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Re: /\/\ /\ Y /\ official tracklist, in stores now
After listening to it I knew it was a mess but after seeing the actual credits, its even worse than I thought. This is basically her Chinese Democracy. Trying to give everyone and their grandma credits is absurd. Like I feared, Switch's role is close to nonexistent. This chick really needs to go to a studio with one producer and create an album in that atmosphere. If you haven't heard the album yet, you can tell its a fucking mess just by reading these credits.
Five songwriters and four producers for that bullshit track Teqkilla?? Get the fuck out of here with that nonsense....
At this point I'm wondering if she is creatively spent and needs this many people to keep her musical career going. If so, time to quit and get into film like she's talked about doing for years.
1. The Message
Written by Sugu and Steve Loveridge.
Produced by Sugu
2. Steppin Up
Written by MIA, Rusko, and Switch
Produced by Rusko
3. XXXO
Written by MIA, Blaqstarr, and Cherry Byron-Withers.
Produced by Blaqstarr and Rusko
4. Teqkilla
Written by MIA, Rusko, Switch, John Hill, and Cherry.
Produced by Rusko, MIA, Switch, and John Hill
5. Lovalot
Written by MIA, Switch, John Hill, Opal Josephs, Sheldon Pennicot, and S. Davis (due to incorporation of "I Said It" by Opal)
Produced by MIA, Switch, and John Hill
6. Story to be Told
Written by MIA, Rusko, and Switch
Produced by Rusko and MIA
7. It Takes a Muscle
Written by Michel Mulders & Henri Overduin (of Spectral Display)
Produced by Diplo
8. It Iz What it Iz
Written by MIA and Blaqstarr
Produced and mixed by Blaqstarr
9. Born Free
Written by MIA, Switch, Martin Rev and Alan Vega (Suicide)
Produced by Switch and MIA
10. Meds and Feds
Written and produced by MIA and Derek E. Miller
11. Tell Me Why
Written by MIA and Diplo
Produced by Diplo
12. Space
Written, produced and mixed by Rusko and MIA
MIA is Executive Producer for the entire album
Re: /\/\ /\ Y /\ official tracklist, in stores now
One of her biggest collaborators is now distancing himself from the project. If you don't know who diplo is, he played a huge role in her first album and was also one of the masterminds behind Kala(the other was Switch).
On what went wrong with MAYA: 'I think she'™s a really controversial artist and she'™s one of the most important people doing music right now, because people expect a lot. And I think that the record was like'”she didn'™t care about it. I was in the studio with her, she didn'™t write anything. The one good review is that, at least people'”she'™s on the defensive for the whole record, and that doesn'™t sound very authentic. Me and Switch tried our best to be quality control of the record and she didn'™t want that. She kind of went on her own way. I was like, Look, nobody in your crew'”we were the only people she could trust, and our asses were on the line too. We got here because of working with people like her. We care about the way things sound, and when the people that she works with don'™t, then it'™s fucked up. She'™s not a talented person in any aspect. She'™s got ideas bigger than any artist I'™ve ever met and she'™s someone to fuckin'™ make that happen. All she has is a bunch of yes men around her and they kinda suck.�
On ever working with her again: 'I burned like twenty bridges with her. I build my own bridges, it doesn'™t matter. I'™m honest. As soon as she comes to terms with what she does then we can work again. One of us has to be like, We fucked up, and then we can do it again.�
On the backlash: 'I am surprised by it. She like, retired because she married a dude and she didn'™t care about music. She only did it again because 'Paper Planes� did blow up in the end. It gave her a second wind, but she didn'™t have any hunger anymore. She already got a full table.�
On her future: 'But besides that I think she'™s amazing and she'™ll put another record out that'™s going to be fuckin'™ sick because I think she needs to get grounded at some point.�
Re: /\/\ /\ Y /\ official tracklist, in stores now
Ouch. She was everywhere a few years ago.
Even Axl called me and said "goddamn"
While the numbers are decent(they're virtually identical to Kala's first week sales), its a disappointment considering how huge she got a year after that album's release. This album lacks the monster single that Kala had so the album is in big trouble.
