Arular

Basically just annoying through the first few songs so in a radical act of self care, I am not forcing myself to listen to this entire album

Not for me

This is obnoxious. I couldn't make it more than two songs in. From a one-hit-wonder to two albums on this list is a tragedy.

Really liked a lot of it. But some a little redundant, likely cause I was working at my desk not dancing lol.

Dansbaar, maar vaak haal ik er de tekst maar amper uit

Horrible. This album is terrible and completely undeserving of any recognition. Shrill, British, female recording artists must have a special place in Robert Dimery's heart as there is nothing remotely redeeming about this atrocity. Something, something British bias and this album doesn't even have this one hit wonder's one hit...

Among the most unique and fresh grooves I have heard for a while.

some good beats and very interesting and unique blend of sounds/instrumenta

M.I.A. is odd-sounding and abrasive by design. It's a sound that's rooted in hip hop and world music but seemed to just drop out the sky, not directly reminiscent of anything that came before it. I find that if I give myself over to the clattering and chattering, I ultimately enjoy it a lot. Lyrical themes seem political and militant without being overtly so. This and her follow-up got so much hype when they came out, and years later they still sound ahead of their time.

I have the same feelings about this album when compared to Kala, and it's just more of the same.

some weird sound on this one. think it might grow on me if I spun it a few more times

"Arular" is the debut album by British recording artist M.I.A. World music, hip hop, dancehall and dance are the genres assigned. M.I.A. wrote or co-wrote all the songs and used a number of collaborators and producers including Diplo, Justine Frischman, Richard X, Switch, Paul Byrne, Anthony Whitney and Greg "Wizard" Fleming. The album was critically lauded for blending of styles and the integration of political lyrics into dance tunes. The album title was a political code name used by her Father, Arul Pragasun, during his involvement with Sri Lanka Tamil militant groups. The album was nominated for the UK Mercury Prize and hit #190 in the US and #98 in the UK. After a short introductory song, the album lauches into "Pull Up the People." Weird synths and idiosyncratic beats. A revolutionary theme: "Pull up the people. Pull up the poor." "Bucky Done Gun" gives the funk specifically Brazillian baile funk along with musichall samples thrown in. This is very dance-like with the horns. It references the civil war in Sri Lanka. Alright, "10 Dollar" has a more mechanical, grinding beat. Very hypnotic. Child exploitation is the topic here. The second single "Sunflowers" may be the most melodic song on the album. M.I.A. rapping with Nesreen Shah singing the vocal choruses. Tribal beats. The world is divided and the good and evil lines are blurry. The first single "Galang" has a very catchy beat, weird noises with M.I.A. playing with words. Cannabis trafficking. Galang is slang for hang low. I really enjoyed the weird World and other beats. I'm always a sucker for the hypnotic and industrial and there's lots of that here. I have to admit, it took a few listens to really get into but once I did, I really liked it. It does rank up there with her next album "Kala" which is a classic.

Nice album! But i did enjoy the spotify suggested playlist after it more than the album itself.

Super fun

The beats were good, her voice is good, the lyrics are good, but this album just had too much going on for me to enjoy it. I might come back to it and change my mind because I do love politically charged music but for now I'm not a huge fan

Wow wat een verassend album! ik had niet verwacht dat deze artiest of dit album in de lijst zou staan, maar ik ben blij verrast. Dit is echt lekker poppy/hiphoppy! Vooral Bucky Done Gun vind ik echt een banger en komt me heel bekend voor. Galang daarentegen is een heel apart nummer en ben ik niet echt weg van. Het album is sowieso een behoorlijk afwisseling qua genres en geluiden. Wel écht iets anders en iets wat ik nog nooit gehoord had! Dus hoewel ik weinig favo nummers heb van het album vind ik het in zn geheel wel heel prettig wegluisteren; 4 sterren! FAVO: Bucky Done Gun

I've heard some MIA before but none of this really. It's entertaining, but a little too disjointed for me. I had no idea she was part Sri Lankan, though that is obviously apparent after listening to this album, which is pretty cool. Interesting listen, not my favorite.

WOW. Where has she been all my life? I absolutely loved this album. Beats set my day up to be a good one. So inventive and different, especially at that time.

Politically charged lyrics over some insane beats. Perfection

This was very fun! Loved the experimentation and the loud/in-your-face/cool girl vibes. Can't believe M.I.A is the same age as my mum...

Really didn't like this. Repetitive, amateurish. I struggled to listen all the way through. The vocals - which only seem to have one gear - and rhythm are not interesting at all. Very disappointing.

