The Quad

Issue date: 9/17/07 Section: Entertainment

M.I.A.'s "Kala" is not a subtle record. Beneath lyrics which give equal time to third world poverty and fraternity house parties, there is a bedrock of clattering kick drums, tablas, sine waves and 'na na na na' choruses. The vocals fight to drown out the drums, the drums crash their way up through the synths, and the synths collide with at least one barking dog. The album is shot through with vicious punk energy that recalls Paul's Boutique or It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, and at its best, it's just as brilliant as the Beasties or Public Enemy.

M.I.A. - real name Maya Arulpragasam - was born in London and raised in Sri Lanka. Her childhood, migrating from country to country to escape a bloody civil war, has lent her a humanitarian voice and no shortage of political indignation. 'Fight on!' the cover reads. Inside, cherry-red rifles are wallpapered atop a map of Africa filled with pixilated diamonds. Diamonds from Sierra Leone, assuredly.

And so, one might expect Kala to be an angry political statement about the injustice of the third world. But once the beats drop, all bets are off: this is a record for partying, drinking and misbehaving, not electioneering. Opener "Bamboo Banga" starts innocuously, before building to a cacophony of percussion and speeding engines. It's an overwhelming, immense track that sets the bar high, but Kala manages to make good on the promise of its first five minutes many times over.

The variety and originality of the productions on Kala are the album's greatest strength, as M.I.A. jumps between dancefloor anthems and looping, psychedelic slow-burners. "Boyz" and "World Town" have shout-along choruses and stomp-along percussion that would leave any respectable club in ruins. "Hussel," "The Turn" and "XR2" feature thin, wobbly synths and lyrics that name check poverty in Africa and war in North Korea. "Paper Planes" has an absurd chorus - complete with sound effects - that is a work of bizarre genius. Kala is brimming with pilfered lyrics, samples and pop-culture references, which include The Clash, Jonathan Richman and "Rump Shaker." "20 Dollar" - named for the price of an AK-47 rifle in Africa - mashes up Pixies lyrics and the bass from "Blue Monday,",slowing the whole mess down to a sludgy audio soup.

Only one track falls short: Bollywood cover "Jimmy" lacks the energy and excitement that propels the rest of the album. Flaccid disco strings and house beats are a jarring transition from the rest of Kala's aggressive production. But it is not quite the strangest track on the album; "Bird Flu," with its staggering beat and explosive vocal tics, earns that distinction. Both tracks are stylistic diversions, but "Jimmy" is a novelty, while "Bird Flu" bubbles with giddy intensity.

And giddy intensity is what Kala is all about. Beneath the politicking and sloganeering is an album that works just as well as a party-starter. Here, M.I.A. is the emcee of a global block party, spitting rhymes about Sri Lanka and counterfeit visas and doing shots with no chaser. She has crafted an album that, no matter how hard it tries, cannot be bogged down by its own self-importance. Highly recommended.

Check out M.I.A.'s MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/mia to listen to tracks from Kala.

Chris Reimer is a student at West Chester University. He can be reached at CR592592@wcupa.edu

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