Reviews (page 6 of 8)
This album has such insane amounts of energy, but I can't get into it. I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm just getting old.
The first half of this album sounds like M.I.A. was handed a soundboard and she just mashed buttons randomly and decided all that noise is songs now. The second half is more cohesive with less random soundbites, but that doesn't save the album for me. I do like the social commentary on this, but that's not enough to make it good. The only song that I surprisingly liked is "20 Dollar" because it sounded completely different from the rest of the album. It was actually quite a banger, though M.I.A.'s shaky delivery at times did make me wince a bit. "Paper Planes," of course, is the only song I knew from her before diving into this album. And it slaps. And it also sounds like it doesn't belong on this album.
Album starts like an assault on the ears, the first track I kinda liked was Jimmy, but even that verges on the edge of annoying. I'll give this a 2 instead of a 1 just for Paper Planes which is a tune. Hopefully she started to explore more palatable music like this in her later albums, but sadly I found most of this album to be annoying!
Absolutely terrible. Paper Planes is fine, the rest is just shit. Some decent beats every so often but they're ruined by everything else.
I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is a sort or dance/hip hop album. It has some Eastern influences as well. It was difficult to get through as I really did not enjoy it. I will not come back to this one.
4/10
I remember when I loved this album.
No standouts
world a nininini
Has so much potential but just doesnt make it
too advanced for me
4/10 but I knew paper planes. World town seemed fun
2.5
I now understand why I've only ever listened to the one song
The beats are made of the most annoying sounds. Still engaging as an album, though. I see why Paper Planes is the only hit I knew. Much superior to the rest
this makes me feel like I'm the getaway driver for a white collar crime??? (derogatory)
Normalize dropping singles <3
Its varied and interesting at points but absolutely not to my taste. Paper planes was quite decent.
I thought the production of this album was good. However, I'm not a big fan of this genre. But for those who enjoy this music, this is something they would enjoy.
Really only one song on this album that moves the needle.
Nærmest ulidelig. 20 Dollar er kanskje den dårligste coveren jeg har hørt. Noen låtproduksjoner redder den fra bunnkarakter.
Mirah Craig på en dårlig dag. Paper planes e jo little fet da, så e skikkelig grei her.
Beste M.I.A-plata æ har hørt.
Det er som om hun går inn for å være irriterende. Stjeler tekster umotivert herfra og derfra, og gjør alt verre. Men Paper Planes er en liten nugget.
1 goed nummertje maar
Better than the previous MIA album, but still nothing special.
Some songs are great. She sucks now
Is this Minecraft? Sehr viele Soundeffekte, sehr repetetiv, wenig melodisch. Monotoner Gesang.
Well, I know Paper Planes. In general, I don't like this. Just really not my type
I started out with 1 liked song on this album, the radio hit "Paper Planes", but I don't think I've ever listened to this one front to back. As I kept listening, I had this thought over and over again - I would like to just listen to this music, but not the vocals or lyrics - the music has a cool / fun energy. I do find the heavy British accent kind of annoying, and sometimes the lyrics seem like nonsense - but sometimes I can get what she is saying and dig it. It started growing on me more by the 3rd listen through. I was surprised to hear the lyrics from the Pixies "Where is My Mind?" (which I like) in the song "20 Dollar". Also, thought it was cool that LCD Soundsystem (who I like) had her as the opening act on one of their tours. I ended up clicking "like" on "Hussel", "20 Dollar", "The Turn" and "Come Around" - which means I wouldn't mind them coming up on my playlists. I'm curious to see if these will grow on me even more over time. Liked songs on Spotify: 5/12 Rating: 2/5
Its hard not to be contrarian about MIA, but I can also say this specific album isn't it for me. Paper Airplanes does continue to be a banger though.
It’s cool but just cool
Not entirely terrible. Wouldn't bother with it again, but "Paper Planes" shows real musical ability. It's two and a half stars instead of two, cos of that track.
I think there is a reason why Paper Planes is the only popular song on this album and the only song I actually enjoyed listening to.
Didn't help my mood or my headache. ⭐⭐
The vocals make my eye twitch. I just can't with this.
Underwhelming knowing beforehand that "Paper Planes" was on here.
Weird
Has paper planes and that’s about it for me
i like paper planes, it’s a banger, i just feel like the rest of this album was goofy, i just didn’t like it much, didn’t like the production very much or the vocals or lyrics, and i just didn’t like the pixies cover thing, not big on it all
I liked Boyz, Paper Planes, Come Around. But on the whole didn't like it as much as I thought. A 2.7
Remember iTunes? This would have been exhibit A of nobody buying the album and spending $0.99 for Paper Planes. Nobody bought this album. And the 18 people that did, they just skipped down to Paper Planes and played it on repeat. Given all that, it’s pretty good. Probably couldn’t make it through twice.
Not great, wouldn’t thank you to listen to it again.