It also shows that the Paper Planes craze is officially dead. That song sold almost 4 million on Itunes and other outlets yet this album hot off the presses has the same sales as before she got huge. The singles from this aren't doing anything either and they are just throwing everything at the wall and praying it sticks. This is week one and almost half the album is already a single.
She was crazy for not releasing something in late 2008/early 09. Like Axl, she has a horrific ability at detecting when an iron is hot.
Re: /\/\ /\ Y /\ official tracklist, in stores now
Although I don't think this was a factor, going around slamming Lady GaGa in 2010 isn't exactly conductive to winning fans either.
She's the biggest thing on the planet right now. It's been awhile since i've seen an artist get that big.
I also think GaGa has set a standard for how pop music is supposed to sound that audience. M.I.A. didn't conform to that. She might not have been away for long, but still, alot has happened in the time off. Things have changed. Expectations have changed.
Her videos are right on the mark, but the music is WAY off. It's too eclectic.
Re: /\/\ /\ Y /\ official tracklist, in stores now
The GaGa comments definitely were a factor. She got a lot of shit for it(including from the media), and Iovine had to tell her to shut the fuck up. Her recent negativity regarding the media also probably played a role in their disinterest of the album.
Wheels are already starting to come off and this was day one of the tour.....
NEW YORK'”After enduring hours of sizzling heat in the rave-like atmosphere of the Hard NYC festival on Governors Island on Saturday, even hardcore MIA fans were scrambling for the first boat back to the city by the fifth song of an abysmal set that left concert goers puzzled, upset and even full of pity for what was once one of the brightest stars in world pop music.
MIA was the headliner and big draw for the nine-hour event on a humid day when temperatures soared into the high 90s. But her reputation as an engaging live performer may now be damaged beyond repair.
Fans were shocked and let down by the Sri Lanka-born performer's muddled, unentertaining show. It could have been so much more. Last week, during a slot on David Letterman, MIA performed a chilling live version of her recent driving controversial single and video, "Born Free." But last night, by the fifth song, nearly a third of the crowd proved just how free they were by walking out of the show without regret.
No regret, because Hard NYC wasn't a total waste of time, due to engaging beat-driven sets by top caliber international acts including DJs Skream and Benga, and MC Alpha (from London), quirky, hard-edged, NYC-based guitar-vocal duo Sleigh Bells, and a powerful, in-your-face, anti-PC bludgeoning by South African MC duo Die Antwoord.
In fact it may have been the strength of Die Antwoord's set, falling right before MIA, that made her look so weak by comparison. But MIA and crew seemed to need no help undermining every aspect of their set.
What should have a stunning opening number, "Steppin' Out," one of the most intense tracks on the latest CD, M?Y?, instead fell completely flat'”against all odds. Before the song started, three figures clad in gold head-to-toe garments moved into place on the left side of the stage. Then, one-by-one: ten ninjas in black hooded suits entered; each marked with a vertical florescent stripe lit intensely by a flood of black lights; each carrying a black automatic machine gun. Whoa. The song's opening chain saw-like sounds blared, as though something big was about to begin. And then?
The sound stopped abruptly, and a chubbie roadie dashed across the stage'”for what? A misplaced 1/4" male jack? A couple of double A batteries? Hard to believe this was the opening number of a show that the fans there really wanted to embrace, despite the almost universal critical disapproval of MIA's latest release. She was supposed to get it right. In fact, had she nailed it, the crowd would have been hers for the rest of the night.
Instead, when the sound started up again, it wasn't from the beginning of the song. Rather, it started about'”oh, say'”20 bars in, give or take a few. Who cares? It's only 20,000 people expecting to be entertained. And'”this is the real shocker: MIA's own microphone wasn't audible! For the entire song! It's not like she plays an instrument and can cover up with some nifty noodling on a drum machine. She is the lead vocalist! And you couldn't hear her! Instead, you heard a prerecorded "music-minus-one" version of the record, with her cheerleader-like back up vocalist shrilly piping counterpoint "Yeahs" "MIAs" and "Rub-a-dubs." But no MIA! And she just kept going. How about switch mics? Stop the show for a minute? Nah . . . Just pretend it's working and maybe the audience will, too.
