Taylor's Choice:
M.I.A. - /\/\/\Y/\
Wow. Even for M.I.A., Maya (or /\/\/\Y/\, if you're not into the whole brevity thing) is a weird album. In fact, not even that is an appropriate word to describe it. Instead of twisting pop on it's head like her previous albums did, Maya builds pop songs from the ground up and blasts them with layers of industrial noise. Sounds like an M.I.A.-esque enough idea, but the execution on display here makes it seem like the album was made by someone with a lower caliber. A lot of the ideas here are either overdone or underdone, and rarely do the songs hit that sweet middle ground (The Suicide-sampling "Born Free" is incredible, and easily the best song on the album). Which is a shame, because the very idea of the album is perfect on paper; after the crossover success of her last album Kala, it would make perfect sense that a rebellious spirit such as hers would try to make the most unfriendly-sounding record possible. She does that with ease, but a lot of her songwriting chops are lost in the haze of contempt. But the industrial sound does, in spite of everything, seem to suit her music. Sometimes it does get way too ridiculous, like in the second track "Steppin' Up," but for the most part the whole noise thing fits each song in a strange way. It's not a bad album (Well, I don't think it is; a lot of people will despise it, even hardcore M.I.A. fans. Hell, freaking Pitchfork gave it a 4.4), but it could have been so much better.
Hipster Rating:
7.4
Friend Review:
Holy crap. I don’t even know. I was too harsh on Caribou, I see that now. This is hands-down the worst album I’ve ever heard. The best song is practically a carbon-copy of Lady Gaga, what does that tell you? There’s just nothing redeeming about it, everything song is absolutely obnoxious as every second of this album is filled with random noise that drills a headache into your brain. At least it’s redeemed by M.I.A.’s intelligent lyrics. FALSE! Let’s take a look at some of her art: “Rub a dub a dubdub, rub a dub a dub a dub.” So deep. “It takes a muscle to fall in love.” Thanks, now get the hell outta my house. “Gravity is my enemy, it grabs at me like harmony.” I am absolutely amazed that science has gotten to the point where someone is capable of taking a bucket full of poo and transforming it into sound waves. I’m certain that this is how this album was created, and if not, I’m completely bewildered. How anyone can find this even listenable is beyond me. All it sounds like is a dumb girl who learned how to manipulate music on her Mac and now thinks she is artistically inclined. I’m gonna name some things I’d rather do than listen to this album… Let’s see… Eat soup that’s too hot, stub my toe, lick a chalkboard, get into a car after it’s been sitting in the heat all day, ride on a bike off a curb, get a wedgie, give a wedge, watch someone get a wedgie, marry Jenna Fischer, ride in a car with Taylor driving… Well, you can see it’s pretty much everything. For your own sake, don’t listen to this album
Friend Rating:
0.1
Posts
1 comments:
Yes, the album sucks (although Born Free is cool, but that might be just because I'm obsessed with Suicide). But the Lady Gaga-esque song, as I understand, was meant as a joke. I think MIA, in all her pretension, decided to make an ironic album and try to justify it as art. What I got from listening to this album is that this is how MIA views society, from pop culture to politics, and as a result, it sucks, just like pop culture and politics. So, in that context, MIA was wildly successful at getting her point across. I guess the real issue is whether or not such an artistic endeavor was necessary... No, probably not.
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