Not my thing but I can see the merit. Some good party tunes.
paper planes is so good. the rest of the album; interesting, global, impactful… but just not for me
J'hésite entre bof et pas trop mal. 2,5/5
The beats on this album are very pedestrian. Like someone's first time making beats using the preset horns on whatever mixing software and spamming the shit out of them. Paper Planes is a top 100 song. Insane that it is on this album with all of these other songs.
Kind of wanted to make me stick my head in the microwave with all of the random noises and bad rapping. Paper Planes was the song of my highschool senior year though so can't hide from that being a jam. Completely saved this album from a 1
1.7 You know when you were younger, right before you started downloading music, and you absolutely loved a song by someone and buy the album it's on, expecting it to be more of the same, only to be thoroughly let down by the absolute pile of dross that sits on there apart from your one song? Bonus points when it comes right near the end so you've already had 45 minutes to sit there in despair thinking about what else you could have spent the £13 on. Just think of the many thousands of people that went through this with Kala. It makes me sad.
Meh. By the third track I was tired
Wasn’t a fan. Paper Planes is really the only song going for it. But I also liked Boyz with Jay-Z
I'm surprised at how much love this album gets. This not an album I enjoyed. I debated if this was a 1 star album out of 5 I disliked it so much. "Paper Planes" is the big popular track and it doesn't come until the end of the album. By that point I was already annoyed and disinterested. Again, I'm surprised at the amount of praise this album gets. I think it's a group think experiment. An influentual reviewer likes it so other's follow that with praise as well because it must be great if that guy liked it. And then it snowballs into wide praise and a critics choice.
achei mei ruim
Not for me
Interesting beats. Enjoyed the listen for the variety this 1,001 project brings but would not listen again.
Frantic beats and shrill vocals make this too long in an format
2.5/5 not my taste but well mixed
Mixed feelings. On one hand, the sound of this album is multilayered and very interesting. On the other, I hated listening to it.
I am not a fan of hiphop but this was an ok experience.
Jeez, irritating and boring for me. I gave her other album 2 stars too, not sure why there are two albums here. Even the fact that I have heard Paper Planes before did not help.
soo anstrengend I'm sorryyy
Oh good gosh. What an almost entirely unmitigated pile of crap this record is. I say "almost", because Paper Planes is solid work, and probably gives this record a full point better than the rest of it deserves. But I'm not sure that I was able to get through a whole track other than that one. The thing that kills me is that there are these little hints that it could be an enjoyable record if she'd just rein it in with the over reliance on random sound effects and repetition. On the somewhat rare occasion when she employs some musicality, I can see the appeal. But so much of this record feels like someone programmed a bunch of sound effects to an old Casio keyboard and then recorded their toddler banging away on it while MIA very britishly shouts into the mic. It's almost entirely unlistenable. 2/5
Bird Flu reminded me that I'm pretty sure my sister was the only person in the country to get Bird flu Boyz sounded like the song that plays at the end of The Phantom Menace when the Gungans beat the Trade Confederation. Paper Planes is a great song but so jarringly different from the rest of the album
I would give it a 5⭐️ 15 years ago but not today.
Ok
The Single Paper Planes is the standout track of this album The rest is cool, but no more ear-worms in this collection
I just don’t get it. Some songs had a nice groove but the rhyming style and lyrics just didn’t work. Cecily Strong / Gemma skits nailed the style I am referring to perfectly. Paper Planes is only bright spot. 2/5
Seems like a relic now but was so hot back then. Album did not stand the test of time.
Сложно оценить. Однозначно этой записи не будет в числе моих любимых. Да и танцевальная музыка не для прослушивания, а собственно для танцев. В общем, для очень редкого разнообразия подойдёт. 4 из 10.
We all know "Paper Planes", and I thought I liked that song. But this album gets progressively more annoying the longer you listen to it.
Some decent moments but mostly unenjoyable
Paper Planes still sounds great but the rest of the album didn’t land the way I remembered. Maybe it just sounded better when I was 19 and drinking carry outs under random bridges. ★★½
Production is great but M.I.A. is a bollix
The worst kind of weird, but not quite
Paper Planes is the big hit here. The rest is very creative and unique and I like it for that, I probably won't really listen to the other songs though.
Отстойный реп с интересной музыкой. Было бы гораздо лучше, если бы они не использовали вокал
Gave this a few spins but didn’t really grab me. Some of the songs felt quite empty and repetitive. Did enjoy 20 Dollar but that might be because it lifts the lyrics at the end from Pixies. Remember her being pretty popular when this first came out, but can’t see myself returning to this one.
