When M.I.A. seemingly came out of nowhere to score pop-gold with her second album KALA in 2007, music critics nearly creamed their pants with overindulgent praise. While I enjoyed the album, I never could understand the hype around it.
On her latest album /\/\ /\ Y /\ (or simply MAYA), the multi-faceted artist has assembled a collection of barely-listenable audio diarrhea, that without the support of a major label would find itself buried alongside countless “experimental” indie noise releases.
There’s quick bits of groove that emerge momentarily only to be quickly suppressed by more static and babble. “Meds and Feds” might be the most fun track on the album, which isn’t saying much for a release that will be remembered more for the controversy surrounding the “Born Free” video than any of the music contained within.
It’s not innovative. It’s not amaaaaaazing. It’s just crap. And anyone that tells you otherwise is full of it.
Rating: 0.5/5 Stars