New music to me, I liked it well enough to listen to it again.

Fye

I love the energy, but was exhausted by it too and felt like I couldn’t keep up. Think this one’s a big burrito that’s best eaten in small bites.

Bare bones, but a foundation.

For fucks sake... this is like one terrible song on repeat.

Didn't really enjoy this. Interesting clash of styles (a bit world music, hip hop, reggaeton, others) but won't be listening again

I thought this was the album I got on release which was pretty good, but that was Kala. This was fine, but didn’t have any real highlights.

Doesn’t completely hold up.

3's

Lots of uninteresting and repetitive drum beats with meaningless and lazy lyrics. Mediocre at best

12/05/23 2:00 S Tier————————— A Tier————————— B Tier————————— Amazon Bucky Done Gun Sunshowers Bingo 10 Dollar URAQT Galant Fire, Fire Hombre C Tier————————— MIA Pull Up the People One for the Head - Skit Dash the Curry - Skit D Tier————————— Banana - Skit

Tuesday 12/5/2023, 7:30, office S Tier———————— Amazon Sunshowers A Tier————————— Fire, Fire Galang B Tier————————— Pull up the People Hombre Bucky Done Gun Bingo C Tier————————— M.I.A. 10 Dollar URAQT D Tier————————— One for the Head - Skit Dash the Curry - Skit Banana - Skit

Better was to come from M.I.A.

Some class stuff on here

Everyone knows 'Paper Planes' which is a great song - but not on this album. Instead M.I.A. gives us more of her trademark style in a combination of East Asian pop music, ragga and British hip hop. It is really unique among all the releases in the hip hop genre out there and some songs are fire. At some point you want to skip tracks though. Again, less could've been more!

90s nostalgia, album was not bad, just different.

Did not like the other M.I.A. album on here, but this was OK, especially when it was contrasted with the mid-00s bland indie that was playing in the cafe. I mean, there is something going on here that's a bit more interesting and edgy; Neneh Cherry-ish, and it doesn't outstay its welcome.

In your face, a difficult and wonderfully fun listen.

Has a great sound. Standouts: Pull Up the People, Bucky Done Gun, Fire Fire, Sunshowers, M.I.A. 3.5

Canciones con ritmo. Un tanto electrónicas. Cierto desorden en el ritmo. Escuchable, sin más.

I love this album. More than Kala. I don't know why but it just bumps so hard from start to finish. Sunshowers, Bucky Done Gun, Galang... all classics.

Hard beats! 3.5

The shock on my face when paper planes wasn’t on this one. Didn’t do much for me and seemed like a lot of loose ideas for songs

I’ll tell you what. The beats they were cool they were focused and creative some songs had a strong pov that I thought was important. I personally enjoyed URAQT and dash the curry. Personally as interesting as I found the album I didn’t love it the production is (again) cool but at the end of the day didn’t do it for me the B man needs some paper planes I’m SORRY! Anyways I am very happy they threw this at us something I would’ve never seen to be on this list -B

Yes. So good, also so fun to read about how the album was made on an archaic beat pad and sampled things like toys from India. Very creative, love all the percussion. Lot of fun

This album was on the border of being too experimental but it wasn’t. She uses her voice in an interesting way where it’s almost too valley girl, but she uses the sounds of words in a cool way. Could definitely hear the creative guidance of a beat machine in how she uses different beats and rhythms on songs. Very diverse throughout the whole album. Thought bingo was cool in how it’s not singing or rapping. Also heard a lot of the 2000s beats in a more primitive way. I wonder if it was alluding to that, or if this served as inspiration for artists such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Timbaland, etc.

Weird and wonderful, with a head-spinning array of genres and styles. Very english, very sri Lankan and Indian too. Feels like walking through London or one of the other great cultural melting pots of our time. I loved it

I'm always taken by surprise by M.I.A. She works in a genre that I don't have a lot of time for and yet, she has the talent and interest to create something that stands out from just about anything else like this.

Like many, I first heard M.I.A. through her hit song Paper Planes. I loved it. It had such a great groove and was unlike anything I'd heard before. So I tried to listen to more by her, and it just didn't work for me. I want to like her, but something about the way she does her raps, like a kid on a playground taunting another kid by repeating little phrases over and over, just rubs me the wrong way. I think she's talented, but it's just not for me. 2 stars.

