album art: 1
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
Paper planes can’t save this from 1 star. Every other is a skip.
If you play this on aux im getting violent
Whew. What a slog to get through. We start with the one-two helicopter crash that is Bamboo Banga / BirdFlu, a pair of songs so self-assured that they surely don't need any kind of melody, good vocal delivery, or convincing instrumentation – at least, according to M.I.A. In fact, these factors end up being the songs' downfall, because when so much is stripped away, you're left with complex artificial percussion backing an unrefined, childlike vocal and to bland, clichéd lyrics. It turns out M.I.A.'s voice is actually pretty good (see later tracks), but in this first run of songs, she sings/raps in a near monotone which still manages to be harmonically disjoint from the chord progressions. It sounds... well, bad. M.I.A. also chooses to double-track her vocals on most songs, which is by no means a bad choice – countless 60s bands pulled this technique off well – but her clumsy, inconsistent delivery makes the singing sound messy and unprofessional at times. The song Boyz begins to show promise with the Olympic-sounding brass part, but again M.I.A. self-sabotages with the (essentially) one-note melody. Jimmy and Hussel are the first two good tracks. They showcase some fun synth parts and the first appearance of solid singing and melodic work. The only other tracks I'd be willing to listen to again are the mega-hit Paper Planes and the album closer Come Around, both of which have memorable, catchy hooks. The remainder of the album is mostly complete throwaways. The kids of Wilcannia Mob who feature in Mango Pickle Down River just don't sound very good – though props to the low beatboxing that substitutes for a bass synth. Pretty cool. XR2, World Town, and 20 Dollar are three extremely anonymous electronic club-rave songs that don't really get off the ground at all. I'd be interested to hear M.I.A. singing with any kind of effort or passion. It would completely change my view of her music. 1/5 Key tracks: Jimmy, Hussel, Paper Planes
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!
Great. Eclectic album that I enjoyed both the single Paper Planes.
Strong club banger start with Bamboo Banga. The first three songs are so strong! damn all of these songs are strong. The offkilter samples set up familiar grooves and gives the record this interesting sonic patina. Paper Planes certified banger. Its a shame the rest of this album got overshadowed by that one single, its awesome!
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.
It’s nothing really special and nothing I personally would revisit in full other than one song (Jimmy). It was also quite repetitive which was sad, sorry
First track annoyed the shit out of me. Second track sounds like Nelly Futado having a fight with Mini Mouse. Third track…fuck this I’m gonna have to skip through this, it’s hideous FFS! No it’s not getting any better, Japanese Boney M ?! OK Paper Planes is just about bearable but only for The Clash sample. This is the worst so far by far, horrendous!
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.
Very good. Inventive with the creative choice of samples. Fun album.
This album is only added because of Airplanes. 2/5
Happy to drive the mean streets with this on the go.
Kreatywne, dobre bity, azjatyckie naleciałości, odważne teksty, plus jeden wielki hit, który kiedyś śpiewałam w kółko. Dla jednych repetytywne, dla mnie bardzo w zgodzie ze sobą i estetyką tamtych czasów. Mocne 8.5/10 równane w dół
Look, I love weird music and I love noise so I appreciate those aspects, but these songs are just annoying. The only song that wasn't annoying was Paper Planes and that's because Straight To Hell (the sample) is my favorite Clash song. I feel bad giving this one a 1 because it's very unique, but on a scale of every album on this list, this is one of my least favorites so far. I see why people would like this, but it is not for me. I had to skip a few songs, because they were giving me a headache. High 1.
Wild!
sonically rich and dense, but it’s also repetitive as hell. paper planes is great tho
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.
Not my jam
Really cool album. Standout songs: Husel World Town Paper Planes
Paper Planes!
I was excited to hear this because I absolutely love Paper Planes. But the rest of the album was kind of a disappointment. Wasn't terrible, but a lot of it was pretty noisy and repetitive. Jimmy was nice, reminded me of an Indian song. Mango Pickle Down River was fun with all the kids singing. And of course, Paper Planes is still a banger. But the rest of the album is just eh. Best song: Paper Planes
A very fun listen. I think it’s way ahead of its time and im glad she got as popular as she did
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
Honestly not a great album
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.
11 shitty repetitive pop songs and “Paper Planes” which is actually a pretty good song.
Definitely not my thing.
fhfhbbb
excellent music
They could never make me hate you, M.I.A.
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.
This was hard to listen to. Last 2 songs really carry the entire album but you have to get through tons of random sounds and random words to get to it.
Listening to these lyrics and remembering that she married a millionaire and her values seemed to change overnight! MIA is a little shit head and this album sucks.
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.
This album feels like it was made for me. I think M.I.A is the coolest. Like she's Tamil, im Tamil and idk much about her but I think she's prolly my fav famous brown person. And this album is named after her mom Kala which is literally my grandmother's name. My mom and MIA are like the same age so I imagine our Kalas are the same age too so basically this album is about my grandma. Also my mom's favorite dog growing up was called Jimmy. The sound of the album is just super homey to me
3/10 - Those of you in music league know my dislike for paper planes so I am not expecting much from this album. Well it was about what I expected. There were a lot of interesting sounds used in this album but I did not enjoy it very much. Jimmy was a decent song.
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.
First song was horrible. I tried to stay open minded but the second song is horrible and annoying too. By this point my ears are suffering. 20 Dollar is a cheap knockoff of The Pixie's Where is My Mind. Really wish this list would give me that album instead. Paper Plans is a song I knew already and is okay I guess. But by now I'm questioning the integrity of these songs and lo and behold, it's a ripoff of The Clash's Straight To Hell. The only possibly good thing about this album is not original.
