Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Unique/fun. Super cool that Justine Frischmann helped with this. Sounds like an early charli xcx Rating: 3.9
the only m.i.a song you need to know is “paper planes”
Overall I liked this! It honestly went by pretty quickly and I didn't pay super close attention to each song since a lot of them sound very similar. I like that I don't really know what genre this record is. It sounds pretty unique and seems a bit experimental for the time. Overall it was a pretty solid listen but it's not something I'd go out of my way to listen to very often.
This album is wild. I want to say its genre-bending, but I don't really know what I would say its bending? I mean it's absolutely rap, dancehall and electro. I guess it doesn't really matter what the genres are. I just like how gonzo it is. Its all over the place. Some songs feel poppy and fun to vibe with, where other songs are really experimental and kind of hard to listen to. I think the outlandish nature of the whole record backed with the socio-political lyrics makes for a really cool record. It feels really punk rock, without really being a rock album. In a lot of ways it reminds of Minor Threat or Bad Brains in that its pretty heavy and kind of aggressive, but definitely political and pointed. But then unlike punk-hardcore bands, there's all of the electronic and dance elements to this record. Which then makes me feel like this could be bumping out of a East London club. This was rad.
I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. It was such a catchy album, never heard anything like it. I could rock out to this at the gym for sure.
This was so novel when it was released. Exciting, different, challenging and bold. The videos were intense and dazzling. These days, this feels almost quaint. Still lots of fun. Bold choices.
I absolutely loved this album when it was released in 2005. Before "paper planes", MIA was a tour guide to UK - Sri Lankan expat culture through electroclash beats and Karen-O type yelps. She's capable of more contemporary tracks ("Sunshowers") while adding her unique angular style. As an older man, I have a harder time listening to many of these metallic, grinding tracks. But this is a fascinating debut and worth listening to at least once.
Modern, rhythmic, produced
Not an album I ever would have picked up outside of it appearing here. I enjoyed it enough that I let it loop multiple times, back-to-back. Impressive that this was her debut album.
Sonically, this album is fine. Creative, politically interesting messaging (I'm sure, I don't often listen to the lyrics of music I'm hearing for the first time), ultimately this kind of electronic dance music is fine. My issue with it is that this type of music has become the music of tech company commercials trying to be cool. This is the exact music that plays in the background of a meta commercial where a BIPOC young woman bravely constructs a poster to take to her protest against plastic straws. The beginning of these songs makes me instinctively look for the skip ad button. It's hard for me to appreciate this music and its anthemic qualities when I associate it with the annoying commercials of Silicon Valley tech and their glamourized view of the inspired youth.
I only know M.I.A.’s singles like Paper Planes.
The best part about this album are the simple yet interesting beats. Then her rapping, then her accent and lastly the singing. The singing is bad. The rest of this kinda rules. I have to get back to the beats because they’re just so well done. There’s no falling asleep 4/4 here, yet the whole thing is done with what I can only guess is a single sample set with an fx pad. The jungle, reggae, garage, dance hall, and rap influences are all evident and not pandering. Some of the lyrics are pretty out there but there’s a running theme of resistance, the state of refugees, revolution, etc. If I didn’t know about her already I would’ve been really surprised. Not the kind of message you expect from this kind of album. I liked “Bucky Done Gun”, “Bingo”, “10 Dollar” the most but the whole thing is a good time.
I like MIA. Her music is weird and bouncy and full of energy. I don't remember any of these songs particularly affecting the music zeitgeist, that will change with the following album, Kala. The production here is incredible. We see producer and writing credits for Wesley Pentz and A. Brucker who in the following album will be billed properly, as Diplo and Switch AKA Major Lazer. This is one of the first albums I recall distinctly using electronic producers to create pop music that will come to the forefront in the 2010's with the likes of Daft Punk, Skrillex, and Diplo ruling the pop music world with the help of modern pop stars. If Paper Planes was on this album I'd give it a 5.
Justine Frischmann at it again, spawning new genres of music. This time it wasn't Damon, but just a nice move to teach a documentary maker to use the sequencer. MIA turned the corner with a great debut. I thought this was much better put together than Kala, and brought popularity to the minimal instrumentation and political blend of world and hip-hop 3.5/5
Shame her stance on vaccines made her unlistenable to me. This shit slaps.
Arular thrills. 🔥 I do not tire of M.I.A.
alhoewel rap niet mijn ding is, is dit toch niet slecht
I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. 3 stars is still plenty, though, as I can't see myself going back to listen to it.
Unlistenable garbage. I had to stop the belligerent assault of sonic crap on my ears halfway through, couldn't finish it. Everything about it is dissonant and unharmonious in the most obnoxious way. Hates it!
I really enjoy her originality and passion.
Catchy beats from a British hip hop artist AND the title helped her reconnect with her activist father? I’ll round up.
It was fine.
Already listened to it 4 times. Love it!
It's kind of all over the place, very chaotic. The production is pretty unique. I can't see myself listening to this ever again, so I guess I didn't really care for it.
Kind of bland and a bit annoying at times, but some of the later tracks were fun.
