Arular
by M.I.A.
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 326 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 277 out of 326
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 326
  3. Negative: 33 out of 326

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  1. GarielL.
    May 31, 2005
    5
    After buying the singles for Galang and Sunshowers, I was excited for the full length. It turns out that the album is pretty blah. Those two tracks are on the album with what feels like a very small handfull of other tracks, few memorable. I would dig Bucky Done Gone, but I've got the Brazilian funk track they lift the whole beat from, and I just assume play that. I officially After buying the singles for Galang and Sunshowers, I was excited for the full length. It turns out that the album is pretty blah. Those two tracks are on the album with what feels like a very small handfull of other tracks, few memorable. I would dig Bucky Done Gone, but I've got the Brazilian funk track they lift the whole beat from, and I just assume play that. I officially stopped being a fan when I saw her live with Diplo DJing for her. Her back up singer held her up the whole time, and it seemed like she was just reciting the lyrics along to the CD. There was no charisma or spark. Even worse, after making us wait for three hours with no opening act, they just played the songs off Arular and left. I think this album was all she had in her. If you want some real talent from a British chick, check out Lady Sovereign.… Expand
  2. hydrawithears
    Oct 3, 2011
    6
    One look at the cover and you know that this album isnâ
  3. MariP
    Jun 28, 2005
    4
    'Galang' begins to get on my last nerve. SWITCH please, M.I.A...
  4. Vaal
    Sep 9, 2005
    6
    Not really melodic. This is for people who love electro/dance and drum & bass but not really for the hip-hop fans. I reckon it has something, but it's not extraordinary. It just feels different than the ordinary, but that doesn't necessarily means that it is good just for being alternative. Lyrics are okay, but her voice feels repetitive. Even though every song is different I Not really melodic. This is for people who love electro/dance and drum & bass but not really for the hip-hop fans. I reckon it has something, but it's not extraordinary. It just feels different than the ordinary, but that doesn't necessarily means that it is good just for being alternative. Lyrics are okay, but her voice feels repetitive. Even though every song is different I can't help but hearing the same.… Expand
  5. vincentx
    May 16, 2005
    6
    Nice enough, but nothing lasting, i'd say. Galang and Pull Up The People are pretty good, but Bucky Done Gone and 10 dollar are weak old-school electro. and her rapping is so-so...
  6. kent
    Feb 17, 2006
    6
    If it weren't for the exotic backstory, this deceptively thin slice of subaltern commodification would have likely been whitewashed, so to speak. Obviously this story accounts for a large part of MIA's essence, but that essence is in turn unreflectively sublimated into a packaged aesthetic of rebel-fun for thousands of fickle gringo teenagers. It doesn't help that the If it weren't for the exotic backstory, this deceptively thin slice of subaltern commodification would have likely been whitewashed, so to speak. Obviously this story accounts for a large part of MIA's essence, but that essence is in turn unreflectively sublimated into a packaged aesthetic of rebel-fun for thousands of fickle gringo teenagers. It doesn't help that the "politics" are scattershot ramblings and partial snapshots a la "Global a Go-Go," but without Strummer's encompassing vision and compassion. Compare, for example: "Down at the bauxite mine/You get your own uniform/Have lunchtimes off/Take a monorail to your home" (Strummer), with: "He got Colgate on his teeth/And Reebok classics on his feet/At a factory he does Nike/And then he helps the family" (MIA). One transports you to a tropical perestroika with all the attendant monotony, while the other thinks the post-modern twitch of citing brand names amounts to revolutionary statement, and presumably attempts to acheive some irony about the infiltration of the public and private sphere, and the ultimate interchangability of said brands. Okay, but there is no image here (BYOSweatshop), no conjured sense of place, no real irony, just this reflex of attempting to appropriate corporate symbology while submitting to its strictures in every meaningful way. This is the worst thing about Arular: its affected wisdom. If this is the extent to which pop music can be intellectually engaging and politically engaged, then pop music is bouncing enthusiatically towards its own irrelevance. Taken as a mainstream dance album -- as incoherent and unnecessary as that genre's standards demand -- this is above average: thick, staccatto low-end blasts and hooks a'plenty. The production is big and detailed, if the beats are a bit repetitive . It just isn't a revolution: it's not smart enough.… Expand
  7. W.Haas
    Dec 3, 2005
    6
    Have to admit, its a fun album. But ever notice how the entire album sounds like 1 song?
  8. ElkDog
    Apr 30, 2005
    5
    Wow, this cd was so annoying. It has a lot of forgettable cheap sounding drum beats with this chick going lalala bakka bakka wicka pricka lacka lacka. I have no idea what the hell she's saying. Very annoying. I can't believe the rating it has on this site.
  9. maxpower
    Jul 20, 2005
    4
    it's too bad so many people buy this stuff. I like indie and electronic music but there are no standouts here. Only get this cd if you want to people to think you are cool or you like world music
  10. salomey
    Sep 3, 2005
    6
    because of the positive reviews i tried to like it but i didn't really though it isn't bad
  11. aaronl
    Jun 23, 2005
    6
    don't believe the indie hype machine. this is not "genius" or "revolutionary". it is at times an enjoyable record made by an attractive, charasmatic singer. however, she is not doing anything novel except for bringin dancehall into the indie circle using moderately political lyrics. it is good, but not nearly as good as the indie hipster hype machine wants you to believe.
  12. RayKay
    Aug 16, 2005
    4
    this CD is horribly overrated. don't waste your time

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best Album of 2005
19
#19 Most Discussed Album of 2005
8
#8 Most Shared Album of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Urb
    80
    M.I.A.'s singsong cadence is both child-like and streetwise, perfectly mirroring the smiley-faced menace of the electro-informed palpitations behind her. [Mar 2005, p.113]
  2. Village Voice
    80
    Not for a moment does the violence seem vindictive, sadistic, or pleasurable. It's a fact of life to be triumphed over, with beats and tunelets stolen or remembered or willed into existence.
    Read full review
  3. Austin Chronicle
    89
    Fortifying her monstrous singles "Galang" and "Sunshowers" with further molten munitions, Arular is primed for worldwide insurrection.
    Read full review
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