Album: M.I.A., Maya (XL)

Andy Gill
Thursday 08 July 2010 19:00 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

With Maya, M.I.A. brings to her music the same provocative facility she demonstrated recently with the "truffle kerfuffle" dispute with New York Times's Lynn Hirschberg, and the YouTube-banned video for "Born Free", featuring graphic ethnic cleansing of gingers.

Though some tracks, such as "XXXO", feature electroclash routine enough to be on a Lady Gaga album, elsewhere there's a shift to the antagonistic – the twitchy, enticing "Steppin Up" sounds like a workshop of whirring power tools, while the galloping electro-boogie bassline sampled from Suicide's "Ghost Rider" that drives "Born Free" accurately references the era and genre whose confrontational music and info-tech concerns she echoes with her "didgital ruckus". Maya sounds like a party for Cabaret Voltaire's stroppy teen daughter.

DOWNLOAD THIS Steppin Up; Born Free; Teqkilla; It Iz What It Iz

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in