I will say this: the "skits" were really just short experiments of some sort. So they were something I am not just going to "skip" if I decide to come back to this. For the most part, I dug this. I thought M.I.A. did a good job producing beats throughout. I liked some of the ideas used for sampling, like in "U.R.A.Q.T." It was better than I was expecting, because I was expecting something along the lines of 40 minutes of "Paper Planes," and this definitely a lot more than that. Not sure if I would come back to it, but it is better than I expected. Top tracks: "U.R.A.Q.T.," "Galang," "10 Dollar," "Bingo"
Loved it. I only knew Paper Planes (from her next album) but she is way more. MIA is clever as hell and mixes those great lyrics with groovy beats. In her words, its hard to dance to political songs and she wanted to change that. Mission accomplished - to a tee. When Apple played its randomly selected similar songs after the album ended, I also came to realize how influential MIA (and Gwen Stefani) were on a bunch of female artists of the 2000's - think Fergie, Iggy Azalea. MIA is better because she doesn't seem to sink to pop lowest common denominators. It's lyrics first, beats to fit it. To me, she's just as good as Missy Elliott. Not the same, but damn good. And if this album wasn't as influential as Missy's Under Construction, it should be. Special shout out to the most wicked songs on this album - Pull Up the People, Bucky Done Gun, Sunshowers, Hombre, URAQT, and Galang.
Liked this more than I expected I would. Lots of good grooves and I like her singing/rapping style. Very creative and unique, with challenging lyrics. Favorite tracks: Bucky Done Gun, Fire Fire, Amazon, Bingo, 10 Dollar (difficult lyrics about prostitution though). Definitely interested in hearing more of her stuff.
Liked this way more this time around than when I first heard it. Unique sound - like metal and plastic hot glued together. Light 4.
Tried but I couldn't make it through this album. Way to monotonous and annoying
I found M.I.A annoying and overrated before I heard this album and my opinion remains unchanged. Wow this was unbearable. It begins with an annoying skit in the beginning before several terrible songs play in sequence. The only respite was "Bingo" and the novelty of "U.R.A.Q.T." utilizing a sample of the Sanford and Son theme song but I would never choose to lsiten to these songs again. This honestly felt a lot like noise and frankly made me anxious to listen to this. I'd imagine this is on here for its fusion of world music and hip-hop but I do not think either of these styles is particularly well executed.I wanted to compare this to Yoko Ono's music for some of its more avant garde characteristics, but that would be unfair to Yoko.
Pass
I don’t hate this, but I’m also not really enjoying it. I think it’s probably pretty good for what it is, if that makes sense. I don’t know, the rambling of it has made my head hurt 😂
Hardly any album exists that is as annoying and f****d up like Arular. A relentless waterfall of beats and words bang on your ears. Great music!
都一样的
This is not a genre I have any desire to listen to though I found the final track to be tolerable at least. Still 1 star or F for me.
Don’t mind the drum and bass and Kingstown beats but the rest was rather unfulfilling. Plus, I find it very annoying when an artist/group has to sing their name every second line to remind you who they are.
Great beats, but they add up to songs that are kinda boring. Meh
I liked this because it was different than a lot of the stuff on this list. Cool production choices. Not entirely my type of music but a fine listen.
I wouldn’t call this a good album. I wouldn’t call this a bad album. It is kind of repetitive in a unharmful way. I listened. I didn’t think it needed to be on a list of essentials.
I have to say, its a very different album compared to my first 70+ or so ive had on here. Some interesting sounds and samples or used. But it just isnt my cup of tea musically.
Unimpressed
This album goes hard as hell, you guys just aren't ready for the world of abstract and experimental hip hop.
Ohh . . . no. This ain’t it. Sorry M.I.A. You got better after this, but humble beginnings are afoot. Not sure that she needed to be on here once. Twice? Currently 2/3rds the way through this list and things are getting questionable. Did the all-powerful list maker choose some of these to toy with us mortals? Do they sincerely believe these belong on the list of 1001 BEST album? Maybe they didn’t know enough albums and had to throw a bunch of random shit on here to make up for it. Genuinely confused. M.I.A is on here twice. Still baffled that this album, a fever dream of quality, is present. It’s just messy. 2/5
8/10. I thought it had a bit more consistency than Kala, though the beginning of the album was stronger than the back half.
Lots of boppiness. We enjoyed this a fair amount.
Not a bad album. I used to really like M.I.A. before she started selling tin foil hats, now she is a bit hard to take seriously. Still like her music but some of it loses its gravitas
Real nice vibe music for studying, playing chess
No idea what the lyrical content is -- I don't really discern the words separately from the music, so that's my caveat. This sounds like a time travelling mix tape from the 80s, published in the 2000s. I kind of like it. Not my cup of tea, but I find it quite listenable. A bit of a party mix vibe. Yeah, it's super-political as I understand it, and I just denigrated one of the young voices of a germination or something. But in my defence, I only heard the music, not the message.
The fact she’s got two albums on here really shows the British bias. The girl had 1 hit
Thoughts before listening: "Paper Planes" is great. One of the best songs of the 00s. That being said, a full album of that style of music might get a little old. Review: Wait. "Paper Planes" isn't on this album? Every song does kinda sound like MIA's hit but nothing is grabbing me quite like that song either. I'll admit this isn't my style, so a low score was definitely possible, but this is pretty fun. I'll say 3-stars.
This one is just bad. 'Provocative lyrics' or not it's not worth burning one's ears with.
It’s rare to get an album that is completely new to me that I listen to twice in a row, but this is one of these. This debut from M.I.A takes glitchy, catchy dance beats and layers on lyrics that range from cheeky to sharply political. Maya Arulpragasam experienced life as a refugee from the violence in Sri Lanka when she was just 11 and this plays out in her music, but it’s done with irrepressible charm and wit. I absolutely love this!