Paper planes
We've once again arrived at an album by another English artist I only know one song by, which happens to be on said album. Magnificent. I was 10 years old when Paper Planes came out. Though I hadn’t really started listening to music recreationally at that point, it was honestly never one of my favorite hit songs. It’s memorable and has a fun gimmick (in that half the chorus is just sound effects), but it’s not something I’ve ever intentionally put on during my leisure time until today. Part of me has a lot of respect for Kala – some really left field decisions went into its production and I can’t think of many enduring pop albums from this era that took those kinds of risks. However, another part of me finds many of the resulting tracks somewhere between mildly annoying and near unlistenable (which doesn’t bode well for its rating, regardless of anything positive I can say about it). The highest praise I can give M.I.A. here is that I feel like she walked so Charli XCX, SOPHIE and 100 gecs (artists who released some of my favorite albums of the last decade) could run. Kala may sound a bit primitive by comparison, but it was ahead of the curve back in ‘07 and it’s got a couple fun tunes here & there. Highlights: Hussel, XR2, Paper Planes
A mi ya de por si me cuesta escuchar musica distinta, pero ni las canciones mas famosas me gustaron 😭 asocio Paper Planes con trends de tiktok y el resto es como que me shockearon no se como explicarlo, capaz es un album para escuchar un par de veces ya habiendote acostumbrado al sonido. Tengo entendido que ella es de Sri Lanka y que eso influye en el estilo, no me enganchan facil cosas que son tan exóticas para mi lol Ademas suelo chusmear el album en aoty mientras escucho y me desmotiva un montón cuando veo que la cancion mejor rateada es de las primeras y encima ni me gustó, deberia dejar de hacer eso porque después estoy un poco pesimista
Not for me
Half is unlistenable, but enjoyed some of the experimental elements. Paper planes wasn’t enough.
Reviewing tge genre more than the album - I will say this is more musical than most, but never my choice.
So many noises. The fact that there are two M.I.A. albums is insane.
I liked her debut more. I respect it for trying unique things but it sounded awful to me. I don't know how you can use Blue Monday and Where is my Mind in the same song and butcher it so bad. There was usually an element of a song that I liked or the song would get decent after 4 minutes of build up but even then it was never satisfying enough to warrant it. LCD Soundsystem can take 4+ minutes to get to where the song really kicks in, but his keep me interested along the build up instead of making me wince with how bad it sounds. Paper planes and one other save this from 1 star. Rating: 1.9
The sort of tunes that end up on a FIFA soundtrack. And there’s a reason we all turn them off after a week. One of the very few albums I’ve had to skip through tracks. Feel like 60 seconds of each track lets you hear everything you need to know
Meh. There are a few songs with good beats, but overall it comes across as a techno/hip-hop/world mash up that doesn’t seem like it can really decide what it wants to be. I certainly appreciate the African/world influence, but I just wish it was done better.
Paper Planes is the anomaly here
I like the Sri Lankan influence but not a fan of just the noises. Paper Planes is a banger and the only good song.
Glitchy and parts are fun - but ultimately not one I will revisit often
It's definitely creative. Some of it I actually liked, but most of it is just repetitive noise to me.
Oef, Mango Pickle Down River is gewoon echt een slecht nummer... Ik vond het vorige M.I.A. album best leuk en vermakelijk, maar deze is een stuk experimenteler waarbij het helaas vergeet dat muziek niet alleen experimenteel moet zijn, het is fijn als het ook goed is. Dit album is vooruitstrevend en nog steeds klinkt het niet als iets wat ik eerder heb gehoord. Maar haar debuut album gebruikt grotendeels dezelfde elementen maar is dan ook nog gewoon echt prettig om naar te luisteren. Dit is soms gewoon een soort futuristische brij aan muziek die vooral heel hard gaat. Bizar trouwens hoe Paper Planes echt com-pleet anders klinkt dan alle andere nummers op het album. Dit klinkt veel meer als haar eerste album en veel minder als haar futuristische gekke sound op dit album. Is dit een throwaway ofzo nog? Timba productie blijft echt top. Zou er een album van hem in de lijst staan? Dat nummer voelt namelijk als een meer focussed nummer dan de rest. Alles bij elkaar; ik ben geen fan. Ik snap wel een beetje wat het idee er achter is, maar het is mij iets te futuristisch en iets te veel gericht op iets nieuws doen. Beetje zoals sommige Björk albums. FAVO: Paper Planes, Come around
Has one massive hit, but the rest is annoyingly repetitive.
Yeah, no. As always, MIA's is more grating than enjoyable. I don't know what we're supposed to take away from sample on sample on sample. There's so much happening in every track that nothing really takes hold and sticks with the listener, even if there's a solid hook buried in the mix somewhere.
I’ve no inherent issue with repetition, but I do when the sounds and loops are this uninteresting.
I don't get it. Low 2. Shrug
An eclectic mix of styles: electro-pop, rap, bollywood, disco. I appreciate the effort but I can't stand the result. If martians find the list of 1001 albums after humanity has disappeared, and check this album out as one of the 'must listens' they will certainly scratch their little green heads and blink their transparent eyelids in disbelief.
