Poll up the People: M.I.A. - Arular poll

Excluded the three skits and added the bonus tracks on some versions (uraqt, mia) instead.

Hombre

I like "Pull Up the People" and "Bucky Done Gun" and "Galang" just as much (and love everything on the album) but I'm pretty sure my other favorite "Amazon" will go under-repped, so there goes my vote.

I love this whole album too but I think I'm going to have to vote for Galang although Bucky Done Gun is a close second.

10 Dollar 4EVA!!!

The "What can I get for ten dollar" refrain is my favorite musical moment of the 2000s.

following somewhat the same reasoning as rev, i go "bingo" so it doesn't get shut out.

They're all pretty great tbh.

shocked this hadn't been done before, i don't really have a ready answer - "10 dollar" or "galang" or "pull up the people" or "amazon" maybe? kinda surprised by how well all of these hold up (cf kala, which only has maybe 3-4 tracks i still jam).

the dj marlboro remix of "bucky done gun" is probably the finest thing to emerge from this campaign though, so banging. was it an original by him that diplo nicked in the first place?

that remix isn't on youtube but google's thrown up a mediafire link: http://www.mediafire.com/?kipritvurw6

really liked this "bucky done gun"-sampling song from this year too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwbgv2C_xo0

It's between Amazon and 10 Dollar for me. 10 Dollar for the dancefloor memories, Amazon because when I listened to Arular the other week it was the one that really stood out. Xylophones!

Get cracking... it's got to be Bucky Done Gun.

bucky done gun - i remember buying that and galang on vinyl from rough trade on a whim. Never looked back.

Hombre

― Salvador Dali Parton (Turangalila), Wednesday, November 25, 2009 4:21 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark

Bucky Done Gun, Sunshowers, Amazon and Galang are all very worthy too.

Great album top-to-bottom, but Amazon is the standout.

$10

"Amazon" and then probably "U.R.A.Q.T.", though mainly cos I could listen to "You Big Dummy" forever.

sunshowers

amazon.

Galang!

BTW this is album of the decade for me. I'm shocked it didn't even made the top 20 on the P2K list.

*make

BTW this is album of the decade for me. I'm shocked it didn't even made the top 20 on the P2K list.

Guessing the M.I.A. votes split between Arular and KALA?

10 Dollar vs. URAQT vs. BUcky Done Gun.

Most likely candidates to be shut out: Fire Fire or M.I.A., i think.

Secretly upset that this isn't on any official version of the album: Lady Killa

URAQT

I've always wondered about this. The version of URAQT I have doesn't sample the Sanford & Sons theme song (that's the one from PIRACY FUNDS TERRORISM, right?) and yet...the hard copies of ARULAR that a bunch of my friends have all feature that version.

Is the Diplo Mix actually the official version of the song. Was there an earlier version that I could conceivably have gotten my hands on back in 2004/5? Or is this some strange remix that I have mislabeled. It sounds like most of Maya's own pre-PIRACY productions circa Galang etc.

Here: http://www.mediafire.com/?m3ygi4jyndm

The hard copy I had used the "You Big Dummy" version of "U.R.A.Q.T.", haven't heard any other version.

Lady Killa, btw, if you haven't heard it: http://www.mediafire.com/?lokjnjlgnhy

Yeah, this version of URAQT opens with:

You're London, I'm Sri Lankan
I'm ???, You're Camden
Right then, it's on
London Tower, The Dungeon
On the bus, on the train
Like a heroin in your vein
Thinkin' you some Princess Di
My man ain't your Dodi Fay

Before launching into the "dit dit dit on your mobile phone" bit.

"What can I get for ten dollah?" is a fucking good moment but Bucky Done Gun's staccato neatness blew me away. Should go on the 'specific song memories' thread but bucky done gun always reminds me of wasting time by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in cyprus in fantastic heat waiting for a mechanic to show up and fix our car.

I'll go in for "Sunshowers", for a more raw, stripped down M.I.A. But the whole thing is pretty great, as noted above. More consistent than Kala, which is funny b/c that album got a lot more kewlbuzz for being globehopping, visionary, original, etc.