Wasn’t so into this. She’s out here now selling 5G tin hats now

fun energy

Este no es el disco de M.I.A. que hay que escuchar. Es Kala o Matangi. Aunque sea su primer trabajo y lo mismo impresionó no explotó hasta más tarde, al menos en mi opinión. En este disco se ve por donde iría luego pero poco más.

A little repetitive for my taste.

A lot of interesting sounds/instruments in this one.

I bet...if you played this for a baby...they'd cry waaaah waaaah 😭

Oh no. List what were you thinking adding these. oh god please no. If I wanted to give myself aids I would have taken a different route, but listening to this album in its entirety gave me aids. So I guess I have aids now

2/5. I actually like some M.I.A. songs that are not on this album, but I believe she was still finding her footing and making a name for herself here.

It was okay

Det här är ju definitivt inte min musiksmak men hon är jävligt frän och det är ett bra album.

Why are there 2 MIA albums on this list?

Did not like

Given how much I hate Paper Planes, I was surprised at how kinda good this was

That's a 'no' for me. It's way to unorganized. The flow is not there in my opinion. 2/5 is gentle.

Didn't listen to too much but really not my style

Here's a vital lesson in musicianship: don't be a vocalist if your voice is annoying. (M.I.A.'s voice is annoying.) She does this sudden upward rise at the end of some notes (a la Freddie Mercury, early-mid-80s) which just doesn't work with her voice at all. The backing instrumentals add very little to the experience other than being repetitive and rhythmically (fairly) simple. The electric sounds create this unsatisfying liminal feel that makes it difficult to really get into the music. Many of those sounds are piercing "whines" or monotonous synths. Not ideal. Since every other aspect is poor, the lyrics must be the intended focal point. And, for what it's worth, the lyrics are actually really badass - when they're not a little goofy ("Quit bending all my fingo/Quit beating me like you're Ringo/You wanna go/You wanna win a war/Like PLO, I don't surrendo"). But that's the thing - I place lyrics very low down on my priority list in music. Arular just doesn't sound good, so I'm judging it accordingly. That being said, it doesn't exactly sound bad. I could imagine this coming on in a supermarket or movie and I wouldn't give it much mind. 2/5

Ambitious first album

ME wanta 10 dolla fa haven ta heer dis.

I like the fusion of genres 3.5

Mid 2000s dance music. This thing feels like it was made in someone’s bedroom, they had their electronic instrument and used every single sound available on the thing, but in a good fun way like on Bucky done gun the shitty horns sound like they belong on a flash game. Lots of good throwback sounds and it’s so absurd it would fit in with modern dance music. Not so hidden messages in the lyrics but since pulling apart lyrics isn’t my thing I’d say it’s just a really cool idea.

This was a fun listen. It’s not banger after banger but it is hella creative. And when it hits, it hits. You can really get a feel for where MIA is going. For a debut album, it’s good but didn’t blow me away.

Klarte faktisk høre gjennom dette, ikke min stil i det hele tatt doe

Really good!!

Another M.I.A. album that's energetic, eclectic, fun and has depth. It grabs you instantly and doesn't let go. Perhaps not quite as accomplished as Kala, but as a debut album this is quite a statement. Unique and pioneering art. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Pull Up the People Date listened: 27/10/23

Good, but not for me

Late review: Christian asked to put on an album over breakfast, he wanted to know what I thought of it. I immediately begin grooving to the beats... niceeee He said that I should look at what Sam and Caitlin thought of it... "Why? Did Caitlin say she wants to vomit?" --- M.I.A. , I'm sorry I haven't checked out more of your stuff, other than those classic paper planes... I'll fly away with you on any type of plane, rootless to any land together, and we can listen to this album on the way. I like the hooks, the beat, the sass, the delivery, the grit, the strength, the venture, the lack of boundaries... the rhythms, rhythms, rhythms. I'm confused, thrilled, and I like it.

M.I.A. swaggers in. Boombox booming in one hand, the other hand texts acronyms to friends flung far away. It's hard to pin her down, with her Caribbean lilts, her Bristolian beats, her Arabic patois, her Mr. Oizo synths, her Acton shout-outs. Arular's fantastic. Music from the most bombastic sources distilled through a cocky self-assured artist with a real knack for hooks. It's quite the cocktail.

Trash. Offended my musical soul

Oh god this is terrible

Not my taste.

Supuso una corriente de aire fresco para el pop de aquellos años.

Fun!

oh man, I remember when this came out and KEXP's Kevin Cole could NOT stop gushing about MIA. I was into her then. At this point, maybe I've just heard this so much it feels a little tired or dated. It's ok but a full album of this style is too much.

