Since the release of her debut album Arular in 2005, Mathangi Arulpragasam, known by her stage name M.I.A, has established herself as one of the music industry’s most intriguing and colour characters. The rapper has become infamous for her cut-throat political and racial activism, while her social commentary has been the source of much controversy and discussion. Such politicking is widely discussed in her lyrics, and the undisputable intensity of her passion is perfectly personified in her musical discography, which regularly combines elements of electronica, dance, hip-hip and world music, and blends Eastern and Western musical influences. Her fifth, and supposedly final studio album, AIM, is no exception to the M.I.A formula, accurately echoing the rapper’s signature global pop aesthetic. Less chaotic than the admirably unconventional Matangi, the record is more reflective of the crowd-pleasing sound of her 2008 summer-smash, ‘Paper Planes’.
Several tracks on
AIM offer poignant slices of social commentary on the themes we’ve come to
expect from the English rapper, including money, refugees and border control,
police and social media. The record’s mid-tempo, lead single, ‘Borders’ and the
Bollywood-tinged ‘Visa’ deliver rousing discussions on the UK’s handling of the
refugee crisis, while ‘Platforms’ and ‘Talk’ examine the various meanings of
value in different cultures and global societies’ superficial obsession with
current affairs, “Ebola scare or a bomb scare, it’s the same shit just hit and
share”. Unlike M.I.A’s previous efforts, however, AIM feels notably less
confrontational in the delivery of its message. The rapper regularly delves
into the many tribulations of modern society, but in a passive, almost
punctilious manner that is surprisingly optimistic and much more universally
accessible to listeners.
Throughout AIM it
becomes increasingly apparent that, this time around, the rapper is
significantly more invested in ensuring the record sounds sonically satisfying
than challenging societal conventions. The wonderfully peculiar ‘Swords’
incorporates the sound of clashing blades as percussion, whilst ‘Foreign
Friend’ is a woozy, sweet track that was recorded during the rapper’s time in
Jamaica. Skrillex-produced ‘Go Off’ is electronic music at its most thrilling
and features a metallic, pulsating beat. The playful nature of the record is
perhaps best exemplified by ‘Freedun’, a surprising collaboration with ex-One
Direction member Zayn Malik. The laid-back track has an infectiously sticky
rhythm, over which M.I.A declares herself an ambassador of “Swaggerstan”
Whilst
such deliveries such as these keep the record light, they feel often feel artificial,
resulting in several moments in where the album become a little derailed. The
Diplo-produced 'Birdsong', in which the rapper works a list of bird names into a
series of popular culture references, “I believe like R. Kelly we can fly, but
toucan fly together”, feels forced and uninspired, and attempts to empathise
with listeners on the individual level, such as in ‘Ali R U OK’, a bhangra-pop
jam inspired by a ride with an overworked Uber driver, are often contrived and
distract from the focus of the record. As a result of this, much of the albums’
fearless ambition feels fragmented, resulting in an integral lack in cohesion
between its themes.
AIM is far from
the rapper’s best album, but it is without a doubt one of her most joyful,
distinctive and crowd-friendly offerings to date; a witty parting gift of
softcore propaganda that demonstrates she is a truly unique artist. It’s a
record that readily explores the topics many other artists would never dare
speak of, in an undeniably charming fashion only M.I.A could pull off, even if
the quality of its message is frustratingly inconsistent.
7/10
