MIA

kind of lol, but ugh perpetua? really?

According to Metacritic I am still leading the race to give this the most damning review.

I gave it one star in the Neston & Ellesmere Port Chronicle but I was limited to 35 words. I guess there's a cut-off.

"That song is not a total disaster, but it's certainly a missed opportunity and a poor application of a strong guitar riff."

That review is not a total disaster, but it's certainly a missed opportunity and a poor application of a 4.4 grade.

are we gonna have some fun in here today or what

man oh man

gotta go to work :(

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd120/hipsterrunoff/photographs/hro/86b7b3e9.jpg

stoked 4 the madness

Is anyone actually excited and/or looking forward to actually listening to this?

I'm looking forward to one of you singing the PFM review to me.

this was playing during my Fopp browsing session today.
it gave me a headache, so i bought the new Walls album instead.

I'm saying nothing.

^^^that's what all l0u1s jagg3r posts look like when I wear my They Live glasses

dude considering I get your back more than many that's not a shrewd move

http://www.tnelson.demon.co.uk/mastermind/images/mastermind1.jpg

^ LJ

two white pegs, one black peg

why are we talking about your sexual history in a MIA thread

dats a zing

more cruel zings, less pitchfork chat

why is louis 'saying nothing'? idgi

Obviously Louis IS MIA. A clever disguise this whole time.

Just the thought that people who regard Pitchfork as Law and MIA as British Music might be having a rather conflicted day (not, I hasten to add, that many ILXors are implicated in this thought)

(says the British guy who enjoys laying down the Law...)

I'm just keeping you all on your toes ;)

so the new Juan Maclean comes in a longbox? pretty retro.

so the new Juan Maclean comes in a longbox? pretty retro wasteful

Link?

HA!

http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l5gd5cji0y1qzb1flo1_400.gif

If they can't the facts right about the single biggest pop star of the last century then why should we care what else they say? Outrage regarding MJ had nothing to do with the quality of the 'early 1990s' records but with the fact that there weren't any court cases re the child abuse up until then. People didn't take any of it too seriously until the Jordy Chandler case in 1993. Up to that point, it had all been Bubbles the chimp, airtanks in the studio and facelifts and hearsay and gossip.

that 4.4 rating and overall h8 is obviously meant for the artist herself, not the album....right?

I dunno. I don't like or not like Maya anymore now than I ever did, but the new album is a heap o' shit.

Even Space?! See, I quite enjoy the chaotic nature of the album but I can see how it can be off-putting to certain ears. Especially those who were expecting her to take the next step in mainstreaming her sound, or who aren't too fond of the lo-fi aesthetic. What I don't get is how can someone appreciate Sleigh Bells, then turn around and say Maya is "too noisy".

*how someone can

XXXO and ...Muscle are as mainstream/pop friendly as Rihanna.

I think Sleigh Bells are too noisy. I know that mixing right into the red is part of their thing, but my ears would be happier if they didn't do that. However, the songs are definitely there in Sleigh Bells' case. The new M.I.A. is largely shapeless and lazy, whereas her earlier albums were tight as a drum. tbh, it comes across to me as her just not caring anymore. And if she can't, I can't either.

In total agreement. XXXO is the most poppy thing she's ever released imo.

that 4.4 rating and overall h8 is obviously meant for the artist herself, not the album....right?

― Soft Sad Tecmo Bowl (Spinspin Sugah), Monday, July 12, 2010 6:53 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark

the artist who made the album

and yeah when they're not um sampling funkadelic sleigh bells sound horribly loud

If they can't the facts right about the single biggest pop star of the last century then why should we care what else they say? Outrage regarding MJ had nothing to do with the quality of the 'early 1990s' records but with the fact that there weren't any court cases re the child abuse up until then. People didn't take any of it too seriously until the Jordy Chandler case in 1993. Up to that point, it had all been Bubbles the chimp, airtanks in the studio and facelifts and hearsay and gossip.

― piscesx, Monday, July 12, 2010 1:51 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

why even nitpick details with such a batshit parallel. MJ = MIA and child molestation = inarticulate interview!

"The piece was devastating to her credibility, and her childish response-- putting the author's cell number on Twitter-- only made matters worse."

Really? I got the distinct impression that no one outside of ILX gave a shit and ILX seemed pretty meh about her (basically non-existent) credibility and childish response.

nah there were definitely people outside ILX who take/took her super seriously and were shocked and dismayed, silly as it seems

On second reading, that review is even worse than I thought. For one thing it's lazy - apart from mentioning the theme of The Message he doesn't engage at all with the lyrics and why MIA might have chosen this dense, abrasive sound as a vehicle for them. He just lists producers and grumbles that they're aren't enough tunes, which is what you say about a Christina Aguilera album, not one with this much to get your teeth into. The lines where he actually engages with the music are feeble and colourless - "moments of interesting noise" ffs.

Furthermore, as pointed out by some dude, the idea that MIA has to make up for some major bad behaviour is just ridiculous - you really have to have your head up your arse to think that some simplistic/daft political statements (no more simplistic or daft than those made by Strummer, Marley or PE, by the way) are a big enough deal that she has to atone for them. He quotes Hirschberg's caricature as if it's the consensus view and presents as fact the dubious, condescending assumption that the sound of the record is about her restating her hipster bona fides to make up for marrying a rich dude, constantly acting as if the reader shares his personal animus against MIA.

None of which is to say that you couldn't make a good case for a grade this low - I'd give it about 6 - but it's like he isn't even trying. I'd say the argument was weak but there's really no argument being made here.

Really? I got the distinct impression that no one outside of ILX gave a shit and ILX seemed pretty meh about her (basically non-existent) credibility and childish response.

I thought her childish response was the only rock and roll thing anyone has done in years.

Plus, the idea that M.I.A. has a "public." She has one hit.

it's matthew 'fluxblog' perpetua

Her "public" is on this thread or writing their own M.I.A. reviews.

The reason I'm so pissed off with it is because I actually look forward to Pitchfork reviews of big, divisive artists that spawn endless ILX threads - there's potential for some terrific writing. Compared to the two meaty Vampire Weekend album reviews (by [nabisco] and Mike Powell) this is a waste of time.

so wait, you're saying that something written by someone who made a name for himself by being a vacant musical magpie wrote a worse review than two people who actually analyze the music they come across?

STOP THE PRESSES

Her "public" is on this thread or writing their own M.I.A. reviews.

― Filmmaker, Author, Radio Host Stephen Baldwin (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, July 12, 2010 3:34 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

not to get all 'in my world of young ppl' but c'mon dude. she may not be lady gaga but she's pretty famous/popular.

the alt report report is funnie mainly for zinging perpetua imo:

Not sure if this reviewer ‘authentically hates M.I.A.’ or if it is a rookie music writeblogger critic trying to make a name for himself in the blogisphere by ’shitting hard’ on this album/M.I.A.’s brand:

Without compelling tunes, the obnoxious public antics, dubious political messages, and thin voice that had grated on her naysayers have become impossible for even dedicated fans to ignore. It’s as if everything that was great about M.I.A. has been stripped from this music, leaving behind only the most alienating aspects of her art and public persona.

Seems obvi. Coulda just posted a picture of some feces and moved on, but I feel like maybe this review is an opportunity to ‘be remembered forever’ maybe.