Things change but they're still the same

This seem a good a time as any to talk about M(m).I(i).A(a).’s MIA’s new album appropriately (?) titled /\/\/\Y/\ (<-- get it? That’s her name! in idiot). So right off the bat I think she was trying to create an alienating affect (<-- I meant what I said) with the album name. It’s virtually ungoogle-able and looks like a hodge-podge of rando-puter speak but surprise, it’s her name! MAYA using front slash-back slash-front slash-back slash-front slash-back slash capital “y”- front slash-back slash. And yes I did need to explain that just to bring that little piece of annoyance I have with the album to the forefront. Honestly besides making it unsearchable I don’t know why she did it? To look unique or maybe she was high, with baby ikhid on her arms or however you spell that. TO THE MUSIC

I’ve been listening to /\/\/\Y/\ non stop for about 4 days. I listened to it 2-3 times in a row when I got it.

It was/is good.

The beginning track “The Message” calls back to the Arular era of M.I.A., politicized statement with the play on a kids song “connected the google; connected to the gvt” indeed! Her sometimes insightful, sometimes insane, sometimes inane commentary works best musically. Is it the beat? Duh. She’s articulate in her music in a way that doesn’t come off sounding just…frustratingly dumb and un-nuanced, with the beat and the occasionally clever turn of phrase she is able to at least not sound kinda, ridiculous IRL.

One of my favorite tracks is “Steppin’ Up.” I think because it shows what M.I.A. can sound like when she is working with what sounded the most successful before. It has a rough beat using the noiserock scheme and applying it with dancehall/hip-hop sensibilities. The same can be said about "XXXO" with it's slightly clearer beats as well as "Teqkilla." Although at times some of the lyrics can be lost in the over powering beats. Which, honestly the lyrics and the beat are the reasons we listen to MIA, no? One gem in "Teqkilla," is "I got iky iky wiky sticky weeee(d?); shot of tequila in me" I sincerely hope she rolled in her love for her son, her weed and her booze all in one glorious and catchy hook. These are the most extremely dancable tracks. It' MIA the way we remember her, more mature and a little more adventurous with her beats and samples.

In "Lovalot" and "Story to be Told" MIA heads to more of her rapping/spoken word. Will not to terrible innovative it is catchy none-the-less. The beginning of "Story to be Told" can be a but grating as if the track was too simple at first so they just kept adding more on. It doesn't become more interesting, it just becomes muddy and a lil weird ya'll. "Lovalot" is reminiscent of "Bambo Banger" in Kala to the point of being confused for it, while not bad, just seems out of place in an album whose sound has grown a lot from her previous LP's. So it's isn't ole skool ya'll it's just kinda done n done.

The next tracks though not in order chronologically on the album are all stylistically similar. "It Takes a Muscle," "It Iz What It Iz," "Tell Me Why," "Space." Here MIA is playing with the new all the rage chillwave. It's basically music you can listen to when it's 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning, your wasted, finally just relaxing/coming down/getting high and you can just do a slow jamz with it. At of all the four listed "It Iz What it Iz" is the least successful. It's not nuanced and all redundant, nothing interesting, it's filler at it's worst. The rest are all good. I guess, not spectacular but apt. "Tell Me Why" of the chillwave is the most memorable and worthy of listening on repeat.

"Born Free" and "Meds and Feds" are...a disappointment. MIA, trying to expand her sound to include some drum driven rock beats just sounds, harried. It's not worth listening to, kinda? It sounds like a rehashing of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Le Tigre. Just been done.

Most of the lyrics deal with Ms. Maya's dealing with her new place in the world. It comes in conflict with MIA's dual identity; clinging to her war torn past (THIRD WORLD DEMOCRACY), but embracing the hip-hop/rap aesthetic of swagger, while ACTUALLY being super-duper rich because of who she married and what she married into. So there are times when the lyrics come off a little whiny and other where it seems her confusion does play it in her music and lyrics.

So all in all. It's good listen. Not a great listen, nothing revolutionary or groundbreaking, which is what MIA is always trying to do. It doesn't really do that. She does expand her sound some with mixed results.


So listen and enjoy for what it is and only be a little disappointed at what it tries to be.



Or not! Who am I to tell you what to listen to! Just some jerk!