"Paper Planes" has the best chorus.
― HI DERE, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 22:57 (sixteen years ago) link
she's not 35
― gabbneb, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 22:59 (sixteen years ago) link
xpost
yeah I agree. and it stands out since it's so sing-songy and a lot of the rest of the album is fairly harsh.
I love Jimmy and Paper Planes, and like much of the rest ... really the only one I'm not that into is $20, it sounds like a bad mash-up .... the smooshed-together elements aren't digested enough, you're like "oh she's singing the Pixies over New Order." which in itself is not very interesting.
― dmr, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 23:01 (sixteen years ago) link
i guess i should go buy this now
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 00:15 (sixteen years ago) link
I was disappointed by this. By the beats as much as anything (I've always considered MIA more of a toaster / accompaniment than someone who can really take control of a track). Then again, I don't like Switch, so maybe it's not surprising. Too much trebly noise, not enough rhythm, and limited one note basslines.
― paulhw, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 00:47 (sixteen years ago) link
― The Reverend, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 02:41 (sixteen years ago) link
Okay I think "The Turn" is maybe an order of magnitude better than everything else on this album.
Yep. There's a few other decent ones. Overall the album disappoints.
― bnw, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 02:50 (sixteen years ago) link
$7.99 sale price at Best Buy today.
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 03:46 (sixteen years ago) link
When asked to confirm M.I.A.’s age, a spokeswoman at Interscope waffled between 30 and 31; her manager, Tiffany Steffens, said that M.I.A.’s passport gives her age at 32. Like many details of her past, it can’t be verified very easily. from New York Times article
"An Itinerant Refugee in a Hip-Hop World" for those of you quibbling about her age. By BEN SISARIO Sunday August 19, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/arts/music/19sisa.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 03:54 (sixteen years ago) link
first impression (which may not hold up) is that this is better than arular. tougher, louder and poppier all at the same time. in any case, not remotely a disappointment.
― tipsy mothra, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 13:17 (sixteen years ago) link
haha I totally read that as "An Internet Refugee"
― Alex in Baltimore, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 13:21 (sixteen years ago) link
tipsy mothra OTM. The highs aren't as high as Arular, but its a much more even album. After her absolutely atrocious Lollapalooza set I was set for more disappointment, but I was pleasantly surprised after my first listen.
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 13:21 (sixteen years ago) link
really enjoying this record
― J0hn D., Wednesday, 22 August 2007 14:43 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't know how generous I'm being towards M.I.A.'s intentions, but I'd think she wouldn't just shoe-horn some Pixies lyrics into a song unless she thought they had some meaning she wanted to convey. (Unless, of course, her sole intention was to flip some geeky whiteboy rock-crit wigs.) Just sayin'.
― elmo argonaut, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 15:04 (sixteen years ago) link
i liked this MUCH more than arular
― mitya, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 15:22 (sixteen years ago) link
never really listened to arular, kala is a good record, sounds great in the car, yay
― Dimension 5ive, Wednesday, 22 August 2007 15:23 (sixteen years ago) link
"Paper Planes" oh wow
― Telephone thing, Thursday, 23 August 2007 06:39 (sixteen years ago) link
yeah "Paper Planes" is far and away my favorite thing she's done so far. Even as much as it seems a departure for her somehow? I've just been playing it over and over the past couple of weeks.
― Clay, Thursday, 23 August 2007 07:03 (sixteen years ago) link
Aside from the "Straight to Hell" sample, what else does "Paper Planes" take bits from? The "all I wanna do is *shotgun* *shotgun* *shotgun* *shotgun* and *reload* *cash register* and take your money" is definitely a quote, I just can't place it...
― Telephone thing, Thursday, 23 August 2007 07:17 (sixteen years ago) link
All I wanna do is a zoom zoom zoom zoom and a boom boom! just shake your rump!
― Tim F, Thursday, 23 August 2007 08:24 (sixteen years ago) link
The Pixies again!
― blueski, Thursday, 23 August 2007 09:42 (sixteen years ago) link
The above-mentioned video for "Jimmy":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLPUe9Xn9ZE&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epoetv%2Ecom%2Fvideo%2Ephp%3Fvid%3D22008
Some really impressive animation work in this.
― Telephone thing, Thursday, 23 August 2007 09:54 (sixteen years ago) link
I'd think she wouldn't just shoe-horn some Pixies lyrics into a song unless she thought they had some meaning she wanted to convey.
sure -- she's building on the psychological dislocation of the original by adding geographic and economic dislocation to it. adrift in the global economy, etc.
― tipsy mothra, Thursday, 23 August 2007 16:28 (sixteen years ago) link
@Telephone thing: Wreckx N Effect - Rumpshaker.