I had no idea what I was going to listen to, but as soon as it started I recognized the voice of the iconic songs of Slumdog Millionaire. Her flow is precise and a bit agressive but I quite like it, the background music is pretty nice too, regularly evolving in electroclash territory.
No musical interest to me at all. It all just sounds like inferior versions of 'Ico, ico'.
A visionary debut that mixes rap, world music and indie.
not my thing.
Not familiar with this artist. Very interesting mix of influences and samples, and a strong woman's voice from back in the day when it wasn't so common.
Uh
Wow she's not just one album hit, she's very talented. Let's see if it is good work music but I cant see this getting less than a 3.
this sounds like it was maybe some groundbreaking stuff when it first came out but now it just sounds like shit
I've no idea what to make of this
Not my cup of tea. More of a Hip Hop person...
Incredibly boring and repetitive.
Galang is awesome. While some of the wear on me, Bucky Don Gun. The production is on point and her style unique and creative
5/11, 45%
A shitty person made a shitty album. Big surprise.
Fuck the haters, everyone who gave this a 1, y'all are a bunch of boring, knownothing, crusty dorks, who probably think music peaked with Pink Floyd. Either loosen up and get with the program, or go suck a tube of toothpaste.
June 13, 2024 HL: "Bucky Done Gun", "Galang", "10 Dollar", "U.R.A.Q.T.", "Amazon" 3.5 Maybe I don't love it as much as Kala, but its 42 minutes breezed by. Standout is "Bucky Done Gun" pretty early on in the record, with a brilliant sample of "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky
Wildly original and straight-up wild – the sound of politically minded, club-addled global youth in the aughts. It's dynamic and energetic. Gritty and funky, even addictive-seeming, though one's convinced this might not be good for anyone, as it can seem too frenetic and tribal and idealistic politically. One likes the wild side of it, but questions just how much it adds up to, perhaps because one is very much not the target demographic. To wit, this level of energy and volume seems almost threatening to middle-age, affluent white dudes, but at the same time, one totally gets why the kids like (because it delivers a sugar high for the dance club). Coin flip as to whether two MIA records merit inclusion on this list.
MIA is kinda weird, but kinda fun. She has a certain swagger that makes me think I'm the weird one and she knows exactly what she's doing. I'm not sure if I "like" this album, but it kept my attention.
genuinely could not listen to this i kept skipping and then gave up 1/5
I didn’t really like it. It was a little too odd for me.
Gobby, fat beats. MIA sets her stall out on her debut and it's wicked. A mash of electonic crashes, steel drums percussion, fat bass lines and mouthy raps delivered in a sarf-landaan accent. She's that mouthy girl on the swings swigging from a bottle of white-lightnening. And she's much fucking cooler than you. Best Tracks: Bucky Done Gun; Bingo; U.R.A.Q.T.
Not my type of music at all, but I really enjoy it. Fun beats in there and quite uptempo. Can't make out any of the lyrics. It does get a bit gimmicky after a while.
This really is quite the statement on a debut album. Political lyrics and the ultimate mesh of styles make this an interesting listen, but definitely not a relaxed one. From Brazilian Funk to Sri Lanka Jungle, with guerilla style rapping, it's uptempo, it's refreshing but also an attack on your senses.
This wouldn't have been anything without Justine Frischman of Elastica. I've always thought MIA was bogus – performative authenticity for white people. Her voice is terrible, she can't rap, she's really unimpressive, and there's a kind of cultural appropriation going on with the iffy patois accent. I just don't buy it. Great record, shame about the artist.
Nope, didn't like it. Hombre was an awful song. Far too many annoying EHHHHHHs. Next.
Kala is definitely more iconic but this album has most of the same positives. It's fun and eclectic throughout with influences from everywhere.
too percussive
I had only ever heard Paper Planes and always thought it was cool how they used different sounds to make the beat, I guess that is kind of her thing because there is some more of that on this album. I like It and I like her raps but the frantic nature of it kind of wears on me wile listening to an entire album.
I didn’t know what to think about this album. I loved the hip hop elements and she had a very unique style. Personally I am not a big of the beats and backing tracks.
Hip-hop and dance music with both dense production and a DIY feel. This album is like a Bosch painting: while the vocals may catch your attention in the foreground, there are a million other things going on in the background. It makes for a fun and interesting listen.
1.5
Meh
eh…
Fun album to jam out to.
It aint no "Paper Planes", I'll say that much.
After slogging through so many samey sounding psychedelic rock albums on this list, this was truly a unique and refreshing sound. Not totally my cup of tea but I found myself foot-tapping to a few tracks
Definitely not the album for me, but seemed alright. Will I listen to again: 0%
This is a waist of vinyl/CD/memory on any device. What a piece of crap,
Simply no -1/5
Was it enjoyable? Yes Was it good? Debatable Am I ashamed ? No
*insert lady gaga gif* talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, etc etc
Meh, not upset I listened to it but probably never listen to it again.
No
I don't care for this.