Worst one yet

Not my bag fam

I like the Sanford and Son sample. It wasn't too bad but not anything really special to me. I really thought Paper Planes would be on this album. A 3 I guess. Feels like everything is a 2 or 3 right now.

An interesting album overall. It has its high points, such as "Bucky Done Gun" and "Hombre", but it's not a slam dunk throughout.

Very surprising album, I liked this one! Similar feel to Skindred without so much punk and more electronic beats.

It's an energetic album. I could listen to it again.

More interesting than enjoyable. There's not really a song on it that you want to replay / repeat. Nothing really too challenging, but I didn't enjoy it either.

I’ve don’t think I’ve heard of MIA before. At least, the name doesn’t ring a bell. The alcove cover seems a bit all over the place, so I’m not entirely sure what to expect here. Hopefully it will be good, but I’ve genuinely no idea. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Fire Fire I can appreciate how some people might like this, but it’s really just not my thing. It is like a poppy reggae R&B vibe with really British vocals over it. Fire Fire was probably the catchiest song here, but it’ll still be a stretch to say that I enjoyed it. It’s the kind of music that I wouldn’t turn off if it came on the radio, but I would find myself looking forward to it ending. It’s just not the kinda music that floats my boat unfortunately.

This passed some time, but largely sucked

I became aware of M.I.A. when Paper Planes blew up, purchased the album I think through eMusic (does that still exist?) back when it was in its indie-only, monthly use them or lose them points model. Super catchy but ultimately wears a little thin for me. I enjoyed this maybe a little more than that previous album, it had a rougher, rawer edge that served it well.

kesti hetken tajuta että kyseesså paljon heikompaa ku edellinen albumi tältä. vaikka tämähän kronologisesti eka...ylläpitö hassuttelee, jälkeempää albumia tarjotaan ensimmäisenä heh...hullut kahelit siellä ruudun toisessa päässä... mutta joo oma saundi löytynyt jo tässä mutta ei musiikkia vielä osata tehdä bingo

2.5

Great groovy electronic album! Pulsing and alive with MIA’s staccato vocals. Also a great primer for creating electronica.

I really like the production on this album, I don’t really know most of what was said but the beats were great. Definitely doesn’t overstay the welcome.

bättre än förväntat

This is very personal taste but do not like the rap style. It sounds whiney and she often go out of key or bend on places that feels wierd. The beats are bland and sometimes annoying. Not an album for me.

Fun album with different musical influences all over the place. 3 for now and will re-listen at a later date.

MIA is great, fun

M.I.A. is just so fucking cool she makes me want to be a criminal

Interesting mix of genres, rap,reggae, and edm, overall it all sounded the same throughout. Not sure why it's on the list, maybe it was groundbreaking at the time? It was ok.

Huh. Didn't see that coming. I liked this a lot. It was multidimensional, something I often find lacking in post 90s rap. Also, significantly more melodic.

Just like the other album on here....average

Eén keer M.I.A. in deze lijst is al ruimdenkend, maar 2 albums in deze lijst is waanzin. Zo te zien is deze vrij recent toegevoegd aan de lijst. Het zat de maker blijkbaar niet lekker dat haar 2e album er wel op stond maar het debuutalbum niet. Maargoed. De kaarten liggen nu eenmaal zo op tafel en we zullen het er mee moeten doen. Bijzondere muziek. Onrustig, trippy, tribal. Een soort voorloper van Die Antwoord. Het is zo bijzonder dat ik het voor 1x wel leuk vind om te luisteren, maar ik kan me niet voorstellen dat je deze regelmatig aanzet. Lekkere productie voor zover ik dat kan beoordelen. Wel bijzonder, niet geweldig.

M.I.A. is a trailblazing female rapper

Groovy

Not bad for a once througher.

Its been a while since I've listened to this one. Jeremy introduced me to it and Diolo around the same time. It's better than the sum of its tracks. Drums and lyrics and highlights throughout

