New M.I.A. album - June 29, 2010

[LemonMelon]

Bands seem to have really stopped giving a shit about lead singles these days, particularly indie bands. M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem and Vampire Weekend are the worst offenders this year, I think. It's just not a huge deal for them because the critical reception they receive is significant enough to balance out a throwaway track.

 

[Imperor]

Vampire Weekend are the worst

This I can get behind.

 

[lazarus]

Bands seem to have really stopped giving a shit about lead singles these days, particularly indie bands. M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem and Vampire Weekend are the worst offenders this year, I think. It's just not a huge deal for them because the critical reception they receive is significant enough to balance out a throwaway track.

Are you saying Cousins or Horchata was a poor choice? Don't remember which one was the actual single?

Either way, I like both those songs a lot and the choice doesn't bug me as much as Drunk Girls, one of the two worst songs on the album.

 

[u2popmofo]

Arcade Fire may take that title with this new album.

 

[LemonMelon]

Are you saying Cousins or Horchata was a poor choice? Don't remember which one was the actual single?

Either way, I like both those songs a lot and the choice doesn't bug me as much as Drunk Girls, one of the two worst songs on the album.

Horchata has never been a single; Cousins was first. Everything they do is terrible, so neither would have been a great choice in my book, but Cousins has absolutely nothing going for it whatsoever.

BTW, just to clarify, I really, really like XXXO, and wiki claims that's the first legit single. Born Free was apparently just released to stir shit.

 

[lazarus]

I don't know, Cousins has that hot little surf guitar lick which I like a lot.

 

[If you shout...]

@ basically everything this woman has done, outside of the studio, over the course of the last five or six years.

Every time I think she can't do/say/conceive/Tweet anything any more stupidly, she just keeps on sinking. I liked like half of Piracy Funds Terrorism and Arular, though I haven't listened to the former literally since like Jan or Feb of 2005 (maybe it's time to revisit it?), totally loved Kala (but had trouble dealing with the hilarious praise heaped on so allegedly forward thinking an album--samples???? GASP!!! how galling!), and am struggling to find a reason not to hate this new record before it even comes out. I guess that I'm just clarifying--M.I.A. drives me crazy and always has, as I don't suffer fools all that gladly; but I have enjoyed a good deal of "her" music and hope to enjoy more of it.

Her incomprehensible blog is now featuring the unedited version of events from that nontroversial interview which ran (and to which she responded by posting the reporter's personal information on her Twitter account; excellent strategy, that: come across as a spoiled brat, attempt to dispel such a notion by acting like...even more of a spoiled brat) in the New York Times. As it turns out, the interviewer ordered the fries. WOW! God damn, if I read an interview with myself which stated I was eating fries (which I was) but not that I didn't order or pay for them, I would LOSE MY FUCKING MIND, too! Ugh.

I'm sorry. Am I missing something, maybe? It seems like about 99% of the internet agrees with me, but I'm willing to listen to whatever other side there may be, to all of this. Also hoping that I enjoy this record a lot more than the last few songs I've heard. I liked that "Space Oddity" track, or whatever it was called, but haven't cared for the other two. I mean, I'm a Suicide fan, but that wasn't even a sample-based song; it was just toasting. And bad toasting, at that.

 

[corianderstem]

I've liked a good number of her songs but don't think she's quite as awesome as the internet music world would have me believe, but yeah, I'm with you.

It seems like every time she opens her mouth lately, she annoys me more. This endless bullshit about that Vanity Fair article is just irritating.

 

[If you shout...]

Here is the actual, sprawling feature:

M.I.A.’s Agitprop Pop - NYTimes.com

 

[If you shout...]

And then the "corrections," as such:

1) Didn't buy the fries! ROFL

2) This OUTRAGEOUS twisting of words:

Article:

"In January 2009, while the civil war in Sri Lanka was raging, Maya repeatedly referred to the situation as a 'genocide.' 'I wasn’t trying to be like Bono,' Maya told me. 'He's not from Africa — I'm from there. I'm tired of pop stars who say, 'Give peace a chance.' I'd rather say, 'Give war a chance.' The whole point of going to the Grammys was to say, 'Hey, 50,000 people are gonna die next month, and here's your opportunity to help.' And no one did.'"

Real life:

"It wasn't just about me, and me getting to the Oscars, or me going to the Grammys. That doesn't mean anything. The whole point of the journey was so you can go, 'Hey, 50,000 people are going to die next month. Here's your opportunity to to help.' And no one did, and they still died. It wasn't about accolades or fame."

Me: Get the fuck over yourself.

