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 enlarge | Artist: M.i.a.
Label: Interscope Records
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $9.86
You Save: $4.12 (29%)
New (12) Used (8) Collectible (1) from $7.00
Rating:  162 reviews
Sales Rank: 1784
Format: Explicit Lyrics
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 000484402
UPC: 602498826515
EAN: 0602498826515
ASIN: B0009S2TFC
Release Date: May 17, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 162
dumb people April 18, 2005
whiteblack (zurich)
14 out of 19 found this review helpful
saying 'someone could have made these beats in fruity loops' is not much of an insult. you can make any damn beat with fruity loops; neptunes, dr dre, timbaland and prefuse 73 all could have made their beats in fruity loops, it's a freaking sequencing program with a dumb name. it's not the tool, it's what you do w/ it. in any case, the beats on this album might not be that original or varied but they do what they're supposed to which is complement her vocals, which are the main attraction/characteristic of the album. i think they're great. i'm not too concerned with her politics; i can't understand 75% of what she's saying anyway. it's still fun and interesting to listen to because she has style, confidence and not many emcees out there sound remotely like her. people who think they're hip because they know two underground hip-hop artists who make 'unique' beats can sit and listen to prefuse and dj spooky alone in their room. this is dance music, the beats are simple; it's a catchy album. so get over it.
 Believe the Hype March 26, 2005
Sandra K (USA)
12 out of 16 found this review helpful
When I first heard the song "Galang" a few months ago, I wanted to drop to the floor and thrash about wildly. When I first listened through all of "Arular" this week, I wanted to detach my limbs from my body so they could all move independently of one another in order to keep up with the beats.
Anyone with a pulse will find it nearly impossible not to move to M.I.A.'s raw, solid beats. Anyone with a brain will appreciate M.I.A.'s unique presentation of her politics and outlook (whether you agree with her or not). But, if you'd rather keep your brain on "off" and just pulsate uncontrollably to the beats, that's fine too.
 It's got a nice beat and I can dance to it...sorta April 7, 2005
G. Mitchell (Los Angeles, CA United States)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
After the relentless hype building up to the oft-delayed release of M.I.A.'s debut CD, it's finally here, and...well...it's a bit of a letdown, quite honestly, after all the hoopla. Sure, "Galang" "Sunshowers" and especially "$10" are catchy addictive Timbaland-meets-Basement Jaxx on a boat to Jamaica blender, but after a few spins, song after song begins to sound exactly the same, and MIA's signature "patois" grates after a bit, too. Strip away the state-of-the-art production beats & sheen from Richard X and Diplo, and you haven't got much - sorta work in progress. I think M.I.A. has lots of potential, but needs to work on her songwriting skills a bit more if she wants to last longer than her cover stories.
Gives the phrase "political party" a whole new meaning April 24, 2005
Briana (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
12 out of 17 found this review helpful
When I first heard about M.I.A from a brief article in a news magazine, I was both intrigued by the description of her music and darkly fascinated with her back story. From the article, I gained the knowledge that M.I.A (whose real name is Maya Arulpragasam) was a war refugee from Sri Lanka who now is a rapidly rising visual artist and "electronic-dancehall" singer based out of London. After looking online for more information on her, I found that critics had almost nothing but good things to say about her and her new album, "Arular." Convinced that I would like the album, I decided to purchase it. I do not regret the decision at all.
"Arular" opens with frantic percussion, and this continues at a similar driving pace for most of the album. Some reviewers have criticized this project for having "simple" beats, but I disagree. The rhythms on this album are infectious (especially on songs like "Galang" and "Fire Fire") and hard to ignore. M.I.A uses her voice as an instrument as well, rapping and singing in a manner that sounds great with the music. Especially interesting are the parts of the album where she layers her voice, such as the harmonizing at the beginning of "Hombre" or the wordless chorus of "Ya-ya-hey! Oh-ee-oh-ya-ya-yay" at the end of "Galang." The style that this album is in seems to be in a genre entirely its own, fusing a myriad of styles together as many critics have pointed out.
Lyrically, this album mixes the carefree with the serious in a way that I haven't encountered before. M.I.A does have some mindless but fun party songs on here ("Bingo," "Hombre," "Bucky Done Gun") but she also sets out to educate people about the Sri Lankan civil war and the ravages of conflict as well. These topics are not what you would usually find on a dance-oriented album. M.I.A's father (who is named "Arular") left her family to found a militant group, which was one of the factors in her becoming a refugee. Because of this close contact with the war, it is understandable that she would be somewhat preoccupied with it. "Freedom Skit," "Fire Fire," "Pull Up The People," "Sunshowers," and the excellent hidden track "M.I.A" all reference the conflict and the impact that it had on her life.
The interesting thing about M.I.A is the fact that she talks about war and everything that goes with it (terrorism, poverty, ETC) without sounding preachy or personally violent. When she mentions these things, she is just giving the straight talk about everything she saw growing up in war-torn Sri Lanka. It never seems as if she is justifying or promoting what goes on over there, and she doesn't seem to be moralizing or anguishing about it either. She just wants people to know about it in a way that will make them listen, and for this reason she is perfectly comfortable saying lines like "The trendsetters make things better / Don't sell out to be product pushers" and "Every gun in a battle is a son and daughter, too / So why you wanna talk about who done who?" next to ones like "I bongo with my lingo / And beat it like a wing yo." M.I.A's party is not going to stop when the politics come in.
All things considered, it's an excellent album that receives my highest recommendation.
Different from Everything Else Out...Innovative June 27, 2005
Musac Critic
12 out of 17 found this review helpful
I can understand why an album like M.I.A.'s ARULAR might not be well received in the United States by everybody. I think it takes a person who likes truly innovative, non-mainstream/non-commercial music to truly appreciate an album to this caliber.
In so many ways, M.I.A. is ahead of her time. I think in the U.S.A., electronica isn't a well embraced style. Here though, M.I.A. really embraces the style and uses it as the backdrop of her rhymes/hooks, which emcompass many political themes, which it takes several listens to really pick up on. For a person first listening to this, it might be easy enough to write off the whole CD because it is repetitive, if you are from the United States, M.I.A.'s accent might grate on you just because you aren't familiar with it. This isn't your typical CD, but it is truly an innovative and enjoyable listen.
What makes this so great is the fact that you get the feeling with this innovative CD that music is not dead. People are still trying to come out with the next big musical breakthrough or the next big breakthrough musical style. I think that these musical innovations are coming more from the non-mainstream/non-commercial sector of the industry, specifically indie-musicians. I think it is fascinating.
This whole CD is excellent. My favorite listens are "Pull Up The People", "Bucky Done Gun", "Fire Fire", "10 Dollar", and "Galang". I only recommend this CD to those who like different approaches, less commercial approaches to music. If you are a commercial music listener, then I don't think this is your cup of tea. Even if you don't understand this recording, it is important to appreciate it significance and to appreciate how innovative it is. That is why ARULAR is easily a 5 star affair.
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