Her mic was still out for song two: "Bucky Done Gun" from the 2005 release "Arular." And by then the ninjas and others had left the stage, so it was just two women bouncing around in front of lights and projections, and only one of them could be heard, atop a muddy sound mix.
By song three, they were turning laser lights on the audience, and MIAs mic started making some noise. "Lovalot" came next, and little had improved. MIA kept going into the night. And the crowd started heading en masse for the boat home: exhausted and sorely disappointed.
Admittedly, the show and sound improved later, and hit a peak during a thunderstorm version of "World Town" from the exciting MIA's 2007 release Kala.
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People leaving in droves just a few songs into the set would have been unheard of 3 years ago.
edit: diplo did an interview with Pitchfork yesterday and he's still painting a pretty bleak picture of her as an artist. Obviously some shit went down between these two and he's stripping this Sri Lankan emperor of her last strands of cloth. He does talk positive about her, but he does get some digs in.
I know you don't give a shit about this guy(hell, I don't either) but I'll post the few relevant comments.....
Pitchfork: Do you think the New York Times article about M.I.A. was a fair portrayal of her?
Diplo: When I did the interview, I spoke to [Lynn Hirschberg] for two hours, probably as much as M.I.A. did. I talked to her about everything there was to talk about and the quotes were things I said and it was pretty accurate. The article was meant to be shockingly crazy, but at the same time, there's nothing on there that's phony.
But it's dangerous when you keep putting out the politics, because she doesn't really stand for anything at the end of the day. More importantly, she stands for getting people to talk.
I always told her to make the record and make a statement. Do what you're good at, the politics are going to backfire on you.
I don't give a fuck about her politics. I know everything about her politics, I know everything about her family. I know everything about it. No one else knows this kind of stuff. And that's not what's interesting to me. What's interesting is what she does on her records and how fucking weird she is. She can reach people with this weird shit and that's way more fucking interesting to me. If you want politics read Howard Zinn books or go to Ted.com. That's a way better fucking place to get your information from then M.I.A.'s album.
Pitchfork: You can't buy into that responsibility of politics when someone isn't a politician.
Diplo: I wish that I could help her. She should have a manager right now, that's the mess that she's in. Someone should get her to not talk about that stuff, because it doesn't go anywhere good.
Re: /\/\ /\ Y /\ official tracklist, in stores now
Hmm, interesting.
I do know in the past, with countless artists, it takes YEARS AND YEARS of fan support, before SOME will listen to your politics. Even Bono, who's universally considered a peacemaker and a cool guy who will sit down with virtually anyone to talk diplomatically - some fans hate on the guys politics... "shut up and sing" they say.
Everyone has haters.
There's nothing wrong with MIA coming out, and being herself, and people loving her for it, but ever since popular music has existed, NO ONE gives a fuck about your politics both in-studio and on-stage. As famous as Axl's rants are, he had tons of people screaming at him to shut up and throwing things at him.
It also doesn't help MIA's case that some of her statements could be construed to be anti-American. Don't know if that's the case, but it's definitely dangerous territory to tread. It works when your a white Texan (Dixie Chicks), but when your colored and look like your rag is missing, people will jump on your ass with both barrels - even if your right, and in her case, she's simply spoke of her experiences growing up, and being honest about it. I don't remember her going out of her way to say, fuck this or fuck that, or fuck that guy. I just don't recall it.
Anyways, the bottom line is - the new album blows. If she had unloaded a new Paper Planes, people would be creaming all over themselves. It still comes down to sound, beat - the music.
Re: /\/\ /\ Y /\ official tracklist, in stores now
Anyways, the bottom line is - the new album blows. If she had unloaded a new Paper Planes, people would be creaming all over themselves. It still comes down to sound, beat - the music.
You just hit the nail on the head. Regardless of all other bullshit, you gotta have the music to back it all up, especially if you have the nerve to talk shit about GaGa. If GaGa is Madonna, this chick is Jody Watley. 
I know she's got like 10-15 fans here. Have any of you guys heard this album yet? If so, chime in....