2005 is such a strange year for music. There's no overall consensus on the best allbums of that year, really. My personal favorites are records by Broadcast, Mars Volta, Sufjan Stevens, Bloc Party, Why?, Kanye West, LCD Soundsystem and Sigur Rós... Yet as much as I love those albums, I can readily understand why they would not be considered "essential" by a lot of other people--even if I *do* consider them essential. Apart from that small list of personal favourites, you had some cool stuff by acts such as Animal Collective or Bright Eyes in 2005. But is that stuff "essential" in the long run? The jury's still out on this one. And then you have overrated borefests by Gorillaz, The National or Coldplay (a few interesting tracks here and there, but as whole albums, they're clearly hit-or-miss affairs, in spite of the somewhat delirious "critical reception" of those particular records). So yeah, it feels that the mid-naughts were a transitional period, as if music itself didn't know where to go next, mulling over its options: go back to the past, just like that recent roots-rock revival? Embrace technology? Reject technology? Slumber your way through that endless string of "landfill indie" acts (most of them British)? This hesitation seemed to affect every style up there, from rap to rock to electronica... In the meantime, listeners with a knack for adventure and groundbreaking proposals had to wait for something truly *new* to come up. This is the context in which M.I.A. released her debut, and I can understand why it was such a breath of fresh air at the time, given those many "problems" popular music had as a whole in those days. Maya Arulpragasam and her producers were pointing the way forward in a manner that could be equally relevant for hip hop, electronica or indie. A lot of tracks shine in this record--too many to mention them all. And most of those productions were already trying very hard to break the mold of past habits so as to offer something new at last. That being said, M.I.A. would only *really* up the ante with her next album *Kala*, of "Paper Planes" fame, which is probably the one essential record she ever released. Not that the rest of her discography is not good. It's just that if you take this debut, for instance, it is only a first sketch before the greater picture. Besides, a few tracks in *Arular* are clearly fillers or awkward "experimental" attempts at crafting off-kilter bangers. Horrid "U.R.A.Q.T." comes to mind here, for example. It's those sorts of missteps she avoided for her next release, and the bangers in the latter were even catchier and more memorable than the ones in this debut. So, well... Don't get me wrong, I still like or even love most tracks in *Arular*. But I'm gonna save some room for more "essential" albums in my own list. There's only eight 5-star reviews about M.I.A.'s debut on this app after all. Sure, there are not many reviews written about it yet, so maybe the album's global score can go higher than this meagre 2.88/5 overall rating. Yet as much as I wish that global score to go up, I'm not gonna change my own rule of thumb: albums rejected from my own list can't have more than a 3/5 grade. It's a cruel world. I'll boost *Kala* to a perfect 5-star grade instead when it appears on this app (I know it's also in that 1001 albums book). Even though there's not so much that separates the two records, to be honest, apart from a clear upgrade in overall quality... 3/5 for the purposes of this list, translating to a 8/10 grade for more general purposes (5+3). Number of albums left to review: 428 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 264 Albums from the list might* include in mine later on: 139 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 173 (including this one)

It's different, a but refreshing. But at the same time it's not that good, I can see how people may not like this. I guess I would say this album is more fun than good. Overall not bad though.

meh

Couldn't get through this album. Just when part of a song starts to get catchy, a cacophony of dissonant samples and effects are mashed into your eardrums. On the plus side you get a bit of a break with the skits.

Litt masete

Pull Up the People - 6/10 Bucky Done Gun - 7.5/10 Sunshowers - 7/10 Fire, Fire - 7/10 Dash the Curry - 6.5/10 Amazon - 7.5/10 Bingo - 7/10 Hombre - 7/10 One for the Head - 6/10 10 Dollar - 7/10 U.R.A.Q.T - 7/10 Galang - 7/10 M.I.A - 7/10 TOTAL - 89.5/130

I didn’t expect this to be a political album, but I guess it is (should've realised with the name M.I.A) It doesn’t work with the sample heavy hip hoppy music. A very awkward clash of styles thats not for me 2/5.

Album #1049 First Listen. Standouts: Galang, Sunshowers, Others: Pull Up the People, Bucky Done Gun, Fire Fire, Amazon, M.I.A. 3/5

plus hip hop que je connaissais. pas mauvais. 7/10

Awful, annoying as hell.

More hip hoppy than her last album.

Awesome. Great, inventive sonics, and not really a weak point in any aspect of M.I.A's producer-rapper-singer-songwriter job. Only thing is i think it was totally upstaged by her second album.

Not a fan of this one really.

crazy i kind of like it 3 stars

9/10 godDAMN I love M.I.A.! she’s got such an interesting, one-of-a-kind style that deserves to be commended

Wow, not one but two albums on this list? Thought this was better than the other one she had on here but that isn't exactly saying much. I guess she's experimental but I feel like I could've gone to my death without having listened to this one, outside of just confirming my biases after that first album. 5/10.

5/10. ok.