Below mid for me
Hated the first song at first, then grew to enjoy it by the end of the track. I could see myself liking it more in the right environment. Lots of unique vibes, even the songs I wasn't a fan of (almost all of them) felt like they had something interesting going on behind them. Really loved the songs I did like, but won't be rushing to listen to the rest anytime soon.
Not as bad as I expected, but still not good at all. Most songs I could only listen to halfway through. Just annoying and I was not impressed with her lack of flow.
Listened Before? N It was fine. I really like Paper Planes - the rest was meh. Kind of a one hit wonder. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Paper Planes
Don’t believe the hype.
Most of it was annoying. 2 stars
no thanks. made it four songs in.
After listening to Kala, I completely understand why "Paper Planes" was the hit, but only knowing that song Being only familiar with "Paper Planes" caused me to have some misconceptions of what an M.I.A. album would sound like. It's a lot more percussive than I thought it would be, drawing from Indian musical tradition, as well as from other South Asian nations, while combining it with contemporary club sounds. In some cases, it works splendidly ("Bamboo Banga"), while others lack the same cohesion, or feel too repetitive ("BirdFlu"). In truth, the strength of "Paper Planes" causes the rest of the album to feel unfinished, or like a vehicle for the hit song, rather than a well-thought-out album of good songs. The whole thing feels half-baked.
It’s like the last 5 minutes of 28 Years Later was turned into a 45 minute album. It even has a Jimmy song.
Paper Planes is good. Not a huge fan of the vibe, but it was a solid listen. 5/10 overall. Paper planes saved the album.
I remember when “Paper Planes” came out - it felt like I was the only person who wasn’t a fan of it. Listening to it now, and the album in general, I’m still not a fan.
I applaud the experimentalism, but unlike others, I've never ever enjoyed "Paper Planes". It doesn't seem to have the vague quality of greatness that turns a song from okay into an earworm. I'm not convinced this is Hip Hop at all. It is British Bolly Pop, and there is nothing wrong with that, but let's be honest about it. I enjoy the world music influences, of which there is not enough on this list admittedly, but why go with the faux versions that M.I.A. offers up for sale? Why not include some of the best Bolly Pop, African Pop, and Australian Pop on list that is straight from the source. I also did not find her cover ("20 Dollars") of The Pixies "Where's My Mind all that enjoyable. Honestly, I will probably never seek this album ever again, but if someone forced me to pick one track, I guess it would be the disco glitter of "Jimmy", although I am not a fan of the lyrics, or maybe "Boyz".
Back when M.I.A's first album came out I thought it was absolutely fantastic. This one was a bit of a disappointment in comparison, too monotonous and paired down.
Who doesn't love Paper Planes?
I like her other albums better
Some songs are good, probably the Timberland ones. The vocals though, are very grating.
I’ll be honest, the only feeling this album arose in me was boredom. Paper Planes was ok, and maybe felt somewhat familiar, but otherwise I found myself waiting for this to end. To my little cauliflower ears, this was just uninteresting, which is probably one of the worst things music can be. I don’t even know what to talk about in this review.
bbbbbah
favs: - paper planes - come around
Yeah I couldn’t handle this. Some beats were really unique and really good but I just couldn’t do this style of rapping ir singing or whatever.
liked songs: BirdFlu I hate Paper Planes. Why would you want a song to sound like a shitty stock PowerPoint? There was some interesting instrumentation and rhythm, but overall this was not for me. 2
Will probably never listen to this again.
Harder music than the previous one I heard from her, and it's not my thing at all.
Not for me.
Not for me. Would give one star but Paper Planes brought it up one. 2/5
Innovative, but I also find most songs annoying. I think Paper Planes has potential, but I really hate the chorus. Jimmy would have been good too if it weren't for the vocals.
I bought this album back in the day because of "Paper Planes" (duh) and I didn't remember liking anything other than that track, which lands very late in the tracklist. Listening to it years and years later, I kind of feel the same way. The electronic songs are fine, but they get a bit tedious. And then track 10 is this random pop/hip-hop blended banger that feels a bit out of place but is also the most interesting song on the record by miles (or kilometers, I guess). Not my favorite album.
LOVE weird, genre bending absurd music. This was not that. This was bad. Did come in bias because Paper Planes is a terrible song. Okay 20 Dollar wasn’t the worst. If more of it was like that… maybe. Sorry okay the Timbaland feature saved it.
This is an album I'm supposed to love, but I don't. Sound design is fun and exciting but kind of forgettable at the same time. This album, style, genre, whatever you want to call it, simply doesn't resonate for me. An interesting listen but nothing I'll want to return to.
so so.
Not for me. Sounds like a low effort knock off of Santagold. A few neat production tricks but otherwise just annoying. Meaningless hip-hop lyrics over repetitive electronic beats
3/10
I..just found it flat? Tracks to Track: Paper Planes
I don’t get the hype, soz. Colourful and unique but also chaotic and noisy.
