FAMKAB

By Kevin Kilker

M.I.A. has never been able to be fit into a category…a little bit electronica, a little bit hip hop, and a lot a bit unique. After “Paper Planes” became a hit and subsequently exposed her to a brand new mainstream audience that was shocked to enjoy her music, she did what any other normal person would: Performed at the Grammy’s a full 9 months pregnant, then naming the kid Ikyhd (Yes Ikyhd), retire from performing only to renounce that decision a year later, and not to mention getting nominated for an Academy Award (For her Slumdog Millionaire track “O Saya”). So for her third album, the stakes were a lot higher. And as usual, she does not disappoint whatsoever.

Her latest effort, MAYA ( actually written as /\/\ /\ Y /\ ), is trademark M.I.A., but she does manage to expand her already wide ranging sound and at times she becomes, dare I say, accessible. She sings on more tracks while getting much more bass friendly on others, occasionally switching the sound up and coming out of left field.  Now some may argue that she has always been bass friendly, and in some senses they would be right. But here the bass is louder, more impactful and have a way of standing out more. It’s as if every aspect of the songs seem to speak forthemselves and stand out brighter that way. And although not every song is flawless in that respect, never is there a dull moment, and the 42 minute running time never lags, and if anything is too short.

The album starts off with the minute long bass loving “The Message”  and goes right into “Steppin’ Up”, another bass thumping journey It is also one of the first songs to feature powertools prominently in the  background beat. The next track, “XXXO”, has already been released, but it still is an accessible, catchy club jam that features ironic lyrics like “You want me be somebody who I’m really not” and “I can be the actress, you be Tarantino”.  It almost seems like she is trying to rebel against the fact that she became a household name overnight, and the welcoming dance beat cements the idea of clashing ideals. “Teqkilla” is an interesting experiment in electronica, hip hop and bass usage. And at over six minutes long, it is an epic, head bobbing, entrancing tune that serves as the CD’s longest song. “Lovalot” is an M.I.A. standard, spewing out hip hop lyrics over a tribal beat, but all the while a little bit cleaner and a little more polished. The next song  is “Story to be Told”, another awesome club bumper which features another M.I.A. trademark, a chorus with a distorted hindu sound clip. But like “Lovalot” it’s even more elegantly put together. “It Takes a Muscle” is easily the album’s most mainstream friendly track, featuring a mid tempo reggae beat with M.I.A. cooing about falling in love, a bold move for the artist, who’s sound is typically a little less sunny. But she pulls it off brilliantly, and the catchy chorus could put this song on the billboard chart. “It Iz What It Iz” follows next, and flows seamlessly from the previous reggae sounding “Muscle”, featuring another mid tempo beat that acts as a great intermission song. “Born Free”, another previously released track, is easily the most explosive song on the album. Sampling the 1977 song “Ghost Rider” from punk rock gods Suicide, the singer belts out defiant lyrics as the song continuously pulsates in the background.  The political undertones were brought out in the controversial, 9 minute long music video directed by Roman Gavras. And although I was unsure of how the song would fit into the album (as did many other critics and fans) it ended up working out great. “Meds and Feds” samples Sleigh Bells, one of M.I.A.’s groups on her predictably unique N.E.E.T. label. In fact, Sleigh Bells’ Derek Miller produced the track.  And the result is a drum and bass masterpiece that is irresistible not to bump your head to. The next track, “Tell Me Why”, slows the pace back down, while at the same time showcasing her vocal abilities, although at times she is aided by a voice modulator. Not to take anything away from the usage of voice modulators, though, as it actually compliments the track. So in the end it was probably intentional. It blends seamlessly into the album’s final track, “Space”, which is a mellow, outright psychadelic mind trip of a song,  allowing the listener to mellow out, and wrapping up the CD perfectly.

All in all it isn’t QUITE as impacting as its predecessor, 2007’s breakthrough Kala, but it doesn’t really have to be at this point in her career. It is, however, a more flawless and carefully crafted effort, taking more chances but maintaining her unique identity throughout. She stuck with her same producers, Diplo and Switch (if it ain’t broke, right?), along with adding British beatmaker Rusko and previously mentioned Derek Miller to the list as well. To conclude, M.I.A. continues to prove why she is one of the most dependable artists in music today, with a CD that shows her growth as an artist and as a person, and is easily one of the year’s best.

The album is due for release on July 13, but was recently leaked to torrent sites. M.I.A. and her label, Interscope,  have not made any plans to push the release date up yet, but have not ruled it out as a possibility.

My Grade: A

M.I.A.'s cover image for her newest album, // / Y /, due for release July 13

Vampire Weekend’s new video definitely doesn’t disappoint. A goofy Joe Jonas, Wu-Tangs RZA, Lil John and of course most importantly a drunk Jake Gyllenhaal. Vampire Weekend make a great choice for their next single if you ask me and the video more than delivers.

Thanks to Spinner.com

So I have something to admit.  I should come clean.  It’s all too common for me to become so enamored with a band, musician, musical act, sparkly thing, whatever. I will repeatedly listen to nothing but one album for hours, days, sometimes I will even suffer months of addiction.  I’m not horribly ashamed to admit it I suppose, I just generally keep it to myself.  I spend a lot of time listening to music, I know I’m not nearly as knowledgeable about musical composition and production as Brent and I don’t have the encyclopedic knowledge of all things music like Kevin but I am an avid consumer.

Why did I waste your time right there? Well because I have what, I can guarantee is a new obsession. Yesterday Yeasayer’s new album Odd Blood hit stores and despite no previous knowledge of the band (ignorance I know) I have it. I’m not an album reviewer, I don’t have the background or skill set required but I do think I have a fairly good track record and ear for music to know when something will be or should much bigger than it was previously. I don’t pretend to obsess over the obscure, I’m not a pretend “Innovator” but I try to be an early adopter or at least in the early majority. (Yes we’re talking Everett Rogers here)

Now before I catch any shit from my fellow writers or potential readers for sounding cocky, listen, watch, enjoy.
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You’re probably wondering what this is doing in the middle of all the rest of the relatively current music on here.  Well to explain, I just got a new record player because my vintage Technics SL-D3 crapped out a long while ago and I have recently taking a liking to vinyl.  Vinyl has a character that is all its own; each instrument is brighter, fuller and more distinct.  This has never been more true with a 120 gram press of this absolutely awesome album.  Slash is a force to be reckoned with all his own and when his fat sweet guitar bends mesh with the shrill but sexy scream of Axl Rose the outcome is pure gold.  If you have it on CD – take it to the next level and get the full shred of Slash’s signature Les Paul on vinyl.

Buy the vinyl here: Appetite for Destruction [Vinyl]

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