- Record Label: Interscope
- Release Date: Jun 29, 2010
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Anyone digging into Maya (or // / Y /, as it's being promoted) expecting club-banging pop hits will be . . . not disappointed, but definitely confused.
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Conspiracy-addled claustrophobic noises swath the hooks throughout, revealing the intoxicating assuredness of a star who sought the spotlight in order to barrage it with glitter and shrapnel.
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M.I.A. stands alone in her own world of pop firing out her mercurial messages, which are as complex as they are captivating. ‘// / Y /’ is a towering work that makes a mockery of rivals and genres.
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Aside from "Lovealot," she proudly proclaims her intentions as a first-world pop star, de-emphasizing found collage and "third-world democracy" for melodic sway and punky bluster.
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It's less digestible but it's tauter, more metallic and yes, industrial.
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The point is that MAYA has to be taken as it comes, culture jam and all, and it’s precisely at this point that it works out to be one of the most refreshing albums to hit the shelves in a long, long time.
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In its 12 tracks, M.I.A. explores both what it means to serve as a sexual/romantic ideal in the Beyonce way, and what happens when a self-consciously political artist like herself confronts the sentimental streak deep within.
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Striding through metal, dancehall, space pop and dubstep, our multicultural mascot has littered ///Y/ with politicized sonic motifs: from marching drums, gunshots and modems to heavy machinery and blaring sirens. It's loud, proud, and taking no prisoners.
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As long as her music remains as bold, inventive and occasionally thrilling as it is here, long may that continue.
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From the sound of Maya, she's capable of anything - except being dull.
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If there is any problem with the album's overall concept, it is that M.I.A. comes across as emotionally inaccessible.
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She remains vitally important to The Discourse for that reason alone. Maya both reminds you of that fact—of that sickly sweet spot only she can hit—and warns you how long and punishing a road it can be to get there. For her, and for you.
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Like the rebels she so often lionizes, Arulpragasam is conducting hit-and-run warfare on modern pop, snatching a hook here, a melody there, and then falling back to reshape these pilfered rhythms into unfettered anti-establishment anthems.
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Mathangi Arulpragasam delivers intriguingly fluxed up genre bending third album.
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On Maya, M.I.A. also descends to more standard hip-hop concerns: stardom, romance, dropping brand names and getting drunk.
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Signing on as the global icon for the politics of oppression can’t be much fun, pastel fashion sense notwithstanding. It’s no surprise then that her music isn’t much fun anymore.
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M.I.A. has now made a trilogy of inventive, engrossing records, but for the sake of music we’d all better hope that ///Y/ isn’t the beginning of the end.
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She might be mouthy, trendy, shallow and opinionated without having all of the facts, but MIA creates terrific pop moments.
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Favoring melody over raucous beats is a risky strategy, but she just about pulls it off.
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It’s not the world-claiming masterpiece it could have been. But as an evolutionary step from world-party-queen towards a more complex beast, it’s intriguing.
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Arulpragasam is trying to negotiate a middle ground between her status as an underground rebel and rising pop celebrity.
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Although // / Y / is an undeniable testament to M.I.A.'s inventiveness, the album is so jam-packed with beats that any statement that she is making gets lost in translation.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 40 out of 56
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Mixed: 5 out of 56
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Negative: 11 out of 56
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BobNJul 16, 2010
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JosephAJul 15, 2010Really cool, eclectic, and original album (not surprisingly).
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edodryJul 15, 2010I love M.I.A. as I love myself and it hurts to admit this album is a fart compared to her previous work.