I don't know if I would listen to anything apart from paper planes again, but it is pretty groundbreaking and fresh. The political context actually a bit more interesting than the music
After the first M.I.A. album I was hoping she would remain missing in action but alas she reappeared like my heat rash this summer 🤦♂️
I love "Paper Planes" and a few other songs are very good but I don't think I'd go back to listen to the whole album very often.
One great single, mildly annoying
paper planes is so fucking good it's not funny. The rest of the album... idk maaaaaaaan. Production does the rest of the work
Moments but not so much
It was terrible.
liked the different sounds used - didn't care for repetitive background
Meh 2 stars
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
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
That was... not very good.
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.
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
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.
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.
Bof. Trop techno à mon goût. Journée tranquille, plage et piscine
Strange but fascinating. Paper Planes rocks
Very experimental
Kind of annoying with a bunch of repetitive songs that don't go anywhere.
the only reason this gets a 2 star and not a 1 star is bc of paper planes. fuck off M.I.A
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.
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
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
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
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.
Good reason shes know for paper planes and thats it. 2/5
as with most dance/pop albums, the songs are just a redundant mess.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
One good song, a couple of decent fillers, that's it.
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.
3 songs were good. The rest were trash. No bueno
No
Just not my kind of music. didn’t enjoy. Giving it a 2 just because paper planes is goated
zwei bis drei
A generous 2 stars because “Paper Planes” is so damn good. Was surprised by how borderline insufferable I found the rest. 2/5
Ehhh, not for me. Love "Paper Planes" though, that bangs like a hairstyle also known as a fringe
2/3 of this album is unlistenable but paper planes is still a great song. I also liked the last song (redemption for Timbaland)
even the one track that I had heard previously and quite liked could not save this from a low rating
Mid w chuj, M.I.A. na mojej playliście, bo nigdy nie wrócę, huhuh.
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 album is only added because of Airplanes. 2/5
sonically rich and dense, but it’s also repetitive as hell. paper planes is great tho
Not my jam
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
11 shitty repetitive pop songs and “Paper Planes” which is actually a pretty good song.
Definitely not my thing.
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.
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.
Ok kinda repetitive
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
Not my vibe
**Not a bad album, but not good either. Many tracks with just sounds/noises.
Why do I know this album? Oh ya Paper Planes the rest is forgettable.
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.
Credit for originality - she is her own genre.
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.
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
Not really my thing
There's a lot going on on this record. Maybe too much for just one listen, lots of world beats, rap and dance. So it will have to be based on first impressions, it wasn't dreadful, offensive or abrasive. Maybe if I have more time I'll give it another go just for curiosity's sake, as there was potential. So I'll give it 2 stars first starters.
I was familiar with this one at a high level. "Paper Planes" was and is still on regular rotation on the radio. I dig her voice and you can feel her attitude, strength and message in her delivery. I can't say I enjoyed the opening handful of tracks, "Bamboo Banga", "BirdFlu", "Boyz", the repetition & incessant percussion were grating. "Jimmy" offers a view of what she's capable of doing, mixing sounds from her homeland and making a catchy song. "Hussel" and "Mango..." are a mess and sound like they were created in a rush. I was excited to revisit this one after 10+ years but I didn't enjoy the vast majority of it. Her limited talent is evident and on full display. This doesn't deserve a Top 1001 spot at all, it's annoyingly repetitive, doesn't stand the test of time, has insignificant influence on music that followed it, has only one song that anyone knows and sounds like an indie release that got lucky in 2007. One star maybe!
Paper Planes is undoubtedly a banger. But there's also a lot of incoherent screeching here. I imagine it's "not for me" in any case, and I have no beef with it being on the list as I remember it being super popular and talked about, but won't be returning to it.
I dont even enjoy the good M.I.A. songs. I really struggled to find something good here but found next to nothing. World Town is a prime example, loud and annoying in all the wrong places and painfully monotone. However I'll give them this, its a pretty varied album in terms of sound, it just fell flat and annoying to me.
A bit messy, not really my thing tbh but can appreciate it, Paper Planes is obviously a massive tune and didn’t realise til a good while after that it sampled The Clash
So I recognized Paper Planes, but even the recollection of the song as a popular single wasn’t enough to connect with. A lot of the experimental soundscapes seemed like different instruments that couldn’t improve upon a boring composition. The lyrics were forgettable and the delivery wasn’t great. 2/5.
Paper Planes is an all time lighting in the bottle hit.
Big hit single when it came out, great for its time, but now sounds boring almost a decade later. Others do Asian influenced pop better (Talvin Singh, Asian Dub Foundation etc). This is mid.