Some absolute bangers but the whole package feels a little rough
Move over Peter Gabriel, we have a new champion for Most Annoying Album I Awarded Five Stars
I get Mia being on here once for the album with paper planes. That song was huge. Not quite why her debut album is on here. It’s not very good. Was it influential or a first of its kind? Maybe but it’s a bit long and doesn’t even get halfway to the other album she made. 4.2/10
Beats weren't bad but the vocals just got boring. Would have been great if it was only 20 minutes
I cannot stand the beats in background. It feels like I'm listening to a bunch of electricity. If I wanted to listen to this album, I may as well go to the local science center and put my ear next to the electric ball. Vocals are not for me either. For me, this album has 0 redeeming qualities. My first 1/5
MIA made one maybe good album, why is this here?
Þetta fór að mestu leyti inn um annað eyrað og út um hitt. Skildi ekkert eftir sig.
She can wright catchy hooks and the music is interesting enough. Her rap is basic and borderline adolescent at times, but this album is better than her paper planes follow up.
Galang was alright but a lot of this was a bit irritating. No cash register song either
Meh 2**
Some good songs
Not really my kinda music, but not bad.
Hated this.
This is great. Love the beats and there is a lot of wit. It’s just a very engaging listen.
Pop dance. Ni fu ni fa.
At first I thought I was gonna be in for a rough time with this album. The first three songs were incredibly grating to me and there was no smash hit saving grace in sight like her last album. But my attitude towards this one became very similar to the paper planes one by the end in that both of them grew on me after about half an hour. This one was definitely even weirder but it still had the same kineticism and social commentary (albeit occasionally dated) even without a more mainstream track or two which made it feel like a less accessible Remi Wolf. I liked Amazon the most I think but I enjoyed the whole last half. I wonder how MIA feels to be known for the one song that sounds nothing even remotely close to anything else in her discography.
Good beats.
Why.
Banana.
galangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalan
This is almost 20 years old! I can accept the 90s as being 'the past' now, but the 00's is still tough. Especially an album with this sound, which is pushing the envelope in many ways. Good album, remember MIA first appearing, but not one I would reach for for repeat listens particularly.
I really like this album. Which is surprising because I don't generally like electronic beats (robot music) or Eastern Mediterranean music. I listened to this album a lot when it came out; haven't listened to it for a decade; didn't expect to enjoy it when it popped on the list; but I was wrong. It's unique and the musical ideas are super-engaging.
Gets tedious pretty quickly. Pretentious early 2000s "message" music. Totally fresh and innovative? New York 1980s hip hop of Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash is calling on line 1. Paul Simon's Graceland on line 2. Neneh Cherry on line 3. Feels like people were blinded by things other than the music.
A very catchy and electronically - influenced rap album. M.I.A's lines aren't necessarily simple, but they're compact and short, which adds to catchiness of each track. It's insightful to hear her perspective on being a refugee in the western world. "Galang" is a popular song from this album, but all of them are good. I especially enjoy all the glitches and edits to the vocals.
first listen this is truly original and like nothing i've heard before
shrugs...
So strange but captivating and curious
love m.i.a but thats not me
It's just ace. She's stayed close to this standard for 20 years while maintaining an indie career that has been brilliant. Conversely, Diplo has become more and more bland and dull while achieving mainstream success and ridiculous money. This is why I think we should let climate change win.
Des influences métissées, une voix pour la justice sociale. Les onomatopées et répétitions créent un effet quasi primal
This is an album that's walking a very fine line between being annoying and... Being annoying. Between all the various influences and sources that make up the instrumentals and M.I.A.'s voice itself, it's one hell of a balancing act where, like, it never fell into obnoxiousness for me, but I can absolutely hear how it would for others. All that said, if I'm giving this album a 3 and not a 4 for any reason, it's an apples and oranges comparison kind of deal. Like, if I want music with revolutionary lyrics, I've already got Chumbawamba and Rage Against The Machine for that. Their respective brands of anarcho-punk/dance/world/folk and rap metal are way more up my M.I.A.'s dancehall material. And none of them were anti-vaxxers far as I can remember, so...
Despite her recent comments about some topics, this is still a great album.
It’s a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. I think there are a few points of lulls on this album; not necessarily in the instrumental lacking an energy, or vocal repetition, but just points where the soundscape kinda loses a luster really quickly if the vocals aren’t flowing, and vice-versa. Most of the tracks here have a good energy, and a great soundscape, but there were some songs that were just harder for me to stay fully invested in on account of those little lulls. I do think this album sounds well ahead of its time for 2005; not like, 2020s level of ahead, but certainly a bit more of an early 2010’s flair. I don’t think there are that many standout individual tracks, but the album as an entire package is just a fun listen, and a recommended one at that. It’s not gonna be everyone’s cup of tea; I do think there are some harsher instrumental choices here and there, and sometimes her vocals do feel a bit… aggressive. However, a lot of this just clicked for me as a listener – there were times when I wasn’t feeling a song, kinda zoned out, and enjoyed it more for some reason. Schrödinger’s beat, I guess. Happy with the 4.
Innovative and distinctive but I’m not sure it had the staying power it could have. Overall I enjoyed this listen and can see a lot of modern things in the music but it falls a bit short of great.
Interesting bass use
A wild fun energy and enthusiastic performance throughout, but just not something I plan on listening to again
Annoying if often distracting with hookiness, making it more or less a sugar high, musically, so likely for kids only. Maybe "Amazon" gets pretty catchy, with the marimba-like effects. "10 Dollar" is wild and abandoned. It's a fine balance here as there's repetition trending near to tedium and the catchiness feels mostly algorithmically. Bonus points equally for originality and DIY spirit and political awareness.