Sound like a world cup songs tf
Wie auf dem Bauernhof: Eine Ladung Mist nach der anderen! Gackern, Kreischen und Jammern hat mit Gesang nichts zu tun. Dazu klopft jemand mit einer Stange auf einem Fass herum. Unhörbar!
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.
Ok kinda repetitive
I skipped every track!
A really interesting sound, and never boring.
If Arular was a raw spark, Kala is the wildfire. Released just two years after her debut, M.I.A.'s second album doesn’t just expand her sound—it explodes it. Where Arular felt like a snapshot of London’s underground, Kala ventures far beyond, weaving global rhythms, bold beats, and unapologetically brash energy into a sprawling, chaotic experience. It’s the sound of an artist hitting her stride, pushing boundaries even as her strengths and flaws grow more pronounced. Recorded across continents—India, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Australia—Kala digs deep into street music and traditional sounds, making its cultural influences feel genuine and embedded rather than borrowed. This globetrotting approach injects the album with a sense of restless energy and ambition. The production is Kala’s crown jewel. While Arular thrived on sparse, jarring beats, Kala embraced maximalism, layering Bollywood strings, African percussion, and dancehall grooves, often within the same song. Tracks like “Boyz” and “Bird Flu” are percussive earthquakes, while “Jimmy” struts with Bollywood disco flair. “Paper Planes,” the album’s sardonic centrepiece, combines gunshot and cash register samples to create a cultural juggernaut that’s instantly recognizable. Meanwhile, “20 Dollar,” with its Pixies sample, bridges worlds, teasing familiarity while remaining undeniably M.I.A. Each track pushes boundaries, even when the experiments occasionally overwhelm. What hasn’t changed is M.I.A.’s penchant for provocative, surface-level politics. If Arular felt like “a teenager cosplaying Noam Chomsky,” Kala is the diary entry after a round-the-world trip—broader in scope but still light on substance. Tracks like “Hussel” and “World Town” touch on immigration, capitalism, and survival, but rarely dive deep enough to fully realize their potential. Even “Paper Planes,” focussed on its critique of immigrant stereotypes, feels more impactful for its delivery than its depth. M.I.A. gestures toward global issues, but her voice—playful, defiant, hypnotic—often carries more weight than the words themselves. Despite these flaws, Kala endures because of its audacity. M.I.A.’s vision is fearless, her sound unpredictable, and her energy undeniable. This album is a global manifesto, pulsing with life and defiance. ⚬ Did/Do I own this release? It lives on an old iPod in my drawer. ⚬ Does this release belong on the list? Yes. This album was impossible to avoid for years, and even established artists tried to ape its sound. ⚬ Would this release make my personal list? You know what, yes. ⚬ Will I be listening to it again? In the right mood, this is an undeniable banger.
Really, truly bad. The one hit song is nostalgic for me but the rest is quite dull and laborious to get through
This album reminds me of a very specific time in my life. I'd just moved to Korea as a student and had somehow ended up DJing in a bar semi-regularly. I'd managed to get hold of an early release of this album and Paper Planes, so it got a lot of play at that time. I remember the excitement of that time in my life and how much everyone vibed on that song in particular. It was cool, the album is cool.
timbaland drops an all-time worst guest verse on the last song
Annoying noise. Not for me.
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.
I liked this - electic mix of rap, with international tones - Indian, African, British - cool album
Poppy Indian - British hip-hop
Cool
Started off terrible and thought it was heading for a one start rating but got a bit better mid way through. A couple of passable tracks
I knew I really liked the singles, but I had forgotten how good the album as a whole is.
Hard one to judge on a single listen. I have a good feeling that it's going to get more listens from me though. Fairly unique sounds, reminds me of early albums from The Streets
Not my vibe
Favourite tracks: paper planes
**Not a bad album, but not good either. Many tracks with just sounds/noises.
Paper Planes is good. The rest.. not so much. Can't stand it.
Why do I know this album? Oh ya Paper Planes the rest is forgettable.
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
I thought this was interesting and well made but boy am I not the target audience for it. Stand-out: Jimmy
One song cannot save an album. But can make it a 2. Shout out to Mark Canha’s walk up song.
Kinda dig it. Not usually my bag, but this kinda did it for me.
Credit for originality - she is her own genre.
Definitely very experimental and abrasive and subjectively I think her début was better. However, I enjoyed a good few of the songs. ‘Paper Planes’ is by far the highlight.
Mais isso atingiu altas doses de chatura.
Terrible. Just noise for most of it. I feel justified being like the only person I knew who didn't like Paper Planes back in the day.
cool but a bit forgettable
Frenetic and unique production. Not something I’d sink into often but there’s some interesting textures going on. The songs that give me a more south Asian inspired vibe I like a lot (Jimmy). Lyrical content is on the whole pretty stupid and I would say is one of the weaker parts of the album - Missy or Nicki she is not.
A lot of this album sounds like it was made by a child. Occasionally some cool use of samples. '20 Dollar' was catchy. 'Paper Planes' was catchy. I hope I gave it a fair shot; I’m not sure I did. But even the catchy songs are self-important, image-obsessed, and arduously humorlessly political. This album came out a year after Kevin Federline’s similarly funk carioca influenced ‘PopoZão’.
I usually like music like this, but I found I preferred the samples to the interpolations. Verses felt a little too long. Paper Planes was the only one I really wanted to hit "repeat" on. 2.5 stars?
There's some songs that are interesting or vibey, but most of the songs are a miss for me. I'm holding out final judgement for the album after Paper Planes, but my opinion is low before we even get there. Okay, yeah. Paper Planes is still as good as it was when it came out. The rest of the album, though, ranges from bad to meh. The album never really feels cohesive, some of the instrumentation and style choices were interesting, but that was kind of it. Favorite Song(s): Paper Planes