I was shocked this was on the list. It's ok, I didn't mind it in the background, but wouldn't go back and listen more. There were some high spots - I liked the little kids rapping that was cool to see, and some of the themes were interesting just because they are so foreign to me here in the US.
Welcome back, Alex. We're in a tough stretch of albums right now, this one included. Some times I wish I knew the criteria to be on this list or is it just a random pull? Whatever. This album really didn't do much for me as the dance/electronica genre is mostly annoying to this listener. But man, I loved the song Paper Planes. Immediately added to my list of favorites songs from this site. Great tune. Jimmy and Come Around were decent enough, but the rest was, well, not very good. Going with a 2.5 for Paper Planes. Not rounding up. Looking for the next big "surprise" album. Hopefully something this week. 2.5
2.5 I’m writing this review with intense COVID brain, so apologies for any incoherency. Anyway, everyone knows Paper Planes is a certified classic, but I didn’t realize that M.I.A. had more to her credit than that. I guess this was a pretty critically acclaimed release though, with professional music critic/asshole Robert Christgau - a dude whose opinions seem to be on the Wikipedia page of quite possibly every album we’ve seen so far - even calling it the best album of the 21st century. Yeah, not hearing that. I’ll certainly give the album credit for its unique beats, a lot which seem to have taken influence from the local music of various Eastern countries (African and South Asian especially), but the end result for me basically teeters back and forth between “decent” and “the most annoying thing I’ve ever heard in my life”. There’s definitely a certain charm to the music, especially as things kick off with Bamboo Banga, but it’s run pretty thin by somewhere around the time M.I.A. starts asking where you were in ‘92 (I was -5). Her take on Pixies with 20 Dollar is somewhat novel and something I have to touch upon as a fan, but it’s totally easy to miss - I didn’t even pick up on it until three or four listens in. Fortunately, this thing is largely saved by Paper Planes. It’s an absolutely great pop track by all accounts, and while The Clash certainly deserve credit for it’s foundation, I can’t deny how great of a job M.I.A. did of building upon it (though Straight to Hell is also a certifiable banger). On paper, the gunshots and cash register sound effects feel like they should come off as corny, but the whole thing is so damn catchy that you can’t help but want to send your finger to the air in time with the bullets. Needless to say, far and away the highlight of the album, and its end placement almost feels genius in the sense that it gives you something to look forward to. With one great song, a handful of decent ones, and quite a few stinkers, I think I’m going to land in the middle with my album rating here. I don’t know if she ever went on to do much after this, but I do know she torpedoed her career a bit with anti-vax rhetoric and a Donald Trump endorsement, so I’m not overly eager to check it out.
not as bad as I expected. electronica + hip hop + Hiphopnica
Ningún interés. Mezcla de??
A little too experimental for my tastes, trying to sound unpleasant for a lot of it. Paper Planes is the only one that’s listenable, but it’s more suited for background on commercials or TikToks than actual listening
Album 1 Star Paper planes 1 Stars
This really was not for me
A lot of interesting sounds and samples but the songs take so much time to develop they end up being too long.
Hrm. OK, see, here's the thing: ARULAR was obnoxious. Incredibly so. That's what my review on this website of the album was about, and thinking back, it's really the only thing I can remember (besides "g'lang-a-lang-alang"). Despite that, however, I never found myself crossing over into annoyance at it. For sure, I got close a few times, but at the end of the day, I kind of just recognized that this was thing and I hadda accept it. KALA ended up being a different story. On the whole, I actually found it a whole lot less obnoxious than ARULAR. Although, as a result... I was kind of bored by the whole experience? Perhaps it's because M.I.A.'s whole "world music dance hall," "nasal monotone voice" thing isn't as shocking as it was the first time? Honestly, as much as I know I should, I can't muster up enough of a hoot to actually check. Hell, I don't even care enough to interrogate the thought I kept having throughout that it felt like big critics go gaga over this kind of music specifically because it's obnoxious on purpose (I **really** can't see what Robert Christgeau saw in this). Frankly, the only song I really paid any attention to was the big single, "Paper Planes", and that's just because, instrumentally, it remindedme of Post Malone's "Sunflower". And maybe I recognized a vocal performance from a mashup? But otherwise... Like, y'know, some part of me wants to be generous and give this thing the same 3 I gave ARULAR. M.I.A. doesn't **deserve** that kind of generosity, but that's besides the point. I could slap it with a "maybe it'd go off better in the club" and use that as the justification, 'cuz I really don't hear how it's any better or worse than ARULAR. But let's not underesimate how damn uninterested I was in this album. I hear this kind of beat work on the last album, I heard these nasally monotone vocals on the last album... For sure, there's something about this album that I'm missing. Something in its conception, or just some "media literacy" intepretation that'd make me like it a lot more. I just really don't care, though. Lemme jus' cross this shit off with a 2 and never hafta think about this damn anti-vaxxer ever again.