This is fucking insufferable. Get this shit far away from me. How could anyone deliberately listen to this absolute fucking garbage?
I remember when it came out that it had such a fresh, unique sound. Still holds up after all these years.
I had this 'liked' on Spotify but maybe I was feeling more energised then? This tires me out. She's very talented and it is unusual but maybe tomorrow.
Interesting - perhaps not a full album's worth of interesting, but I'm glad I listened to it. I think it might get better with repeat listenings.
Today's album is like trip hop. It's not bad at all. But it full of dumb fucking skits. Man I hate those, but at least the skits maintain a beat. They aren't just random fucking noises or nonsense, just kinda like super short songs. I still don't like skits, but it didn't detract from the album the way other skits do. I haven't got a bakers fuck of an idea what the singer is saying, but it doesn't matter, because the beats are solid. The album cover looks like something someone made using Microsoft Word and clip art. It's actually really fuckin good though. The music is such a vibe. Has a world music feel to it. Pretty solid! U.R.A.Q.T sampled the Sanford & Son theme song! You can hear Fred Sanford saying "you big dummy" throughout the song lol Favourite songs: U.R.A.Q.T., Bucky Done Gun, Sunshowers, M.I.A, Amazon, Bingo, "Fire, Fire", Galang, Pull Up the People Least favourite songs: Banana, Dash the Curry, One For The Head (fuck skits) 5/5
First full MIA album for me, not at all bad 👍
Pretty class
Nothing that matched up to MIA but tolerable though.
I gave the other M.I.A album a 4 (which was very generous looking back on it), just because I appreciated the uniqueness. I do not believe there should be 2 of these on this list. I’ve only listened to 2 albums once and I’m bored to death.
It's very creative, but almost sounds like someone is pulling a prank and convincing people this is a serious album. 2.20/5.0 Disappointing
Intriguing album. I thought it was solid.
Punk meets hip-hop in a refreshing politically charged album of its time. MIA hasn't held up in terms of her promising debut but the appreciation is still there (if you ignore her current rantings).
Would never put this album on again! Paper planes seems to be their only good hit
býsna gott. gef þessu aðra umferð. 3,5.
I vaguely remember this coming out in a time of heavy Poptimism, where Serious Critics would insist that really goobie forgettable radio pop records held some sort of timeless significance. Usually they were very wrong about that. This one does hold up though. Worth revisiting at least.
I remember listening to her first two albums repeatedly back in the day. Seeing her lived was so much fun with off the charts dance energy. This was a nice revisit.
Every now and then some M.I.A find her way into my playlists. Normally not my usually fare, but there's something about her music that I really enjoy. Maybe it's the more "world music" vibe, and her flow. Dunno, but I like what I like.
M.I.A is great at making very fun and playful music - her lyrics and flow often have a playground chant kind of quality in their simplicity and catchiness without sounding annoying or condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. I don’t think this record is quite as strong as her follow up to it, but it’s full of character and the production still feels really fresh and exciting even nearly 20 years later
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: 10 dollar
Ok
Lots of just repeated lyrics. Not really for me. Thanks though.
Interesting but not good. She should stick with it and make another record or two
catchy beats, but mindless repetitive lyrics. singer has an aggressively bri ish accent that becomes more grating the longer you listen.
I didn’t hate this, didn’t particularly like it too much, either. But I consider that a win.
"You say that everything sounds the same and then you go buy it". Genuinely fresh sound
10 Dollar is a good tune 3/5
I only know her through the cash register song, which is pretty good. This album is not. This is unintelligible, repetitive, and the music/beats are not appealing at all. Fav tracks: N/A
Not my jam.
Well another great MIA record. Not much to say - it’s consistent for the most part - groovy fun and punch. Shame about her strange views.
I expected to hate this more than I did. It was fine. ANd hey it was short which helped so much.
This project has some very interesting ideas and was highly influential on artists in the internet age. Why does it suck so bad?
Maybe this is not the MIA album to be featured on the list but its a good album
Not music, so bad couldn’t finish it.
Pleasing in that it was nothing like what I expected. Which made me wonder why I expected something else. It was a mind fuck in that regard, you see. That being said, it's starting to feel like M.I.A. has as many albums on this list as Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush. That just seems, I don't know, wrong.
Yeah, M.I.A bangs hard, fun and energetic and subversive. Follow-up Kala is even better.
Surprisingly disappointing. I loved MIA’s other album on this list, and I have a lot of respect for the themes and energy she brings. But this album just doesn’t hit. This album is much less accessible than her other album.
I really tried to enjoy this album and have an open mind but I just couldn’t. I can’t get past the rigid vibe and it just seemed like hard and glassy and very difficult to swallow. It wasn’t necessarily horrible, but just wouldn’t listen again.
It's not my thing and I really really hated her second album but sometimes this album reminds me a little of early 80s Brit art punk... almost a bit of Bow Wow Wow in here. I don't know if it's the mood I'm in or I've changed just in the past year but I go from "tolerating" to "I actually like some of these songs" (e.g. Bingo and Amazon). A lot of it does just get annoying after a bit and especially her actual voice so I can't do this album as a whole but after a slow-ish start there are a few songs that have something - it might not necessarily be her voice (although...) but her performance and rhythm on the best tracks that make it catchy. Better music on said best cuts as well. Again, I could never have thought I'd be listening to this twice after my initial M.I.A. foray. Maybe I should even re-evaluate that 2nd album... Even tho I'll never put the album on, I'll definitely want to hear a few cuts again and I think that's 3 worthy. 5/10 3 stars
Not my vibe - too erratic, less melodic than paper planes
Catchy and creative, with some solid rhythms. Way too repetitive for my taste. I know the lyrics are supposed to be politically charged and all, but I found them to be fairly dumb. Fave Songs: Fire Fire, Amazon, Bingo
Meilleur qu’Eminem!
