M.I.A. has built a legacy around her jab; a powerful and steady puncher who always found her mark. The problem with her technique, however, is that while it’s nimble and smooth, it lacks depth and can be terribly predictable at times. Part of it has to do with her insistence on straddling the line between the pop world and the underground; on one hand it’s what separates her from the pack, but on the other it binds her to whatever the prevailing thoughts are at the time. And that’s where she finds herself on AIM, tethered to the mainstream and desperately trying to break free.
M.I.A. is reeling on AIM and to find her footing she’s resorting back to a proven formula. What she doesn’t factor in is the age of her style, how what once was new and fresh is now dated and stale. Instead of cranking up the content and swinging for the fences she sits back hoping that her slight jabs can break through. But she’s older now, and can’t seem to find her creative legs. Commissioning familiar faces for the beats doesn’t help either. It’s a flimsy product with a wilting sound. A half-hearted attempt that lacks that renegade style that she’s best known for.
‘Borders‘
Kicking off the album with inane, top-shelf criticisms; accusations that serve as easy lyrical fodder. She’s being broad and noncommittal, painting her portraits with colorful but careless strokes. It drones on sluggishly dragging its heels through grimy percussion and dense bass. At its heart it is a dilution of all her core values, a stance that is faltering under the weight of expectation: [LISTEN]
‘Go Off‘
The percussion is hollow and lacks warmth and the stock vocal samples loitering around in the backdrop are dry and unimaginative. This is her anthem, the banger that’s meant to rile folks out of their listless slumber and on to the dance floor. But the tacky seems are exposed, executed in lazy fashion and frail to the bone. The ideas lack foundation and blend into unintelligible mush: [LISTEN]
‘Bird Song (Blaqstarr Remix)‘
The birdcage opens wide. But instead of determined falcons zeroing in on a kill we get a few mangy canaries fluttering around without purpose. The beat is aiming for quirky and catchy, but it misses the mark; projecting more as a novelty. The bird references reel off a mile-a-minute, but lacks strength and momentum, hitting a singular stride with no payoff in the end: [LISTEN]
‘Jump In‘
Blaqstarr tries to get PhD surgical, but fumbles with the knife like a knobby kneed undergrad. The hack job is impossible to overcome and it only magnifies the glaring ineptitude of the lyrics. The energy sags from the very beginning and fails to inspire; heavy in the midsection with a barely audible pulse. The yammering is dead weight and saturates the rhythm with dull monotony: [LISTEN].
‘Freedun‘
The simple sing-song style of rap has her sounding more like an off-brand Spice Girl than a burgeoning revolutionary hitting her stride. The percussion should hit the earth with vigor, but it falls flat under the dissension of misguided production. Without proper war drums to go to battle to, the hero loses momentum and all becomes lost. A pointless anthem that lacks tenacity and fire: [LISTEN].
‘Foreign Friend‘
Your typical shout-out cut, a predictable and formulaic standard. Dexta Dap tries to inject some much needed energy into the party, but his lack of perspective hits the lungs like stale air. The pop standards come in from all directions and make for a dizzying and nonsensical experience. It’s a confusing mish-mash of ideas that lead nowhere. A carnival of cheap trinkets and soggy ideas: [LISTEN].
‘Finally‘
The synth, the gunshots and excessive usage of rap cliches make for a dull and lifeless exchange. The inspiration is running paper thin, and the redundancy is the hallmark of an artist on the decline. The trends have reached a boiling point and it can no longer carry her anemic outcries. She wants to inspire a revolution through art but is lacking the ingenuity to do so: [LISTEN].
‘A.M.P. (All My People)‘
If Urban Outfitters exploded into a microphone it would sound like this. It’s pillow soft and lacks atmosphere. There are elements that are supposed to sound gritty and grimy, the muck that comes with conflict and turmoil. But it’s so overdone and sugarcoated that it comes across as trendy. She’s playing both sides of the pop spectrum, and each time she flip flops she losses credibility: [LISTEN]
‘Ali R U OK‘
The incessant loops hypnotize her into a liquid stupor. She’s confused and disorientated, swinging recklessly at any and everyone. She’s trying to hit the bossman, but is also undermining the blue collar joe. Deep down she’s trying to express love, unfortunately she’s doing it in obnoxious and juvenile ways. There is a lack of refinement that is palpable from the very beginning: [LISTEN].
‘Visa‘
More anthemic confetti that in the end amounts to very little. She’s stabbing people with her middle finger and it’s totally meaningless; an empty gesture that has lost its venom. She’s misplaced her moxie and she’s trying to gain it back by resurrecting old ideas and commonplace criticisms; looking to pick a fight with someone, not knowing her biggest enemy is herself: [LISTEN]
‘Fly Pirate‘
The only piracy going on is the thieving of fickle styles. There’s a distinct note of animosity running down the spine of the song, and while it’s petty in nature it’s about as honest as she’s going to get. She zigzags her way through a beat that sounds like it were plucked right out of the early aughts, and it does nothing to improve her position. A vicious and uncouth crop dust: [LISTEN]
‘Survivor‘
Unrefined pop that finds itself in the same dingy stable as other Rihanna wannabes. The autotune is heavy and metallic, siphoning whatever little soul was left. Her declarations have hit a wall and are lukewarm to the touch. There are countless institutions to direct her angst at, but she chooses the easiest, most common ones to address. Without an enemy to fire at she’s lost and out of touch: [LISTEN]
