Wednesday 22 October 2008

M.I.A. – PAPER PLANES (XL RECORDINGS)


M.I.A. – PAPER PLANES (XL RECORDINGS)

As much as I try I just cannot bring it in myself to fully fall in love or fancy M.I.A. as artist or individual. From the off she has just been too self assured and now with this song/single she is now only just achieving such a level of quality that goes with such an esteem.

That aside this is a truly great song, easily one of the best this year by a mile. Immediately the elevated feel of the vocals enables the song tower over much around it and the guitar noodles that annoy all the way through the song gives it a pulse and energy all of its own. When the first gunshots ring out and the cash register (the “Jewish piano”) sounds a definite dark atmosphere is added proceedings (especially compared to the collapsing car sounds of the radio edit). This song is not about origami and the paper planes in question contain very expensive cargo.

Sadly then she goes and ruins it all with the silly little refrain of “M.I.A. third world democracy, I’ve got more weapons than the KGB, so no funny business” which would appear to only serve to empower the person delivering the message and absolutely nobody else. Guilty by association for being involved with that overhyped piece of shit film Slumdog Millionaire, this is such a frustrating song as it sounds so fresh and new but appears to do everything possible to sabotage and alienate the listener from jumping on it with both feet and full gusto. She’ll learn. Please lose the baggage.

Was that Mike D I saw in the video?

On the reverse (even though the labels are on the wrong sides) is the obligatory DFA remix that all hip bands have to have these days. With this remix DFA succeed in rendering this song in sounding like the theme music to some eighties BBC children’s TV show. That’s not necessarily good.

Thesaurus moment: contravention.

M.I.A.
XL Recordings

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