Didn’t hate it but got tired of it. Every song sounds the same.
Did not love this.
Hard to get into anything outside of 'Paper Planes'
The music is MIA.
This is so cool and different for rap and hip-hop. Her vocal delivery brings in that South Asia vibe. And the beats sound like someone who had no preconceived notions of how to produce. The result is kind of a “mad scientist” record.
used to love MIA and I think her music was definitely ahead of its time. unfortunately she’s a dumbass with horrible takes these days.
Annoying is the correct word for MIA. The lyrics just aren't there. Been a hip hop fan for decades, but this is just bad.
4.0 + A solid follow-up to M.I.A.'s breakthrough "Kala" that finds her dancing on her pedestal, firing off grimy beats at every turn. Standouts: "Pull Up the People", "Bingo", "10 Dollar", "Galang."
Very very good
Well, succeeded in one thing: most boring one of the 500 in the list so far.
Atlântida a rádio da galera!
ok, but nothing spectacular
It’s rare to hear a debut that so clearly illustrates an artist’s personality and vision. Catchy and hard-hitting.
Some nice beats that got me up and out of my chair but nothing to keep me coming back for more 3 stars
Fun beats and a wide mix of sounds. Glad that I pulled up the UK version so that I got to hear Sanford and Son on URAQT.
Not the type of music I thought I would enjoy but it was pretty good
Complete and utter crap.
Enjoyed a lot of this, it got a bit samey
Love it. Way ahead of its time, especially with the instrumentals. Creative, one of the few albums that I wish didn't end and leaves me craving for more. Love the mixing of electro sounds with hip-hop. Fun
Interesting, catchy beats. 4/5.
Here's an artist who I was only limitedly aware of prior to this, the second of her albums on this list to come up. I enjoyed it, decidedly spiky and spunky, full of sass and attitude in a very urban Brit way, beneath which punchy drumbeats and phat bass abounds.
Hiphop’ed, elektronisk 00’er pop, lidt for irreterende i længden
9/10
I knew Bucky Done Gun and the album is really just more of the same. Became irritating after a while
another for the first column. loved it. always had a feeling i would buzz off her but never got around to listening to anything
I appreciate MIA and think she's a really interesting artist. I enjoy the social commentary but the music itself isn't really my bag
I enjoyed this. Listened to it whilst driving and it got me all hyped for driving. I like M.I.A., her lyrics and style are still really individual.
Loved iit
Is your dad a dealer? Because you're dope to me. I think I went a on a full circle of love and hate for this one.
The album felt really short - or I fell asleep. No classic like Paper Planes on there, but listenable.
Rap, dancehall. Curioso. Gritona.
Fun, infectious, whimsical with attitude. A little repetitive, but that's the genre.
M.I.A. thinks she is way cooler than she is. The lyrics are repetitive and unsubstantial. The beats are all similar and quite boring. I was waiting for this one to be over.
That's more like it
Not a good album in the slightest. Seemed like the artist just picked random phrases to sing over random beats with the most random noises played over it. Would never recommend
Really wasn't expecting to like this album but was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it
Non le si può dir nulla! Bello!
Many times more enjoyable than the horrible follow-up 'Kala', 'Arular' is overflowing with creativity and sincerity. Some it works quite well ('Sunshowers') while the majority of songs are experimenting in a direction not for me. This indie-version of M.I.A. really was something, even though the lo-fi sampling still feels way out of hand.
I have this feeling that M.I.A. is deliberately trying to make music that speaks as little to me as possible. Why? What have I ever done to her? There’s no denying that Arular is a better record than the horrendous follow-up Kala. The beats are more fresh and there are fewer annoying sound effects. Still… Saying it’s better than Kala really isn’t saying a lot.
Was equal parts catchy and annoying. Not really sure how to rate it. Ha. I just looked at my review (from July 2021) for her other album and I basically said the same thing. "This album is a mixture of catchy and annoying. Not too sure how I feel about it." Consistent at least.
This sounds overwhelmingly like the sort of skipping songs that primary school kids used to sing. In isolation some of the tunes aren’t entirely horrendous. Put together, however, this is, I’m afraid, one of the worst things I’ve listened to for a while. It might even be worse than Thriller, and I really hate Thriller with a passion. Whoever categorised this as World music is having a laugh. This is firmly routed in Saaarf London primary schools.
This is kind of annoying. I think she found her stride later on, because I assumed I would've liked this a lot more knowing some of her other stuff.
I'll be honest, I was not looking forward to this album at all upon assignment. But I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. I feel like it's not very common to see this much global, specifically island, influence on a hip hop record, so I appreciated that part. Favorite track: Bucky Done Gun
I mean Paper Planes is a banger but damn I don’t vibe with this album
They put this on the list over Graduation?!
If I was a bit younger this would have been on repeat a lot. I had no idea she was one of the first MySpace music stars. Another wiki article that takes an album up a point. 4, but damn near a 5.
Un sonido muy noventero. No me ha importado escucharlo
Annoying noise, can’t keep up with her admittedly great famous single.
