Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Kala and Arular are similar in that they are both wildly vigorous and wholly enjoyable albums, generous with blunt-force beats, flurries of percussion, riotous vocals (with largely inconsequential lyrics), and fearless stylistic syntheses that seem to view music from half of the planet's countries as potential source material. But Kala nearly makes Arular seem tame in comparison, magnifying most of its predecessor's qualities as it remains bracingly adventurous. While it certainly sounds like a second M.I.A. album, nothing about it is stagnant. Made in piecemeal fashion while located in several countries, Kala involves a few co-producers: U.K. "dirty house" producer Switch is the primary collaborator, while Baltimore club don Blaqstarr, Diplo, and Timbaland assist M.I.A. on one or a couple tracks each. Further variety is added vocally, not only through M.I.A.'s numerous modes, but also through feature spots from Nigerian MC Afrikan Boy and a crew of young Aborigine rappers. Roughly half the album -- including the opening three-track sequence, which incorporates Jonathan Richman's "Roadrunner," samples from two Tamil-language film soundtracks, squawking chickens, (what sounds like) yelping children, and clustered rhythmic devices that boom, stab, clap, rattle, twitter, and sometimes even prance -- is more intense than anything on Arular. The tracks are so full of chaos and jagged noise that it is disarming to reach the relatively relaxed material, especially the two tracks that resemble actual songs. "Jimmy" is a rather faithful cover, willfully chintzy strings and all, of a flirtatiously lovelorn neo-disco number from the '80s Bollywood film Disco Dancer. "Paper Planes" has a sing-songy float to it, aided by the Clash's "Straight to Hell," though it also appropriates Wreckx-N-Effect's "Rump Shaker" while replacing "zoom-a-zoom-zoom-zoom" and "boom-boom" with sounds from shotguns and cash registers. Like the remainder of the album's best moments, it recalls the late Lizzy Mercier Descloux, another artist who made thrilling music by mixing cultures with respectful irreverence. Perhaps some of Arular's detractors knew M.I.A. was capable of this all along.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr124,99/month
Jonathan Richman, ComposerLyricist - Dave Taylor, Producer, ComposerLyricist - M.I.A., MainArtist - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Modern Love Songs, MusicPublisher - Ilyayaraja Unknown, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - G.V. Films, Ltd., MusicPublisher - Rockin' Leprechaun Music, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Dave Taylor, Producer, ComposerLyricist - M.I.A., MainArtist - Steve Mackey, Engineer - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Ross Orton, Engineer - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Haripa Music, MusicPublisher - R.P. Patnaik, ComposerLyricist - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Jeyam Company, MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2006 XL Recordings Ltd
Mark 'Spike' Stent, MixingEngineer - Dave Taylor, Composer, Producer - Alex Dromgoole, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer - M.I.A., MainArtist - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Bappi Lahiri, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Dave Taylor, Producer, ComposerLyricist, MixingEngineer - M.I.A., MainArtist - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Saregama c/o Royalty Network, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Dave Taylor, Producer, ComposerLyricist - M.I.A., MainArtist - Wesley Pentz, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Afrikan Boy, FeaturedArtist - Olushola Ajose, AssociatedPerformer - Hollertronix (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Morgan Lewis, Producer, ComposerLyricist - M.I.A., MainArtist - Billy Thompson, AssociatedPerformer - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Daniel Wright, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Brendan Adam, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Buddy Blair, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Colin Roy Wilson, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Keith Dutton, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Lendal King, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Walter Ebsworth, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Will Jarrett, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - The Wilcannia Mob, FeaturedArtist
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Black Francis, ComposerLyricist - Dave Taylor, Producer, ComposerLyricist - M.I.A., MainArtist - Songs Of Universal, MusicPublisher - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Universal Music Publishing Group, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher - Rice and Beans Music (BMI), MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Dave Taylor, Producer, ComposerLyricist - M.I.A., MainArtist - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Charles Jamal Smith, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - JB Starr Productions (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
M.I.A., MainArtist - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Charles Jamal Smith, Producer, ComposerLyricist - JB Starr Productions (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Dave Taylor, Producer, ComposerLyricist - M.I.A., MainArtist - Wesley Pentz, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Hollertronix (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Paul Simonon, ComposerLyricist - Mick Jones, ComposerLyricist - JOE STRUMMER, ComposerLyricist - Dave Taylor, Producer - M.I.A., MainArtist - Wesley Pentz, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Nick Headon, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Universal Music Publishing Ltd., MusicPublisher - Kobalt Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Universal Music Publishing Group, MusicPublisher - Songs Music Publishing LLC, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Jim Beanz, Engineer - Timbaland, FeaturedArtist - Timothy Mosley, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - RON TAYLOR, Programmer - M.I.A., MainArtist - Demacio Castellon, Engineer - Maya Arulpragasam, Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Timothy Clayton, ComposerLyricist - Imagem Music, MusicPublisher - Universal Music Publishing Ltd., MusicPublisher - Virginia Beach Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Warner Chappell Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Marty Green, Engineer - Larry Lyons, Engineer - Stix I'm Stoned Publishing, MusicPublisher - CMRRA, MusicPublisher
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Album review
Kala and Arular are similar in that they are both wildly vigorous and wholly enjoyable albums, generous with blunt-force beats, flurries of percussion, riotous vocals (with largely inconsequential lyrics), and fearless stylistic syntheses that seem to view music from half of the planet's countries as potential source material. But Kala nearly makes Arular seem tame in comparison, magnifying most of its predecessor's qualities as it remains bracingly adventurous. While it certainly sounds like a second M.I.A. album, nothing about it is stagnant. Made in piecemeal fashion while located in several countries, Kala involves a few co-producers: U.K. "dirty house" producer Switch is the primary collaborator, while Baltimore club don Blaqstarr, Diplo, and Timbaland assist M.I.A. on one or a couple tracks each. Further variety is added vocally, not only through M.I.A.'s numerous modes, but also through feature spots from Nigerian MC Afrikan Boy and a crew of young Aborigine rappers. Roughly half the album -- including the opening three-track sequence, which incorporates Jonathan Richman's "Roadrunner," samples from two Tamil-language film soundtracks, squawking chickens, (what sounds like) yelping children, and clustered rhythmic devices that boom, stab, clap, rattle, twitter, and sometimes even prance -- is more intense than anything on Arular. The tracks are so full of chaos and jagged noise that it is disarming to reach the relatively relaxed material, especially the two tracks that resemble actual songs. "Jimmy" is a rather faithful cover, willfully chintzy strings and all, of a flirtatiously lovelorn neo-disco number from the '80s Bollywood film Disco Dancer. "Paper Planes" has a sing-songy float to it, aided by the Clash's "Straight to Hell," though it also appropriates Wreckx-N-Effect's "Rump Shaker" while replacing "zoom-a-zoom-zoom-zoom" and "boom-boom" with sounds from shotguns and cash registers. Like the remainder of the album's best moments, it recalls the late Lizzy Mercier Descloux, another artist who made thrilling music by mixing cultures with respectful irreverence. Perhaps some of Arular's detractors knew M.I.A. was capable of this all along.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:47:34
- Main artists: M.I.A.
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: XL Recordings
- Genre: Electronic
2007 XL Recordings Ltd 2007 XL Recordings Ltd
Distinctions:
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.