I really wish critics could get out of the mindset of "This mixes two different genres so it's good!". I liked this less than the other MIA album we had previously, I think her vocal delivery just annoyed me more here. 5/10

It was unnoteworthy. I tried to like it but I didn't. It was relatively short. I really only know Paper Planes and that song was not on this.

Un bon album, mais ça paraît que c'est son premier album car clairement elle cherche son son encore. Mais généralement c'était un bon album de hip-hop. 7/10

This genre isn’t mine.

Quite exhausting to listen to. Not getting it at all. On track 5 and I am knackered. No sign of any tunes yet. Now giving me a headache. Will not be listening to this again. This one's for the kids. My brain is not wired for this.

The twist of the skit form is more obvious, but hip-hop's propulsion is plucked as cleanly for ends here. The train doesn't hit the general public, but the tracks are aimed just where the artist wants 'em. Still as weird and frictional as anything else by M.I.A.

Arular is the second album recommended to me from M.I.IA. on this list. The first album I did not like, but I found Arular much more engaging. I know that I did not listen to all of the lyrics while listening to this album, and I missed much of the content. The lyrics were a big downfall of the previous album. The rhythms and energy of this album kept me in the flow of this album. Arular sounded like it would be fun to hear performed live. If I can skip "Freedom Skit" and "Banana Skit" I'd listen to this album again. (I'm generously rounding to 4 stars.)

Did not like

How did she sample the candy that pops in your mouth on "Banana - Skit". I thought my headphones were breaking. This is awesome. I'm going to steal the top negative review, because I agree with it, but not in the intended way: An album where every song is a seizure. Hell yeah it is, and it SLAPS. I want my brain to be turned into mush with experimentation and crazy sounds.

Was surprised to see one M.I.A album on the list, never mind two. Meh not surprised if this is removed in later iterations of the book.

overall, i found myself impressed but not intrigued. m.i.a. is definitely not your typical artist and there were some cool or unusual elements, like incorporating world music with hip hop and paying homage to her heritage. in a genre dominated by men and pointedly not those of indian heritage, m.i.a. carved quite a spot for herself in her debut album.

I'm not a huge fan of hip hop, and I didn't absolutely love this. That said, I appreciated M.I.A.'s take on hip hop here. The first time I ever hear M.I.A., I remember thinking "wow, this is definitely an alternative form of hip-hop". That thought holds up all these years later on this album. Her style is highly influenced by electronica and world sounds, and she does a good job at making those work. Overall, I really loved the style. The execution here is a little bit lackluster for me, though. This (or at least something of hers) definitely deserves a spot on this project for being a part of pioneering this sound, though. Probably around a 2.5 for me, but not wowed enough to round up.

I didn't like this as much as the other one, but I'm still watching her career with great interest. Best track: Sunshowers

I enjoyed Kala when it was recommended and I equally enjoyed this. Great fun, good beats, innovative noises. Quite different to conventional hip hop.

The artist is familiar to me but I don't think I've heard this album or any of the music from it before. It's engaging and interesting -- her style really pulls me in. Such a cool blend and layering of styles here. It's somehow edgy and smooth, catchy and off-kilter if that makes sense. I really like it. Intriguing stuff.

Esperava mais volúpia nos ritmos e batidas.

Nothing special, and this isn't even the album with Paper Planes on it!

Not my jam

First 3/4 was super enjoyable. Got a bit samey in the back end though.

I should like this more, but the overall effect was a bit grating and repetitive

Very very interesting and eclectic blend of styles, and it's rare to find something that is so mixed up like this to be so BOPPIN. This would be a 5 if the vocals didn't get a bit grating at times.

Truly one of the pioneers of the experimental crossover sounds that exist in today's music. A very fun listen, with interludes that flow as well.

Enjoyed it quiet a lot. Very interesting snappy beats on this one. There wasn't really any song that I didn't enjoy. Maybe the skit/intermissions could've been left out. Thankfully there are just 3 of them and they're not that annoying to pull me out of the experience.

I'm not sure what I expected but I sure didn't expect to end up totally digging this album. It's weird, wild, compelling, and completely different from anything else I've heard. I don't know, it's just really great. Gonna need to give this one several more listens.

Not my usual style. Not a hip hop fan. This one had enough going on to make it interesting.

This was a decent album. M.I.A. does a great job of distilling a wide range of influences. She expertly weaves various strains of British electronic music with hip hop and music from Sri Lanka. Her lyrics are obviously political and have caused quite a lot of controversy. I don’t this this album is as strong as Kala, but I still enjoyed it.