I like this one way more than Kala.

accidentally voted putp mean2cast a votef or amzaon plz correct 4 this when u guys r yammering abt the results whenever the poll closes

So Kala is way better than Arular. Come on.

The songs of choice here are Hombre, Amazon, Sunshowers, URAQT and Galang. I voted Hombre.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Hombre, no lo se!

HI DERE OTM. Arular is a great, great first album but Kala builds on the groundwork it laid and surpasses it in every way.

Anyway this poll is really hard. but I think I'll go with 'Galang.'

Kala is more ambitious, but I just find the tunes a lot catchier on Arular.

Ditto. Kala makes me move my brain, but Arular makes me move my ass.

I think there are points where Arular tries too hard where Kala hits all my buttons effortlessly, both mind and ass.

i think kala expands on arular in all directions -- beatwise, tunewise, themewise, global-vibe-wise. i love both (plus piracy funds terrorism), but kala to me just seems more realized.

The average level that the lyrics operate on, both in terms of substance and how they flow with the music, appeals to me much more on Kala. You don't have outright clunkers with nice beats like "Pull Up The People" or "Bucky Done Gun" (cue the outrage)

I don't really listen to MIA for her lyrics tbh

and half the beats on Kala are some tedious shit whereas Arular is straight bangers

also I love the lyrics on both those tracks

How can you say "Bamboo Banger" and "XR2", for example, are tedious?

I didn't say either of those was tedious (although the latter got boring with the quickness)

bdg for the booty

I would say they were about on a par with one another but I think Arular just edges in front of Kala due to not having that abysmal Wilcannia Mob track on it.

I've finally gotten to the point where I don't skip that track!

(only took what, 2 years? lol)

still listen to pft more frequently iirc

"Sunshowers," cuz I'm going through a Dr. Buzzard/Kid Creole phase.

Otherwise Dan OTM about Kala vs Arular.

only surprised with uraqt; thought it would be higher.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Growin up, Brewin Up
Guerilla gettin trained up
look out look out
From over the Rooftop

okay that's just WRONG, "Fire Fire" should have gotten at least ONE vote

what else has sounded like Amazon this year?

KALA poll next please thanks!

this *decade* i mean not year.

I finally agree with Dan on something to do with MIA :)

Probably should have relistened to this BEFORE voting. Went for URAQT from memory but forgot how astonishing Amazon was. piscesx is right, it's on another plane.

I was thinking of voting for "Fire Fire" then I ended up forgetting to vote at all. Oh well.

"Amazon" and "Hombre" are the two undeniable tracks for me, with "Galang", "Sunshowers", "URAQT" and "Fire Fire" close behind. I don't really care one way or the other about any of the other tracks other than "Bingo", which I actively hate.

I do think this album is more consistent and easier to listen to straight through than "Kala". But it doesn't have a "Paper Planes".

It has a lot of songs that are better than "Paper Planes".

just in case anyone's missed this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOBhrnOzwXw

It has a lot of songs that are better than "Paper Planes".

^^^

paper planes is good but a) I'd rather just listen to the clash track (no rockist) and b) the fact that it's such a standout track on the album says more about Kala's mediocrity than Paper Planes's greatness

I would have voted 10 Dollar I think

I love the clash but that song is awful imo.

The original, I mean. PP is great.

The Clash song is okay but it's a totally different song than PP. They don't sound anything alike to me. So I don't really understand that idea that you have to pick one or the other.

Those first three albums!

URAQT 4 eva

Nicely done, man. Except 10 Dollar, forever my favorite, is languishing in the middle of side 2.

what happened to the docu? did it ever come out?

"world town" deserves a spot but yeah good list

Sunshowers was the first track I heard on much music as a teen and it sounded fresher than anything I had heard at that time. Galang is hard to beat tho - the outro always gets me

the doco screened at SIFF a few weeks ago

Saw a tweet about the movie doc having been show at DC area Documentaries Doc fest (a day after the showing). Tweet suggested that having a familiarity with her music and career already was needed to enjoy pic.