Details
LP / Format
Experimental Hip Hop, UK Hip Hop
Dancehall
, Funk Brasileiro
, Pop Rap
, Political Hip Hop
, Tamborzão
/ GenreFull Credits
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Critic Reviews
100
The one key definite about Arular is that it's the best kind of pop album imaginable.
13y
100
If this is the sound of revolution, we're ready to posse up.
11y
100
This highly anticipated debut album is so incredibly addictive that I'm literally hitting the play button again the second it ends.
6y
91
This buzzworthy debut album by Sri Lankan refugee M.I.A., a.k.a. Maya Arulpragasam, is as instantly infectious as it is hard to pin down.
3y
90
It's still too early to tell what the final fate of this little slice of brilliance will be. If she never crosses that bridge to pop success though, we'll always have a home for her on this side.
15y
90
The artist herself knows exactly how to ride on top of this international musical melting pot, and while she may not be perfect – and certainly not to everyone’s taste – Maya Arulpragasam does well enough for a debut, without dropping the ball.
1y
90
Missing In Action? No way – MIA has seen all the action and in ‘Arular’ she has an exemplary record to prove it.
6y
90
It’s an accessible album, but one containing challenging contrasts.
15y
86
The closest thing to a truism about Arular is that it's a taut, invigorating distillation of the world's most thrilling music; a celebration of contradictions and aural globalization that recasts the tag "world music" as the ultimate in communicative pop rather than a symbol of condescending piety.
15y
86
Arular beats out most everything I’ve heard this year in terms of creativity, energy, dance-ability and fun. It’s catchy, original in its mix of styles, and signals the entrance of an impressive talent onto the hip-hop scene.
11y
80
M.I.A.’s long-awaited full-length debut, Arular, is every bit as stunning as “Galang”: weird, playful, unclassifiable, sexy, brilliantly addictive.
11y
80
Arular is a head-turning, head-bopping album that defies even that sweeping genre.
11y
80
M.I.A. are shrapnel-sharp dance music that demands to be heard.
10y
80
M.I.A.'s vivid debut already sounds like a booty-shaking milestone to rank alongside The Streets and Dizzee Rascal.
Print Only
3y
80
Arular is a fantastic amalgamation of dozens of styles, too many to be classified by one, perhaps even deserving of a whole new genre.
13y
80
Arular's irresistible blend of crafty refugee chic and subversive digital skipping rhymes will do very nicely for the moment.
Print Only
3y
80
Maya Arulpragasam, aka MIA, is a perfect example of Britain's mongrel musical culture, the way that our various styles and genres can't help but overlap, collide and interbreed, in a manner unimaginable in the strictly segregated American music scene.
8y
80
M.I.A.'s style mag-cool pop-rap doesn't have the substance to carry the dark subtext of the title.
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5y
80
A great, inventive leap forward that could yet land her in any one of a dozen different places.
4y
70
It’s not the mind-blowing masterpiece the critics are so dizzily carping about, but as a milepost of the current state of world electronica it remains strong throughout.
11y
70
There is a fatal flaw with 'Arular' which means it never makes the step up from 'solid debut' to all-time classic. MIA clears her throat, grabs your attention: and then has nothing to say.
Print Only
3y
Her debut album and already she shows all of the potential in her style.
Arular is a trippy listen with the tone of genre blending such as Funk Brasileiro or Tamborzão.
The production competently uses the potential of these genres creating a fun and complex instrumental.
M.I.A.'s performance as always is extremely catchy and with a lot of political topics that can be interpreted.
Overall every track on this album is catchy creative and unique.
Finally, I can say that MIA truly fits anywhere we want on this album. While I criticized AIM for being bland and old-school, you can finally feel the fun here, where she truly puts 99% into herself. The jumpy, funk-inflected beats perfectly suit her style. Overall, there are many interesting tracks I'd return to. It's possible this could be her best, but I'll check out some others and confirm that this is the best so far.
8.5 - Amazing
I’ll start this like the Kala review.
This shit BANGS. Why didn’t I listen to this sooner?
My friend has been obsessed with this album over the past few months. He wanted to check out most of Fantano’s albums he featured on Classic Week, and this is the one he fell in love with the most. He’d talk about it a lot, with his discord profile picture becoming MIA as well. A month ago, I tried Kala, an album that really introduced me to the artist, and it was ... read more
85 ----> 75
She was so ahead of her time…
Whatever she was doing, it sounded really good. IT was weird but in a good way. Everything here is unique in a way. Production is simple but fun. I love the aesthetic this album gives - need something more like that. M.I.A is a very creative person in my opinion. She can make something that sounds good from nothing.
Tags
Contributions By
philthy, Alejandro González, erik, Leo Aguilar, MarkyC, Glitchy, OPENblinds, mxdrxw, Faint, MikeOwen, FinBecome a Subscriber
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Track List
| 1 | Banana 0:36 Skit | 75 |
| 2 | Pull Up the People 3:45 | 83 |
| 3 | Bucky Done Gun 3:46 | 88 |
| 4 | Sunshowers 3:16 | 82 |
| 5 | Fire, Fire 3:27 | 83 |
| 6 | Dash the Curry 0:40 Skit | 76 |
| 7 | Amazon 4:16 | 84 |
| 8 | Bingo 3:12 | 82 |
| 9 | Hombre 4:02 | 81 |
| 10 | One for the Head 0:29 Skit | 74 |
| 11 | 10 Dollar 4:01 | 87 |
| 12 | U.R.A.Q.T. 2:55 | 77 |
| 13 | Galang 3:33 | 86 |
| 14 | M.I.A 3:27 | 80 |
Total Length: 41 minutes
Year End Lists
| #2 | / | SPIN |
| #4 | / | Pitchfork |
| #4 | / | Slant Magazine |
| #6 | / | No Ripcord |
| #11 | / | Rolling Stone |
| #25 | / | NME |
| #36 | / | Gigwise |
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