Coming Back With Power! Power!

BOOM! M.I.A is missing no longer, I have found her in my stereo every single minute since the release of her second major album Kala on the 20th of August.

I feared an album too 'banging' for my tastes with the more raucous tracks; 'XR2', 'Bird Flu' and 'Boyz up on her myspace at the beginning of the year.

"...take a pill good time all the time"

However this contender for album of the decade has come with some more saccharine tracks that are more to my tastes and serves to make the album a richer and more eclectic venture.

While blogging M.I.A. continuines the theme of 2007 being a great year for albums as many artists are following up on their 2005 releases which by and large were best bunch of records ever released in a 12 month period I have to say that this album is extremely good at making it feel little has come before it. It is totally complete, not one song could be swapped with 2005's Arular as it would serve to ruin both albums.

While Arular was an explosion of positively addictive Carioca Funk, Kala is much more of a Hip-Hop affair with Timbaland even producing a track. Its more stripped down and the samples are more recognizable and M.I.A's delivery and content has moved towards gangs and guns; though more AK47s in Africa than 8 Balls and Glocks in South Central LA. Contributions by Timbaland and Afrikan Boy help Kala conform more to the typical Hip Hop formula of collabirations.

"I’m illegal I don’t pay tax tax,
EMA yes I’m claiming that that"

She hasn't sidestepped pure dancibility and with Tacks like Boys, XR2 and the sublime Jimmy which sees her adopting a more Bollywood style she will be permanent fixture on all god DJs set lists - certainly in America where she is far out pacing her level of fame over here.

Is there a theme to Kala? Does it all string together? Not really, no. Perhaps there are many threads that unwravel for a track and are reswen back into the fabric of the album later. While she criticises the status quo with regards to the West and the Third world in Hussle and $20 she is at ease with forgetting them completely with Jimmy and Come Around.

"no one on the corner has swagga like us"

Is it all good? You bet your Air Max 95s it is! Its arogant and funny, dancable and edgy, lots of good things and yes more good thing besides. While I did not think this immediately this is one of the greatest albums to come out of the UK (though this album owes everything but M.I.A. herself to the US) in the last 10 years. Its made listening to Arular harder and while I think this had the potential to become slightly dated in the long run right now its perfect and I'm prepared for the time when she claims she's bigger than Jesus and really isn't cool anymore, I'll be there asking the very important question, "Where were you in 92?" I was 7 growing up in Northfields, South Ealing near Hounslow where M.I.A. is from so I kinda feel like we're kindred spirits. I am seriously considering changing my name to Jimmy Aaja!

This was very close to a sensible album review and this worries me. To counter balence this I shall turn to M.I.A. herself and how she described her album to the Gaurdian in March: "Shapes, colours, Africa, street, power, bitch, nu world, brave." I couldn't agree more.

M.I.A. - Boyz
M.I.A. - Jimmy
M.I.A. - Paper Planes
M.I.A. - Come Around Feat. Timbaland

Remixxxes by Spank Rock.

Spank Rock is one of those artists that the more I have heard by them the more I have learnt to love them, and I owe finding him to his quality remixing which led me onto his own material. The first mix of his I heard is his now classic remix of CSS's 'Let's Make Love...', whom I was thoroughly obsessed with last summer. I remember throwing it in all my mixes back in the day, and it's still a track I love to pull out and play to the day. From the intro, which still sounds like a telephone dial tone to me, to the kiss kiss kiss sounds in the second verse, it is the ultimate remix of CSS to date in my opinion (sorry Calvin!). If you haven't already heard it, I would suggest this is one remix of recent times you need in your life. Do it.

Recent exploration of my 7" singles brought to light a mix that I had previously over looked and due to not coming across it during my travels through cyber space, was very excited to find. Little did I know, but at some point I had bought a 1 track single of the now defunct Test Icicles's classic 'Circle. Square. Triangle' remixed by no other than Spank Rock. Kicking with a heavy bass line reminiscent of 'Bump' and acompanied by vocoded vocals, it was such a great feeling to find it in my possesion. For some reason I hadn't played it either, as it was still shrink-wrapped, but it is include below in all its glory. Awesome.

I'm off to see King Lear in Stratford-Upon-Avon tomorrow evening (technically today) with Sir Ian Mckellan(!!), so I won't be posting again until Saturday, so as a little prezzie to keep you occupied until then I've included a little bonus remix of Spank Rock's 'Put that Pussy on Me' by Diplo, which is by far my favourite Spank remix, so make sure you check that out too.

mp3: CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above (Spank Rock remix)
mp3: Test Icicles - Circle. Square. Triangle (Spank Rock remix)
mp3: Spank Rock - Put that Pussy on Me (Diplo tonite remix)