― elmo argonaut, Thursday, 23 August 2007 16:47 (sixteen years ago) link
maybe i'm just overly familiar w/ the pixies song. the modern lovers bit in bamboo banger doesn't rub me wrong at all.
― dmr, Thursday, 23 August 2007 17:29 (sixteen years ago) link
the speech impediment on that -- "woad wunnuh woad wunnuh" -- makes me think of the elmer fudd version of "fire." but that's ok. elmer's cool.
― tipsy mothra, Thursday, 23 August 2007 18:34 (sixteen years ago) link
paper planes mango pickle
― remy bean, Friday, 24 August 2007 02:01 (sixteen years ago) link
I like the first few tracks that remind me of PiL.
― da croupier, Friday, 24 August 2007 04:14 (sixteen years ago) link
I can't stop listening to "Paper Planes"
― Tape Store, Friday, 24 August 2007 04:18 (sixteen years ago) link
I'd suggest she indulge her post-punky side more (def. preferable to goin' Timbaland, her heart's not in Nelly Furtadoing), but then I'm worried we'd get more stuff like "$20."
― da croupier, Friday, 24 August 2007 04:20 (sixteen years ago) link
there's a track that reminded me very much of a track off the gang of four's yellow ep. or the vibe of a lot of the slits/raincoats. that kinda forlorn melodica thing.
i'm enjoying this record much more than i expected to.
― strongohulkington, Friday, 24 August 2007 04:28 (sixteen years ago) link
same here, I wasn't even curious to hear it until like a week ago
― dmr, Friday, 24 August 2007 04:43 (sixteen years ago) link
my favourite tracks are the ones i heard before getting the album with the exception of Paper Planes - as good as everyone says, pretty much. think $20 may actually be my favourite tho along with the singles.
― blueski, Friday, 24 August 2007 10:05 (sixteen years ago) link
OMG I have been caning this all week - and it's all completely awesome apart from the Timbaland track. The only thing I didn't like on Arular were the skits, but I hate skits.
Also enough with the circumspection. I'm pretty sure she just likes the Pixies and New Order. You couldn't live with the Frischmann for any length of time and not like them; also 32/33 is sufficient age to be a first wave raver - 13/14 in '88. I'm also disturbed by the mental pictures Christgau is painting, but that's an 'improvement' on just BORING me as per usual.
― suzy, Friday, 24 August 2007 11:38 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm really not feeling this album AT ALL. :-(
― nathalie, Friday, 24 August 2007 11:47 (sixteen years ago) link
The first track swipes off The Perfect Kiss, too...
You may find enjoyment of the record is enhanced by one of those cars with bass bins and Class C narcotics.
― suzy, Friday, 24 August 2007 16:35 (sixteen years ago) link
I certainly find that with the new Darren Hayes double LP
― blueski, Friday, 24 August 2007 17:38 (sixteen years ago) link
This ain't a patch on her first album, which had higher peaks and was more consistent to boot. "$20" and "Paper Planes" are the worst things she's done, why are they getting the hype?
― The Reverend, Friday, 24 August 2007 17:56 (sixteen years ago) link
Actually, that's probably unfair. The better half of this is genuinely exciting.
― The Reverend, Friday, 24 August 2007 17:57 (sixteen years ago) link
conversely i don't get the "$20" hate. pixies aside, i love the big dubby sound of it.
― tipsy mothra, Friday, 24 August 2007 18:49 (sixteen years ago) link
stunt opinion injury
― sexyDancer, Friday, 24 August 2007 18:53 (sixteen years ago) link
no! it's got a nice drone. i don't know what the problem is.
― tipsy mothra, Friday, 24 August 2007 19:00 (sixteen years ago) link
It just kind of drones.
― The Reverend, Friday, 24 August 2007 19:03 (sixteen years ago) link
drone is ok by me.
― tipsy mothra, Friday, 24 August 2007 19:09 (sixteen years ago) link
who the fuck listens to this bullshit
― and what, Friday, 24 August 2007 19:15 (sixteen years ago) link
good point.
― tipsy mothra, Friday, 24 August 2007 19:16 (sixteen years ago) link
i mean, "zing"!
― tipsy mothra, Friday, 24 August 2007 19:17 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/NewAnswersControllerServlet?boardid=41
(xpost)
― Alex in Baltimore, Friday, 24 August 2007 19:17 (sixteen years ago) link
what kind of fool wants to hate on 'Boyz' anyway?
― blueski, Friday, 24 August 2007 19:19 (sixteen years ago) link
I guess it's not even worth mentioning at this late date, but I *wish* Timbaland didn't have to take a verse.
His vocals seem so out of place. Her lyrics are cryptic and vaguely political, then he awkwardly crashes in with his tired "I'm the MAN baby doll" shtick.
― Daniel, Esq., Friday, 24 August 2007 21:30 (sixteen years ago) link