2.5/5⭐️ Paper Planes is a banger, Pixies cover is shit, rest is super mediocre/forgettable. And why are all these songs so long?
Can admire the ambition here, wide range of influences. Ultimately though I just didn't enjoy it.
We let her get away with too much because of an accent and good production.
- a star because she endorsed Trump
Paper planes is the only thing really worth it. Waste of time outside of that
I listened to this and forgot to rate. It’s cool to hear the fusion of hip hop and eastern sounds but overall not something I return to outside the 2-3 times of year I hear paper planes in public or on the radio. 2.5 rounded down because weirdo
Paper Planes was probably the only MIA song I knew before this album and though I enjoy that song and that vibe, the rest of the album just sounded like a lot of the same and just not as good.
Das Album versucht, eine einzigartige Mischung aus Techno, afrikanischen Klängen, ABBA-Beats und Hip-Hop zu präsentieren. Leider wirkt das Album insgesamt unrund und kann nicht wirklich überzeugen. Der einzige Lichtblick ist der Track “Jimmy”, der stark an ABBAs “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” erinnert und zumindest etwas Begeisterung weckt. Die restlichen Songs, wie “Mango Pickle Down River” und “World Town”, sind jedoch enttäuschend und erreichen nicht das gewünschte Niveau. Musikalisch bietet “Kala” eine interessante Vielfalt an Einflüssen, die jedoch oft nicht harmonisch zusammenfinden. Die Techno-Elemente wirken manchmal fehl am Platz, während die afrikanischen Rhythmen und Hip-Hop-Beats nicht immer gut integriert sind. Der Versuch, verschiedene Genres zu kombinieren, führt leider zu einem unausgewogenen Hörerlebnis.
nothing horribly wrong, i'm just not very interested in that kinda music...
Just interesting enough for 2 stars or D+.
Like the various world rhythms & some of the samples. But somebody sing something.
Not MIAs best album but its the one with Paper Planes…
Started off hating this. Then I quite liked the Mango Pickle Down River. Then I continued hating this. The didgeridoo saved this from being a 1.
Hey, this one has Paper Planes the song that's kinda good because it borrows from Straight To Hell. Otherwise this album is just as meh as the other M.I.A. album on this list. Please let there only be 2.
Extra star for how big of a hit Paper Planes was, but not a great record overall.
Was just okay. Some beats are pretty good, but there's nothing here I must listen to again. 2/5
I want to like this, as a more abrasive Gorillaz, and there's a lot to admire. But it's hard work. Her voice is not that expressive, in a presumably deliberately monotone, and her DIY beats and samples don't often result in memorable moments. Having said all that, I may be too old to get it.
Not for me
Never heard of this before at all. Very novel Pixies half cover on 20 Dollar kind of summed this all up really. It’s so abrasive challenging it kinda feels like a pixies/pj Harvey/albini vibe in the hip hop genre. There’s something about it I like but I’m not sure exactly what, however, there’s not one song that really nails it, or at least not on Day 1 listen. Suspect I may listen again, perhaps a grower, but not a high score for now.
deep bass beats and cool rhymes. Don't love her voice, but yes Paper Planes is dope (even tho the beat is ripped from The Clash)
Had some moments.. But just a few.
Strange and all over the place..
5/8/24. Familiar with M.I.A. and admittedly have never listened to this album, only the radio track Paper Planes. After an initial listen, it was just okay. Perhaps I should listen again in the future, but didn't vibe with it. Thought a lot of the songs were a bit boring.
Yet another album where the famous single is vastly different to the rest of the album. paper planes: 4/5, the rest: 2/4. Makes... 2.166666
mucha variedad de estilos, ritmos y sonidos. Me gustan la combinacion de muchos sonidos, pero no hay correlacion ni orden, no se lo que intenta trasmitir con ellos mucho pontecial pero la ejecucion es mala
I thought MIA was supposed to be good and interesting...
Look, I get it. It's a Sri Lankan fusion of rap and world music and that was new and unique, but man, this is pretty jarring. I feel like this album could be played by militaries to torture prisoners. It's just so noisy and busy in all the worst ways. For the sole reason that Paper Planes is a banger I'll give it a 3/10 (1.5/5)
This gets real annoying real fast. Only saved by Paper Planes.
2- Stars (4/15)
Perennial example of an album included because of one massive track. plenty of these from the 80s and 90s too - this is just unlistenable nonsense, but an extra star for that massive song
Not sure what the big deal is with this record apart from having Paper Planes on it. Interesting use of sound effects as beats, but that's nothing new. Maybe I'm biased against MIA since it's hard to separate the art from the artist for me here.
Not great but 1 good song
Not sure
not for me
Probably more deserving than many to be on this list because of the nature of the album and the artist but still not something that I would willingly put on again
This was hard for me to listen to, I made it through 3 songs .. 2 stars
It was difficult to get through it. Paper planes is the most recognizable song and carries the album. The others were ok. Not sure I want to listen to those other songs again.
