I guarantee you won’t have heard anything quite like this before. M.I.A.
has clearly absorbed a whole host of cultures and trends in her life, from her own Sri Lankan heritage to an affinity with urban London. Her voice makes an extraordinary sound, its harsh, nasal tone totally at one with the jagged music it fronts. Genre-wise it defies labelling – although there are clear elements of garage and grime present this sound is hers and hers alone. Try ‘URAQT’ for a standout moment, a mobile phobe’s dream, but really the whole record demands you hear it. And who else could possibly rhyme ‘Sri Lanka’ with ‘Yorkshire banker’?!
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Ben Hogwood