Pop dance. Ni fu ni fa.

Rap, dancehall. Curioso. Gritona.

J'ai trouvé ca trop nice. M.I.A a un style vraimenta elle pour ces années. En plus c'est son premier album. vraiment nice. C'est pas pour toutes les occasions mais, comme on dit, ''it grows on you'' et quand tu arrives a la derniere chanson tu es hook. 5

I thought this was fantastic and Marxist. 5 stars.

meh album 2.0.

enjoyed more than I thought I would

So wierd i dont like it

curti, sonzao animado e gravezon

Täynnä nuoruuden iloa ja taitoa, mutta jää yllättävän vaisuksi. Olisi saanut räjäyttää vielä enemmän. Mutta on virkee ja kiva. Viimeistelty vaikutelma.

Melodisesti tässä on sitä jotain, jolla 2010-luvun räppärit hankkivat myöhemmin menestyksensä. Soundillisesti puoleensa vetävää, hieman epätasaista, paikoin tylsääkin, potentiaalisesti koukuttavaa.

Pfffff, i did it, made it to the end. Not for me.

I like her follow up quite a bit (rated it as 5 stars some time ago) but just like 18 years ago, her debut album is still a hard listen - there are some nice beats but the songs are less catchy and get on one's nerves very quickly.

I enjoyed her second album Kala a bit more, but this debut was already pretty good. The songs are maybe a bit weaker, but the tasty beats make up for it.

Entertaining though rather busy album.

Awesome album to end the week on! I didn't think we would be getting another MIA album, let alone her debut. I can see now how she has evolved over the years, this was the only album of hers I don't think I've listened to. Very cool that she created most of this music and wrote it. I saved Sunshowers, Fire, Fire, and Hombre.

Number two from MIA, with no hits in sight. Still, another testament to how talented and creative she is (was?) as an artist. Such pronounced style, it's obvious why this list-maker would include multiple from MIA - she makes music that white people have never heard before. Jokes aside (am I joking?), I really dug this one. Not as captivating or consistent as Mala, but still a strong project. Prior to doing this project, I think I had only heard a couple of her newer albums, which are nowhere near as interesting as these early ones. Not sure what she's been up to. Favorite tracks: Banana, Pull Up the People, Sunshowers, Fire Fire, Hombre, 10 Dollar. Album art: Another banger. Better than Mala to me, this one is really cool. A great collage of colorful elements and styles, perfectly reflective of the kind of music she's putting out there. Plus you get a picture of her in the center, which is a nice bonus. 4/5

Didn't vibe with this one.

I wish Paper Planes was on this album. It’s my favourite M.I.A. song. Notwithstanding that, this had me bouncing in my seat and I love her global, kleptomaniac approach to mixing styles with a political stance to boot. I haven’t felt so physically inclined to dance along for a while - so - bonus!! Going to listen to Bad Girls now. This has actually made me happy.

She’s always fun to listen to. I think she’s pretty political, but I didn’t listen very closely to the lyrics, so I’m sure I am missing some deeper meanings. And that’s OK with me. I love the ‘Sanford and Son’ samples in URAQT. M.I.A. and Dizee Rascal remind me of one another.

This is bad-ass. I know I missed half of what was going on here, and if I were to dig in to better understand this album, I'm sure I'd get a more profound appreciation for it. But as it is, just listening and grooving to the songs, the production, the style, the vibe, and M.I.A.'s brand of rap, this was pretty amazing. I'm out on a limb here with a 5, but I'm not sure what could have made this better.

I loved this. Fired me up. I've enjoyed every song I've ever heard by MIA, so I'm kicking myself for not checking out this banger before.

I don't know much about Sri Lanka except for its location and the fact they had a civil war that lasted 25 years. AND I learned these two facts because when I first heard M.I.A. she was singing 9 months pregnant (on her due date no less!) at the Grammys. She performed Paper Planes. That swagger alone made me fall in love and want to learn more about this dynamite artist. I was not familiar with this one but really enjoyed the album. The mix of genres combined with her own cultural mix just delights me and makes me realize this world is so damn big and it's immigrants like M.I.A. who shine a lens back on our own culture so we can learn more. (Fun fact: two of the Beastie Boys are in her Paper Planes video at the very end)

