In M.I.A.’s fourth studio LP, the Sri Lankan artist drifts away from the raucous and industrial oriented style of her last album to a more commercial sound with catchy club bangers while still maintaining a smart and witty persona. 

M.I.A. shook the underground UK hip hop scene in 2005 with her debut, “Arular” which featured tracks “Bucky Done Gun” and “Hombre”. Her association with American producer Diplo and a kaleidoscope of musical influences combined with politically-charged lyrics foreshadowed her as a promising artist in the near future.

These prophecies were satisfied with the coming of her second, and most acclaimed album, “Kala” in 2007. Everything seemed so fine tuned at this time. The underground fuzz had disappeared and the samples were brighter and more colorful. Also, M.I.A. was at her peak of songwriting, depicting melancholy images of corruption and suffering over such bombastic beats that were contrary to the content, thus bringing me to dub her as the joy division of hip-hop. Take a listen of the unforgettable bonafide hit “Paper Planes”.

After a seminal LP that brought world sound to the mainstream through the vessels of “swagger,” that she single-handedly gave birth to like divine conception; she literally took a nose dive, alongside a few undesired public faux pas, with her third album; “Maya.” This album was poorly received by critics and fans alike because of its harsh sounds and unpleasant cadences. Although, in my opinion, there are a few songs on this album that may be worth revisiting in the context of 2013 as now we have a mainstream that embraces brostep and trap music which is filled with shrill synths and disgusting bass phrases.

Now, M.I.A. returns to form with this new LP, “Matangi” without losing any of her edge and it results in a very enjoyable LP.

This album undoubtably features some of M.I.A.’s best tracks such as her 2nd most successful single to date, “Bad Girls”. The song combines middle eastern influences with trap style snares and 808 drums that lay underneath M.I.A.’s smooth vocals. The lyrics are run of the mill but the intent of the song is to bang; it does that and more so I couldn’t be more happy. 

Other highlights such as “Only 1 U” and the Yolo reaction; “Y.A.L.A.” bang, but tracks like “Warriors” send me crazy with its obvious trap and Middle Eastern mesh madness. It is so sporadic and nomadic in how the beat hardly repeats. It is hard to identify a verse from a chorus and the subdued “worries in the dance” refrain add to the imagery of a club scene that has gone wrong.

My gripes with this album show up in cases with tracks such as the underwhelming “Exodus” & “Sexodus.” They sample The Weeknd’s “Lonely Star” very artlessly and M.I.A. does not add much to the track. Also, the track is revamped slightly for a trap flavor thus resulting in “Sexodus.” It is tracks such as these that prevent me from thoroughly enjoying the album. The disconnection between tracks also adds to an incoherent listening experience.

Nonetheless, the album has a great deal of solid bangers that will definitely keep me coming back, however, I still prefer her debut and sophomore releases.

4/5