As an album to have on while cleaning, it was perfect. Not gonna relisten to this one much I’d wager, but it’s got a specific energy that’s hard to hate.
That one is good but otherwise oof
A delightful sonic potpourri. Happy to have heard it prior to my ultimate demise.
I wish there were half stars. This is a clear 2.5 for me. Enjoyable enough, but a bit low budget and repetitive. 2 feels harsh, 3 feels too nice. I'm rating on a Friday, so I'm choosing to be too nice.
then she made some successful singles
It was good. Some of the songs were a bit aggro for me. I could see getting into it in the right context, but not really a sit-and-listen for me.
WTF
Started with great beats and ended with weird lyrics
not as bad as I was I expecting...
Je suis extrêmement confuse par cet album. Qu'est ce que je viens d'écouter ??
This sounds like a teenager who recorded herself with a Casio keyboard.
While this isn't as strong or diverse of an album as Kala, it's still pretty strong for a debut. I enjoyed it.
Bongos, Bambus und Mandoline im Zusammenspiel mit einer nervigen Frauenstimme die über Mobiltelefone und Bananen singt mit einer wuseligen Combo. Aber schlimmer geht immer - die Gute Rapt auch noch. Die Platte führte einen in die Illusion einer Fahrt mit einem verrotteten stinkenden Taxi in Mexico City und man nur einen Wunsch - Lebend raus !
The musical equivalent of heart palpitations.
Feel like I need to give this one a few more listens. Love the political lyrics. Her voice is so interesting and it definitely sounds like the early 2000s, musically it's interesting but not my favorite. I think if I were at the club and had heard it before though it'd fuck it up
This one reminds me a little of Tom Waits - sometimes everything comes together and really takes off. Other times, it's just a lot of pots and pans. This one is more pots and pans for me than Kala was.
Not for me. Some fun sounds, some decent beats. Made a mediocre hook out of the gorgeous song 'Sunshower'. So much of MIA's delivery sounds like a nursery rhyme. If you like that jive, fine. I don't. There's an annoying whoop sound she does a few times, which I'd prefer I never heard in the first place. Lukewarm crap.
Trash
Weird!
Bleh. Some of the beats were alright, but it didn't feel like much of substance. Lot of repeating lyrics and just seemed lazy. 2/5
not for me
I actually didn't hate this as much as I thought I would. In fact, I really liked it. A lot of the vocals toed the right side of the line between creative/unique/interesting and off-putting. This very much could have been a generic, annoying hip-hop album but the production and care put into the sounds pushed it over the top.
While I didn't love the skit interludes, they were musical and better than many album skits I have heard. They're typically so interrupting but not so on this album.
A lil’ bit dancehall. A lil’ bit Bhangra. A lil’ bit Quad City DJs. I kinda liked it but it was very repetitive. It felt like the songs could have easily been a minute long and the album would have been just as good.
Really ahead of its time album, but i dont think im gonna revisit this one. She has better albums since then. But its definitely worth checking out
omg I hated this so much, I'm sorry. I did listen to \"Paper Planes\" after (which I heard before but didn't realize it was her, and I do like that song), but this album felt like a teenage girl making songs in her room which were about as good as the songs I'd make in my room when I was a kid. Seriously, the cantankerous bitch in me feels she got an easy pass on that album because she's a minority and female and it was a sort of \"fresh voice\" kind of thing--I dunno. Not impressed.
Really solid
I underrated M.I.A. previously, this is fire, fire
The most different
Really damn good. She reminds me, at times, of Lady Sov. 4 stars.
Upon initial listening, it was almost a mixture of reggae, techno- and Sinead. I couldn’t get past the fourth song but did scan the first minute of the additional songs. Not my type of music.
This one's a non stop attack of catchy eclectic sample based hip hop insanity. I always like Galang but had't listened to the rest of this album at all, really not my cup of tea, I'm far too old. Also somehow seems a bit too clever and knowing. Good to listen to stuff that's not in your normal listening scope, but this album is quite a lot and by about song 28 I was really hoping it would finish soon.
4.5, that ones fun
uhhh idk not for me
I never would have pick this out, but I enjoyed it.
This was one of my favorite albums when it first came out. It was fresh and unique. This is M.I.A.’s best album.
Heureusement que c'était court vu comment ça casse la tête.
Un sacré mic mac cet album, mais je ne deteste pas.
Being only familiar with "Paper Planes," and it being a favorite of mine, I looked forward to this album. Although I didn't find it quite as catchy as that song, it has an interesting, unique, percussive sound that I appreciated quite a bit. And of course, when "U.R.A.Q.T." sampled the "Theme from Sanford and Son," that was the best!
This one is a winner! Such a cool and unique sound.
Totally catchy yet completely unpredictable. I so appreciate M.I.A.'s unique sound!
I love M.I.A. But that rework of the Sanford and Son theme on U.R.A.Q.T. took my love to the next level. Is there nothing M.I.A. Can’t do?
"Most sparkling debut since Madonna." Madonna is overrated shit, this is unlistenable shit. Fair call.
Ok, but seems a bit shallow.
What were you doing if you weren't listening to this walking around NYC, interning, sweating through a collared shirt. Pairs nicely with Aziz Anasari's bit from "Invite Them Up" about trying to spit game at MIA. A very Millennial 4/5!
I like be it one very much bit this is not as good and very mainstream leaning.