 

[Imperor]

Completely agree on everything, as I mentioned on the previous page. The phone number tweet was such a bitch move.

 

[speaker]

I've liked a good number of her songs but don't think she's quite as awesome as the internet music world would have me believe, but yeah, I'm with you.

It seems like every time she opens her mouth lately, she annoys me more. This endless bullshit about that Vanity Fair article is just irritating.

what article? can you post a link pls? i think she's quite cool and quite original. not everything is great stuff of course but still i like her personality.

 

[corianderstem]

Here is the actual, sprawling feature:

M.I.A.’s Agitprop Pop - NYTimes.com

I haven't read it, just have been commenting on the online war MIA has taken upon herself to wage.

 

[Dalton]

While the difference between the actual quote and the article may not seem outrageous to you, it certainly gives MIA a foothold in this argument. This story is now about the journo's integrity rather than about MIA. She's played this well.

 

[corianderstem]

Isn't the author the same one who got on Courtney Love's bad side in the 90s for writing that she'd done heroin while pregnant with Frances Bean?

 

[u2popmofo]

Twitter / colin meloy: M.I.A., the Glenn Beck of ...

 

[Imperor]

That's the first good thing Meloy has done since 2005.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Ha, I think there are some good moments on both Crane Wife and Hazards of Love. But, yeah, that's a good line there. The Twitter!

I don't really know why I'm in this thread.

 

[u2popmofo]

Ha, I think there are some good moments on both Crane Wife and Hazards of Love. But, yeah, that's a good line there.

Agreed. A few great songs on both albums, but disappointing albums over all, but I still laughed at Imps' comment.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

M.I.A. - "Steppin Up"


Well, that's track #4 that has been released from the album. Yet another disappointment. Only halfway decent one is "Space"

Space

 

[If you shout...]

Listened to this over lunch, earlier. Better than anticipated. "Teqkilla" is unspeakably wonderful, and "Space" remains stunning. Other singles/whatever remain shit, lyrics were still hilariously juvenile (based on what I heard/can remember), still struck me as both culture-hopping and totally ignorant of/self righteous about that fact. Rest of the songs sounded okay, but what do I know? It was one listen. Definitely not the abortion I think most of us had been justifiably expecting, though. Sounded like a decent record.

Full Album Stream: M.I.A. – ///Y/ | One Thirty BPM

 

[LemonMelon]

It was taken down. Fuck.

Hopefully, someone captured the audio at least. I care about this album, but not enough to wait until the official release.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Album is now up all over the internet. It's an irritating trip through M.I.A.'s most obnoxious qualities.

 

[IWasBored]

Album is now up all over the internet. It's an irritating trip through M.I.A.'s most obnoxious qualities.

i will either cry or slaughter some small animals if you tell me there are more clash samples. that fits under "obnoxious qualities," in my book.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Nope. Just a lot of fuzz ridden headache inducers coupled with unintelligible vocals and insipid lyrics.

 

[IWasBored]

ok, that's acceptable.

 

[u2popmofo]

We really have some crazy assholes on this forum.

 

[Saracene]

Listened to the new album today, so far I'm finding it terribly disappointing, even considering that my expectations have been tempered by Born Free XXX0 is a catchy bit of pop, Tell Me Why is gorgeous and Space is pretty good... that's about the only positive things I can think of. And there's just something cold and remote about the record; it's like the giddy sense of fun, colour and vitality of the previous albums has been surgically removed and replaced with lots of droning power tools.

 

[LemonMelon]

I have no idea what to say. What a downer. These are shitty songs played so loudly that discerning their shittiness takes some effort. I really have no idea why M.I.A. went this route, beyond the fact that the writing process must have been infinitesimal. I didn't enjoy any of the songs that much (XXXO is nice enough, if unoriginal; Goldfrapp and LCD Soundsystem could have written it in their sleep), and a handful were absolutely worthless. If you have no inspiration, don't make an album; releasing \/\/./\.|\|.|<. only nails her self-imposed coffin shut. This must be what it's like for people who hate U2's music when they hear Bono make a hypocritical/ludicrous remark. M.I.A. has always had inane opinions, but she could compensate for it by, you know, releasing Kala. This is her working miles out of her element, with no inspiration to buoy her.

 

[corianderstem]

Yeah, I think it just mostly sucks.

XXXO is the only song I really like on it, and knowing my usual tastes, that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, since it's such an obvious shot for something they can play on the radio. I do like the pop.

Or, you know, I like actual songs, of which there are surprisingly few here.

Even Born Free sounds good next to most of the album. There were one or two other songs towards the end of the album that were okay, but jeez, what a disappointment.