Zack: M.I.A decided to name this album after her mother, which seems like a sweet sentiment until you realize that it was so she could finally have a comeback to those lame "your mom" jokes everyone likes to make. Hey M.I.A, your mom! Shares her name with one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the decade. Yeah, what about her? Boom. Terrible joke=diffused. Well played. Stylistically, it's all over the place but always seems to have a vague sense of the exotic. Especially in the first half. For those first six tracks or so, I was really intrigued by the sound, although I can't say I really liked it much. It was surely different, however. Then the second half of the album rolled around and I was quickly won over. The tracks were all just as creative and carried the same beauty as M.I.A.'s soft mocha skin.
Favorite Tracks: Paper Planes; The Turn; Come Around
Emily: Kala has a sound that I can only qualify as "unique." Although it's filed under the genre of electronic music, there is so much more to M.I.A.'s music than just computer-crafted beats. She infuses these beats with layers of worldwide music and an overarching hip-hop influence. Perhaps the best song that represents this is Paper Planes. Yes, it's the only song that most people know by M.I.A. amongst her multiple award-winning albums. And, yes, most people only know it from the Pineapple Express trailer. But this song is a quintessential example of M.I.A's uniqueness. She takes electronic rhythms, raps over them well enough to be sampled by T.I., Jay-Z, Kanye West AND Lil Wayne, and then throws in the best use of a cash register sound in a song ever. All together, it's just crazy enough to work. Paper Planes, and all of Kala really, are new and cool, yet remain true to M.I.A.'s one-of-kind sensibility.
Favorite Tracks: Paper Planes; Come Around; The Turn
Yes! MIA has made the list. I think they are wonderful. Excellent pick with ComeAround!
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