Hip hop

La seva estrena discogràfica la va situar entre els noms a tenir més en compte a mitjans dels 00's. Original, provocativa, diferent, temes com 'Pull Up the People', 'Bucky Done Gun' o 'Sunshowers' et deixaven bocabadat per la seva eclosió de ritmes i propostes sonores. Malauradament, Maya mai ha estat capaç, ni en aquest treball ni en els posteriors (fins 2023 com a mínim), d'assolir un nivell semblant al llarg del minutatge, barrejant temes excel.lents amb material per omplir no gaire interessant

Kinda timely to get a female-fronted rap album with ‘Banana’ as the first track given all the Lizzo allegations that just came out. Alas, this album isn’t nearly as entertaining as any celebrity drama. Flat, repetitive, and with some disappointingly weak songwriting from M.I.A. that grates with its constant turn to schoolyard-chant style verses. The skits aren’t even skits, just half-formed musical interludes that offer no connective tissue or further meaning to the album. A bit of wasted spot here if you ask me, especially given the much stronger LP from this artist I got much earlier on in the project.

ugh, another album of hers? Ok, whatever. Ok, it's awful. 1/5.

A true fusion album; I can't classify it as one specific genre. It is cool to see explicit political messaging outside of its usual mediums like rap and punk. A few of the songs are really catchy, and I like the overall 2000s liminal vibes.

M.I.A again. It's not bad per se, just not really for me.

This was released when Black Eyed Peas were over the top popular. I can see how M.I.A. would have fit in back then. This has a sound made for dance floors and has style due to the fusing of Eastern influences although their next album does that a kittle better.

This debut LP is more raw and less varied than the other MIA we received. I'm surprised they would offer up 2 MIA records.

When Maya Arulpragasam (MIA) came out with her second album, Paper Planes it got raves by many critics but I found it virtually unlistenable due to her singing style and the abrasive percussion. And that was perhaps her biggest hit. So not surprisingly I'm not a fan of Arular, her debut album.

It's got that edm/club vibe that I typically can't do. But something in the rhythms kept me in for the full play. Can't say I'll run down to the vinyl store and add it to my collection but, who knows, as it doesn't suck entirely.

stop sayin crazy shit bout vaccines, lady

mia is so cool

Ok, so I rolled my eyes when I saw her come up on this list again but I had a lot of fun with this one.

Great debut album.

An album where every song is a seizure.

This is a shame, I could really like this album if M.I.A. wasn't so fake and plastic. Vibes count for a lot. She just doesn't exude the confidence that I need in my music. She seems like she's struggling with self identity wavering between cutesy pop artist and hard, confident artist pushing the boundaries of music. Musically, this is really wonderful. The quirky combinations of early 80's rap, electronica with repetitive flat bass using improvised instruments infused with some Jamaican spices makes this something to appreciate. But I just can't get beyond M.I.A. the singer. She reminds me of a more spastic immature version of Santigold lacking focus and self-awareness.

“Kala” is still on the list. “Arular” is not. This is the right choice. She may have gone a little cuckoo (anti-vax), but MIA’s first two albums definitely helped bring something unique and fresh. This debut still had some bugs, though. Most bothersome one is her tendency to end lines with vowel sounds (even when the words don’t end with vowels) and a sharp rise. “Sunshowers” is the album’s best track.

Recommended for someone who wants to know what $10 get you. Also for people who need to hear a song that samples Sanford & Son before they die.

I generally like the vibe, problem is each song is so repetitive.

What a wild ride! This is a unique sound that everyone deserves to hear before they die. Hate it or love it, it’s worth hearing. I for one, am struck. The somewhat-industrial, electronic music is captivating. I find the artist’s story to be part of the appeal. A visual artist that happened to play around with a 505 drum machine. She tried to find others to supply the vocals with no luck so she did it herself. Inspiring stuff. And a sonically stimulating experience.

Nee, dit werkt echt niet voor mij.

Ik word hier onrustig van.

Voor de verandering best aardig.

Ik mag dit wel.

Not all of it grabs me but some of it was catchy as hell. “Hombre” will be stuck in my head for a few days

I guess I didn't think M.I.A. was influential enough to be on here more than once.

The entire time listening to this album I had that annoyed Clint Eastwood look on my face.

M.I.A.'s debut Arular is much stronger than her more popular follow-up. Arular features all of the forward-thinking hip hop production and memorable international influence without any of the low points. While I don't care for the skits, they're short enough that you don't have to worry about them ruining the experience. M.I.A. is a good rapper who brings excellent energy to match the production on each of the tracks. Some songs are better demonstrations of her MCing than others, but the album is still an outstanding look at the kinds of new directions that hip hop was exploring in the early 2000's.

S.I.K

This album is definitely a fun jam.