Very few artists can combine classical South Asian folk music, electronic beats and popular hip-hop in a way that appeals to a mass audience. But Maya Arulpragasam did just that in her newest album, Matangi, which was released on Nov 5. The British-Tamil rapper, more popularly known as M.I.A. and known for popular hits "Paper Planes" and "Boyz" holds true to her quirky sound in Matangi, her first album since 2010.

Similar to M.I.A's previous albums, Matangi, named after a Hindu goddess and the artist's namesake, focuses on a variety of themes ranging from female sexuality, socio-political global issues and religious belief. The more serious concepts that come across in her lyrics are mixed with clever pop culture references and plenty of interesting beats and rhythms.

Nothing better exemplifies this mix of traditional and modern, pop and political, than the second song on the album, the titular "Matangi." "Matangi" starts with a long, spoken list of various countries that are involved in political, ethnic or religious conflicts, such as Myanmar, Palestine, Bosnia and the United States. The song then transitions into lyrics about a variety of politically-loaded topics like war, perceptions of women, copyright and secret documents. The overall rhythm of the song has a pulsing electronic beat, but especially near the end, the contemporary sound is mixed with bhangra, traditional Indian folk music with a modern twist.

The song "Double Bubble Trouble," one of my personal favorite songs from Matangi, starts out with a steady, electronic beat. From there, the song is a mix of a reggae sound and elements more traditional of pop music. The lyrics are very hard to understand, but that is part of what makes "Double Bubble Trouble" so enjoyable to listen to. It is remarkably easy just to get lost in the beat. "Warriors," a fun, pop-infused piece that mixes a very traditional Indian sound with modern beats, further demonstrates M.I.A.'s abilities to mix very different genres that do not traditionally go together in a way that is fun to listen and dance to.

It was when M.I.A. tried to stay in a more traditionally "pop" direction without the political and social themes that she is known for that songs fell flat. "Bring the Noize" had an annoyingly repetitive beginning and was excessively autotuned. The lyrics were next to impossible to understand and the various elements, from the different rhythms and confusing lyrics, were simply too many disparate pieces in one song. The same was true of "Only 1 U." While the lyrics were clever, the repetition was heavy-handed and I got sick of the chorus within a minute of the song.

However, the exception to the rule that the pop songs were underwhelming was the hit song "Bad Girls." Although overplayed, I will always love the intense bhangra opening and catchy chorus about female empowerment mixed with clever car metaphors. 

Although repetitive, the chorus is fun to dance and sing along with, unlike some of the other songs on the album. Like the other great songs on Matangi, "Bad Girls" has great lyrics, a good beat for dancing and lots of symbolism about gender, money and sexuality.

Two songs especially stood out to me. "Y.A.L.A." is a clever play on the concept of Y.O.L.O., or "you only live once," a phrase made popular by her fellow rapper Drake. The lyrics start out by mocking people who subscribe to Y.O.L.O. before moving onto more serious themes like the flawed capitalism, race, drug use and violence.

The song ends with M.I.A. reflecting on the idea of reincarnation and her Hindu beliefs with lyrics about how, as M.I.A "back home where I come from we keep being born again and again and again that's why they invented karma." The pounding beat keeps the song light no matter how heavy the topic, and this is the ideal pump-up song: fast and easy to listen to.
"Exodus," which features Canadian rhythm and blues artist The Weeknd, is one of the longest songs on the album and one of the most interesting. It starts off slow and soft, especially for M.I.A., and there is a feeling of static in the background.
The static makes the song soothing and a welcomed release from M.I.A.'s usual fast and loud fare. The subversive lyrics about sexuality, conquest and exile take the song from just another electronic tune to a piece of music filled with depth.

Matangi isn't going to appeal to all listeners. If you haven't liked M.I.A.'s earlier works, you probably won't like this release either. The same goes for people who only like her most popular songs and nothing else. However, if good beats, mixed genres and lyrics packed with cultural references and real-world themes are your thing, Matangi is a great album to listen and dance to.
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