21 August, 2007

Beyond "Galang"

Everyone who listens to fringe hip-hop and dance music can agree that M.I.A. makes different sounds (getting a consensus on whether those sounds are good or not is another story). A few things you need to know about Maya Arulpragasm (M.I.A.) are 1) that you've probably heard an M.I.A. song without even knowing you were listening (Honda used the song "Galang" to sell their cars); 2) M.I.A. is an artist with rabid fans and rabid foes; and, 3) M.I.A., whose life has been defined by a series of dramatic moves across the world and parents who "fight the power!", has made her music both multicultural and rebellious. M.I.A. is not easily definable, which is probably why everyone is trying to define her music.

I will try not to fall into the trap of jaded music reviewers and analyze every lyric on M.I.A.'s new album, Kala. I enjoyed "Galang", and the whole Arular album, but not enough to invest in an entire copy. I didn't get involved in the hype of the last album (not an easy task), and I judged her music on its own merit; I hope I'll be able to do the same with Kala.

Kala starts off with the song "Bamboo Banga", which sets the mood for the whole album. This record is a dance record, but the dancing is not the wild and exhuberant type of dancing that followed "Galang", it's the kind of dancing that is done early in the morning at clubs. "Bamboo Banga" gives you the feeling that everything is dark, but very alive; the underground is throbbing. It's a nice fringe club song, but it gives the whole album a deeper, darker, almost chthonic feeling.

"Bird Flu" takes you a little higher; although the banging and drumming reminds me of Army Marching Bands and gunfire, the vocals aren't as low as those on "Bamboo Banga". M.I.A.'s lyrics are dark, and the theme of cultures at odds hits harder the second time around. On Arular, M.I.A. threw out some lyrics that referenced the consumer culture of European countries as compared to the struggle to live that takes place in countries to the South and East, but her ideas were far from fully formed and her lyrics lacked that extra pop against the dance music. M.I.A.'s lyrics are written with a steadier hand, especially on "Bird Flu" where, in the same line, she juxtaposes "live in trees chew on feet" and " watch lost on cable". This line brings together the idea of how people see her (as a racist caricature of a Sri Lankan or as a poseur), and how she sees herself (a mixture of all the worlds from which she comes).

"Boyz" and "Jimmy" are very different songs musically, but they're both dance songs about boys. "Boyz" is banged out over some heavy beats and horns, while "Jimmy" is very '70s Disco meets '80s dance tune. Both songs are fun for a few listens, but I found them both annoying after the third play.

"Hussel (featuring Afrikan Boy)" dives into deep jungle sounds with an eerie speed after the Western bubblegum sounds of "Jimmy". Maybe M.I.A. is juxtaposing cultures again, maybe she's pointing out the fact that the jungle is never too far from the party, or maybe I'm overanalyzing. No matter what its meaning as far as album position goes, this is my favorite song on the album. I especially enjoy the lyric: "I hate money cause it makes me numb". An astute observation that rings true, because it's made by someone who hasn't always had money.

"Mango Pickle Down River (featuring The Wilcannia Mob)" is the weirdest song on the whole album. The song consists of rhymes without much of a back-beat (again that throb is present). The rhymes are thrown out by kids and by M.I.A. herself, but the song fails a bit, because it never really tricks the listener into hearing the lyrics.

"20 Dollar" is mechanical and dark. The lyrics are well-written, but slightly overwhelmed by the fuzzy, overloud guitars in the background. An interesting song, whose placement creates another disjointed juxtaposition (if M.I.A. didn't plan these awkward bridges between completely different sounds, then her mixer is definitely not doing a good job). The softness of "Mango Pickle Down River" smooshes up against the hardness of "20 Dollar", probably making the song sound more dramatic than it would against, say "Hussel".

"World Town" is the most fun you'll have listening to the whole album. The song is light and playful, but not without depth. M.I.A. is representing the World Town, a crossroads of disparate cultures and sounds, but she's bringing it all together in a cohesive little unit of song.

"World Town" sets the mood for the final five songs, which are all lighter in tone than the first seven. These five final tracks are what you'll hear on the radio, if you hear any of Kala on the radio. It's unlikely that the album will recieve much attention from stations, because the sounds are influenced by both world-music and rebellion, a bit of a stretch for most stations. Still, the fact that Timbaland appears on the penultimate track "Come Around" is testament to the fact that M.I.A. is getting attention from the popular musical community.

Overall, the album Kala carries a depth and a finish that were not found on Arular. The polish of the songs on Kala is partly from being recorded in a studio that lives up to the sounds being expressed, but the writing is also polished. The album is not without bumps, but it is of a higher quality, in my opinion, than Arular. None of the tracks on Kala are as fun as "Galang", but maybe M.I.A. didn't want them to be. Check out the album if you're interested in a dance record that stretches your mind.

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