Mathangi Arulpragasam: Terrorism Pop?

[Guest guest]

Thank the media for creating a new boogeyman. In the age of the War

on Terror, we have seen countless images of "the terrorist": Dark,

menacing, lurking among us and waiting to destroy all that we hold

dear.

 

Growing up in the shadow of civil war, Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam

has a slightly different perspective; she had terrorists in her

family. Decades later, the Tamil Sri Lankan-by-way-of-London singer

now known as M.I.A. is incorporating those controversial attitudes

in her music. As a result, she has made one of the most volatile and

addictive records of 2005.

 

Though much will be made of the story of M.I.A. and the "freedom-

fightin' dad" for which her debut "Arular" is named, M.I.A. is less

concerned with the sort of politics that tore her homeland apart

than she is with applying similarly radical ideas to music.

 

"I've got the bombs to make you blow/ I've got the beats to make you

bang," promises M.I.A. in "Pull Up the People" -- and she means it.

The world of "Arular" is one covered with craters and neon graffiti,

where synthesizers belch dangerously fat grooves and dance floors

explode with Technicolor fireworks.

 

That combustible edge finds its way into much of "Arular," as the

violence that surrounded M.I.A.'s childhood obviously has filtered

into her music. In "Fire Fire,Growin' up, brewin' up, guerrilla

getting trained up" is repeated until it is practically a mantra.

 

Lyrics like these could be found amidst the politically-charged ones

from a Rage Against the Machine album, but this is a dance record,

and M.I.A. doesn't disappoint when it comes to fun. Cocky and sly,

she plays the coquette in "Hombre," teasing an unsuspecting

male: "Did your mama tell you about me?/ What she say? Don't go play

there?/ Gonna make that hot boy want me/ Gonna make that hot boy

take me."

 

Although M.I.A. has no trouble flaunting her sex appeal, it's clear

from her voice that she wants the listener to know that she is no

less dangerous. She doesn't take the sultry but naïve sex symbol

approach that most female pop stars often overuse. "Can I get

control? Do you like me vulnerable?" she asks over brassy fanfare

in "Bucky Done Gun," before retorting with the fiery declaration

makes, "I'm armed and I'm equal more fun for the people."

 

She makes a point: M.I.A. is great when she combines her rebellious

defiance with her seductive playfulness, best displayed in the made-

for-Top-40 gem "Amazon." Glasses clink and insects chirp in this

slice of icy tropicalia as M.I.A. makes it sound like she is at some

resort in paradise - "sippin' on a Rubicon" - before revealing that

she's actually being held for ransom "somewhere in the Amazon."

 

M.I.A. manages to save the best for last, with a string of three

fantastic tracks finishing out the album. Machine-gun synthesizers

blast away at "10 Dollar" while M.I.A. asks the eternal

question, "What can I get for a 10 dollar?" The gorgeous melodies

of "Sunshowers" are unlike anything else on the record, and the

infectious showstopper "Galang" simultaneously makes no sense and

absolutely perfect sense as M.I.A. encourages the listener to speak

the slang, "Galang-a-lang-a-lang," bringing a close to an

unstoppable album devoid of filler.

 

On "Arular," M.I.A. isn't going to topple governments or reshape the

world, but that isn't her intention. She's a boom-box revolutionary,

a dance hall freedom fighter - a pop terrorist. And she's a lot of

fun, too. "Arular" has more than enough potential to shake up a

stagnant pop music scene, and it's more than welcome to do so. After

all, a little revolution now and then can be a good thing.

 

SOURCE: The Loyola PHOENIX, Chicago

URL:

http://www.loyolaphoenix.com/media/paper673/news/2005/03/23/Diversion

s/M.i-a.Dances.To.Her.Own.Edgy.Beat.With.arular-900521.shtml