Album is fine but too bad M.I.A is an alt right anti Vaxxer conspiracy theorist now
To be honest I found this pretty irritating to begin with, but as time went by the hooks started worming their way into my brain, and it became the good kind of irritating. It’s knowingly trashy but not vacuous, which I kinda respect as a combination.
Bangers
Fucking nonsense.
Meh
An innovative experimental debut that blends pop, grime, and worldbeat with hard abrasive electronic beats and effects, full of catchy hooks and sensitive political discourse. Plenty of standout tracks. All of them have something unique about them, although there are a couple that feel comparatively underwhelming. Compared with Kala, the backing tracks here are a bit more repetitive, especially in the middle. You can tell how much she can mature and diversify to make each track an adventure, but this record is still full of fun outstanding ideas.
Good that
Klingt alles gleich.
Schrecklich. Gefällt mir garnicht. 2.7/10
See this is where this list has problems. There's no way MIA is important enough an artist to have 2 entries, not when you consider some of the omissions. Think this one has been left out of the book now, and Kala remains, which I definitely enjoyed. MIA is definitely a complex character, I missed her at the time but she's done some bangers and I've been introduced to her over the last ten years by friends. Shame she seems to have gone slightly 5G batty since COVID as we do need activists in the world and people prepared to speak out. And she has important shit to say on this record, pre-madness. All that said, this is a good listen, don't think it's quite got the outstanding tracks as Kala but it's consistently very good. Probably dragged a bit by the end. After this record finished instead of playing me loads of hip hop, Spotify played me Le Tigre, St Vincent and Deerhoof, and it all kinda fit. Well done.
A good dance album nice mix of influences and beats and variations. A high 3.
The music is more interesting than a lot of other rap/hip hop albums from this time, but the lyrics just seemed repetitive for the most part
I can't stand M.I.A.'s music the second time around here either (and no, I did not consider M.I.A.'s music worthy of a second entry here to begin with).
ze kan wel geinige beats produceren maar het is na een tijdje vervelend
Tämähän oli aika energinen poppis/rap levy. Soundit ei oo ehkä ihan kestänyt aika mutta sitäkin ilmiötä on vähentänyt ehkä tollaset vähän enemmän ”roiskitaan menemään” -asenteella tehdyt biitit. Ihan pirtee! Yltää kolmosen yli muttei neloseen. 3/5
Höh tää oli vaikuttava vielä 10 vuotta sitten, mutta eipä ole mielestäni oikein kestänyt aikaa. Harmi. Nyt kiinnostaa, onko Kalalle käynyt sama.
Pirteä naisräppilevy. Melko poppista toisinaan, muta taitaa kuitenkin neloseen yltää.
3.5. Not really my thing but listened while running and it was OK
After talking to many folks about this album? From here and abroad? It's a very different story. When Galang dropped in 04 in Sydney Australia? We went nuts. Not just a lil rowdy? Nuts. So when Arular came out in 05? It became the banger of the year. A month and a half later Trent Reznor drops With Teeth and then goes on record saying that he wishes his album was as dynamic Arular by M.I.A. Immediately sending the flag out to work with her. Everyone who was everyone wanted this girl to work with them. So I can understand why this album is in the list of things you need to listen to? Cause if you think about the scene back then with everyone complaining about "real instruments"? And the flood of faux garage and rock groups? Jet, The Hives, The Strokes, White Stripes and all of that? Out of nowhere comes a refugee banger that took on all the war sentiments feeling at the time and made folks dance through it. It's a real important album if you know why it came to fruition and how that product shifted aforementioned Trent Reznor's mind set for the next incarnation of NIN when he broke free from all the record labels. The Slip Hesitation Marks The rise and fall of Niggy Tardust - Saul William's album he produced? Yo... this record hit the right people and changed how music was heard. Kudos MIA
I’m glad I stuck with this. It’s more fun than I expected and definitely ahead of its time.
Genial, eindringlich, anders, stark aber nicht aggro
was looking forward to this as I liked what I heard from MIA before specifically "Paper Planes" and her feature on "FRANCHISE", but man this was a painful listen, couldn't finish the album.
Takes every wrong turn. I could probably come up with something more melodic by smashing my head on a piano. DNF
耳は燃えている あまり良い火ではない......
everyone i know rated this as one star. i don't understand the hate though; i found this album quite good. it was not perfect by any means as there were many parts which i was like "ehh?" but i found it enjoyable to listen to. most likely wouldn't pick it up again.
did not finish, style is too experimental for my tastes. an album i'd need to come back to when in the mood for it, i only like a few singles from M.I.A. and they aren't in this album
Perfection
This is a fun album from a great artist, but I must admit I am surprised to see multiple M.I.A. albums on this list. Kala is the more deserving album of these two, and indeed in the 2011 version of the 1001 book that I have been reading, Kala is on the list and Arular is not. Despite this, I did enjoy the listen.
The most impressive and inspiring thing about this album to me is that she made the skeleton of it on an MC-505. Not a particularly easy/intuitive machine to work with. Then, when she couldn't find people to sing on it, she just did it herself. Respect.
M.I.A. has a compelling worldwide sound to me. Definitely a product of taking many parts of different musical genres into one soup. Quite a debut. Shame she’s focused on antivax and 5G conspiracies now.
I think its a really cool expirament in modern hip-hop. M.I.A is not afraid to take lots of textures and make them more than just samples. kind of reminds me of the genre soup style of the 60s.