It has its moments, mostly near the end of the album. But mostly it's an irritatingly repetitive listen.
there's some pretty good stuff in here, some interesting mash ups of different genres, but i find most of it too irritating to really appreciate.
Not my cup of tea.
paper planes and come around are the only songs that are tolerable everything else is just not for me 2.5 little tired of albums very obviously being chosen to get me to listen to a single song, don't think whoever chose this album knew a single song outside of paper planes on here
Sound of an era but kinda ass most of the time
It’s a BirdFlu.. It’s a Paper Plane… It’s Mango Banga!!! M.I.A. rapper for vildt. Hendes laidback flow og britisk-srilankanske accent er alt for lækkert. Desværre rapper hun for lidt på pladen. Hun har også nogle vilde samples og får inkorporeret flere asiatiske, og afrikanske rytmer i sine tracks. Men de bliver for ofte til mere gimmick og Dance-rytmer end fede samples og rap. Albummet efterlader mig med tanken om, at Hip-Hop genren har det meget svære end andre genrer med at lave hele albums. For ofte er der for meget fyld, for langt mellem de gode sange og på dette album stod det tydeligt frem hvor perfekt Paper Planes er. For resten var sgu for kedeligt i længden.
I appreciate the different styles and everything going on musically in this album, it’s just not really my personal taste.
Unlistenable
Not a big fan but some of the sounds were interesting.
Get vaccinated kids
I've always more-than-tolerated Paper Planes but I don't dig the shtick in the space of an entire album. This was unfortunately kind of tedious for me.
Experimental, but rarely in a good way. It has certain interesting moments, but not enough to make up for it being full of hiphop-clichés and annoying synths. Could have been a 3, if it hasn’t been for the obvious mismatch between the album and the to last hits that seems to have been put there to save a risky project
I want to like this- I don't.
I feel like my ears are being given a fast and furious movie soundtrack, but written by a specific person, instead of a group of artists. And instead of car sounds, it is random sounds and instruments. Creative but not for me. I also understand why Paper Planes was the 1 song to make it out of this album and I was not a fan of that song when it released either.
Wachten op airplanes die dan wel extra lekker luistert de rest is echt niet om aan te horen
It's just noise. Not good noise.
First couple of tracks were somewhat interesting. But then, no. Could not finish it.
2/5
Not my kind of music.
No.
Ik weet dat een zekere Xander77 hier keihard op ging, maar ik vind het gewoon ronduit irritant!
Thought I'd love it. I Love Paper Planes. I did not love it.
Paper planes is good. That’s all.
1.75 for paper planes. the rest is a dirty asshole filled with maggot rich hot garbage. also, paper planes isn't that great either. no offense.
Paper planes is a great song, the vast majority of the other songs are straight up booty cheeks. Offense taken.
Not very good. Obnoxious throwaway lyrics, beats sound like they were made with Fisher Price beat machine by a 12 year old girl.
bamboo banga was interesting birdflu had chicken noises in it... in general not my vibe, can't listen the whole thing again...
pass
Cool, interesting sounds just kinda dated
3 good songs rip
Hadn’t heard this one in years. A unique sounding record and some of its cool but I had a hard time listening to her singing/ rapping for an entire album.
I thought this was boring as hell. Paper planes is ok but the rest of this album didn’t do it for me. Honestly maybe deserves a 1 but after fat boy slim and the avalanches I guess my bar is low
An extra star for having vocals and Paper Planes is catchy. Otherwise I found all the songs annoying.
When I saw this album tagged as Hip-Hop and electronica, I was worried. I One comment in the Wikipedia article called it “both a party album and a progressive aural assault”. Yay? It seems more electronica/pop than hip hop, though. Each song is repetitive. Very, VERY repetitive. Musically and lyrically. Which makes some sense as dance music, but doesn’t keep my interest. The more hip-hoppy party’s still have that dance feel, and the lyrics aren’t angry and “explicit”…. Just repetitive and dumb. It seems to pick up and hint at several world musical styles, hints of Bollywood stylings, African rhythms, etc. This actually works pretty well, and provides interest where lyrics and soundscape don’t. Nothing I’ll want to hear again, but I can kinda get where it is coming from. I’ll go 2/5, but just barely.
Techno pop. Not my style. First song killed the album for me
Most songs: Mama Mia, this is as boring and it gets in love, Get out of here!. Few: fun weird rhythms like in The Turn ans singing as in the catchy Paper Planes. Overall: can't be bothered
Sometimes sounds like Die Antwoord, but worse. Sometimes sounds obnoxious, sometimes kind of cool, most of the time simply not my taste.
If you told me that the album that gave the world paper planes was one of the top 1001 albums that I needed to hear before I died. I would have told you that you were wrong. I would have been right.