3. M.I.A. - Kala

Welcome to Postmodern Accident’s Best of 2007:
“…for my heartache.”



I cannot think of any working artist right now who feels more vital than Maya Arulpragasam; her music has an absolutely perfect balance of universal appeal, intelligence, political weight, and forward-thinking production. Her basic style, best described in muso terms as grime infused with ragga and electro pop, makes her the first artist in my mind to show that hip-hop will ultimately prove to be a genre of music even more comprehensive than rock. The fact that I am even covering this record on Postmodern Accident is a testament to its breadth. M.I.A. references the Clash, the Modern Lovers, and the Pixies on Kala, and she brings in such disparate elements as ABBA-esque Bollywood pop and a group of aboriginal boy rappers. It is a truly astonishing assortment of sounds, approaches, and—most importantly—cultures.

Last year I remarked several times that M.I.A. had produced the album of the year. If we were speaking strictly on musical terms, I might still feel that way, but I think middle-class American guilt actually keeps me from upholding it so highly. The problem is that Kala is so earnest in its multiculturalism, and so readily tuned to the NPR set, that despite its relevance to my musical tastes (think dancy, edgy, electronic, British, sarcastic, etc.), it makes me feel phony, like some sort of silent passenger on its wild ride. I mean, who am I? Just some dull, overeducated, thirty-something white male who has been surrounded by cushions his entire life; I know more about British men with teased hair and lipstick than I do about militant struggles for Tamil independence. So what right do I have to declare that M.I.A. rocked my world more than everyone else in 2007??

When it came to compiling this list, the bottom line is that she didn’t, no matter how much I wanted her to. Kala is an extraordinarily fun record that somehow makes me want to dance and listen to non-American newscasts at the same time. It makes me want to be a better person. But I am not yet that person, and last year, two other artists—far more predictable in terms of little ol' RTW—rocked my world even more.

Here is Postmodern Accident’s choice for song of the year, “Paper Planes”: