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Arular
by M.i.a.
ALBUM RANKINGS:
Ratings and rankings are based on all available critic reviews and awards.
Overall Rating:
3.5379
Avg. Critic Score:
3.3948
Arular Rank 4 Reviews
Critic Review Summary
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating. 
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Stylus MagazineIt’s a swaggering, spitting, utterly contemporary album of politically dissident, sexually forthright Anglo-Sri Lankan dubstep bhangra hip-pop IDM in which M.I.A. stars as protagonist, antagonist, chanteuse, MC, exotic schoolgirl tease, graphic artist, ...more
Trouser PressThis is probably as close as anyone has yet come to achieving the visions of revolutionary global pop once advanced by the Clash and Afrika Bambaataa; it's equally enlightening to urban street kids and university eggheads. ...more
Stylus MagazineM.I.A. could well be an ideal case study for examining the impact of the internet on the ways we listen to and, more importantly, are exposed to music. Itâs difficult not to dip into Marshall McLuhan-esque ...more
The Austin ChronicleThat precious little village girl gathering water from the stream won't hesitate for a second in replacing her antiquated wooden pail with an assault rifle. As capitalism attempts to subjugate its remaining tribal outlanders, M.I.A. fires back with ...more
StylusMagazineOn “Pull up the People,” the first full track on Arular, M.I.A. informs you that she’s got both “the bombs to make you blow” and “the beats to make you bang,” and it behooves you to take her at her word ...more
Critic Reviews continued...
BBC Music...Really this is what urban music should be; a concoction of sounds that could only be cooked up in the crucible of a multi-cultural city. Purity equals snobbery in my book. Arular is a massive success because it is crammed with so much sonic variety. ...more
Rolling StoneWeird, playful, unclassifiable, sexy, brilliantly addictive. ...more
PopMattersIt's an accessible album, but one containing challenging contrasts. In the end, what's most impressive is how Arulpragasam powerfully weaves a consistent theme of rootlessness throughout the record, drawing on her experiences in both the third world and ...more
Dot Music“Arular”, as well as being a particularly great and brave album, could well be this year’s Portishead or Massive Attack. ...more
Lost At SeaThis is a hell of a record. ...more
Tiny Mix TapesThe only problem with this album is the difficulty you're going to have explaining what the hell it sounds like to your friends after they hear you raving about it. ...more
Tiny Mix Tapes.comOh M.I.A., where do I begin? By now almost all of you have heard the name (hell, she was in my sister’s Teen Vogue ) and heard her story recounted ad nauseam. You’ve heard about how she moved from Sri Lanka to India due to the ...more
PrefixMagWhen M.I.A. talks in lucid detail about being held captive in the Amazon, she does it with such nonchalance it’s as if she were recounting a field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium. In fact, her grim contentions on “Amazon” fall at ...more
PopMattersIn late 2003, "Galang", the debut single by 27-year-old Maya Arulpragasam, AKA M.I.A., was well-received by those who heard the small indie release, but it wasn't until a few months later that word started to spread about the London artist of ...more
All Music GuideIt's the best kind of pop album imaginable. It can be enjoyed on a purely physical level, and it also carries the potential to adjust your worldview. ...more
Austin ChronicleFortifying her monstrous singles "Galang" and "Sunshowers" with further molten munitions, Arular is primed for worldwide insurrection. ...more
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