★★★★☆
Four Stars
Matangi is an important album for M.I.A; it’s her first major release since 2010’s disappointing Maya and the damning critique published by the NY Times in the same year. The article called Maya out on the opinions stated in through her lyrics and public appearances; she was accused of trivialising a complex political situation in Sri Lanka, of naïvety and hypocrisy in global issues, and of encouraging violence. All this has more than an element of truth, and I certainly wouldn’t advise anyone to look for political inspiration in Maya’s songs. But when listening to M.I.A, the words are somewhat secondary. Aesthetics plays a huge role in her life, and her ability to conjure images through music rather than words is stunning. Since her first projects in 2004, Maya’s style has been defined by its musical multiculturalism, clashing Western electro with Asian melodies and African rhythms. The mix is exotic and heady; aural pictures of lush tropics juxtaposed with growing industrialisation and political unrest abound. At its best, listening to M.I.A is like a rush of adrenaline, focusing your attention and forcing you to inhabit the world that she sings about.
The quality of her previous work, combined with Interscope’s endless delays to release has built a lot of anticipation for this album. Opening with the lumbering synths of ‘Karmageddon’, first impressions are that Maya may be back on form. However, title track ‘Matangi’ doesn’t hit as hard as you’d like it to, and we have to wait until the fifth song ‘Come Walk With Me’ to get something really worthwhile. Despite this, the whole of the middle of the album is excellent, with songs like the infamous ‘Bad Girls’, Weeknd-featuring ‘Exodus’, and ‘aTENTion’, which may be one of the best songs M.I.A has done since her early years. Unfortunately, the back end of the album drags on and feels somewhat lacklustre, but the rhythmic assault of ‘Bring the Noize’ brings an invigorating break.
Matangi is a worthy effort, and while it might not reach the disorientating ecstasy of 2007’s Kala, it is easily one of the most sonically interesting albums of the last 5 years and definitely worth your time.
