M.i.a.
 

Alright, me being a newbie and all, I dont know if this artist has been discussed as of yet.

Anyone familiar with M.I.A.? I was hesitant on posting her within the indie/alternative category, considering her sound is somewhat bottomless. Her inspirations come from drum and bass, punk, middle eastern, bhangra, hip hop, electro, tribal, etc.

Anyways, I'm a huge fan of hers and I recently had the opportunity to witness her live for the second time. She's a beast, her sound is completely her own. She brings such a diverse group of people to her shows as well, which is always nice to see.

check out these tracks:

From her 1st Arular
- Bingo
- 10 Dollar
- Galang
- URAQT
- Bucky Done Gun

From her 2nd LP Kala
- Bamboo Banga
- Paper Planes
- XR2
- 20 Dollar
- Hussel
- Boyz


Give her a chance. You either get her or you dont really.

I've been meaning to check her out, whats the best album to start on?

i've heard a bit of her.
i like the sound but some of the albums are just a little....iffy.

Kala blows Arular out of the water, hands down.

i gotta say i like Arular better only because its more instrumental for my taste

Well, Kala is far more diverse, yet it's still consistent and cohesive. Kala was recorded all over the world and it definately shows. I still think that Arular has its niche, but I think Kala has so much more character.

Oh, and I suggest anyone to smoke and listen to Kala all the way through. It's quite an experience. Especially on the slinky opener "Bamboo Banger", the synth enthralled "Hussel", the chilling "20 dollar" (which samples Pixies "where is my mind"), the rave appropriate "XR2", and on the chilled out "Paper Planes".

Listened to Kala ages ago & thought it was a total mess.

I appreciate Arular more after hearing Kala the first time.

Pretty much. But that's not taking anything away from Arular, which is still a damn fine record. This bitch can make me move, I love her music.

Apparently she's not making music anymore? err it's not letting me post the link, but here: hxxp://blog.muchmusic.com/archives/2007/11/mia_cant_quit.php

anyways, I LOVE M.I.A. I'd have to say that Arular is my favourite of her albums, but Kala is still really great. the latter is probably the best album to start off with, if you're looking to get into her.

I have to play U.R.A.Q.T. at least 5 times a day :)