M.I.A. with her supposed final album release of AIM on first spin warbles in eccentric experimentation that has you scratching your noggin a smidgen. Songs seemingly thrown together at random play out in excess across a dozen tracks that hop around just one time too many. Yet on repeated listens between the sounds of nostalgia, experimentation, swagger and outright weirdness the patterns feel less sporadic than methodically planned.
Vocalist Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam has opted for a more personal approach as she predominantly sings her way through electronic synths, random hip hopping, the occasional alternative R&B, and the underlying worldbeat that tie AIM’s thematic sound from end to end.
The preliminary third of the record swarms in dreamy worldbeat subtleties that seem fairly hit and miss. For example opening “Borders” broods in autotune croons over smooth, snide commentary of “what’s up with that?” from a lazy-sounding Maya on actual serious topics. Ragga drum claps and bass thumps rumble as Mathangi wants everyone to "go off on them" and yet the more intriguing moments of the track are the tail end moments from Blaqstarr. The “Bird Song” is musically ambitious, though M.I.A. sounds chiller than any of the birds flying through the track, lazily egging you on to “watch the sky.” Then robotic sounding lines of “Jump In” about going out and prepping makeup sound rather unconvincing, especially the bit about making that dream her own.
Rolling through AIM’s mid-section is very much on target, equally balancing endearing sweetness with Mathangi’s signature swagger. One of the most melodically coherent moments of the record swirl in “Freedun” with featured guest Zayn Malik, formally of One Direction, stealing the spotlight. Then reaching like one over-extended hook the synth laden “Foreign Friend” melodies sound warmly engaging in the promise of friendship, though not for Arulpragasam but for guest Dexta Daps with his guttural soul filled wail. Tracks like “Finally” gets peculiarly optimistic, with subtle nodding to The Verve with a "bittersweet symphony" but the positive vibes that you may as well enjoy some of it. Sonic swagger of “AMP” storms through with a pounding rhythm as lyrics top over that with what you may have while M.I.A. downplays with even more.
As the worldbeat latter bit of the record goes along, the tracks sound a bit tired out and fall flat in contrast to what came before it. Brooding monotonous vocals worrying over Ali work strangely enough in “Ali r u ok?” Then as “Visa” raps reminisce a former heyday this familiarity links back straight to Arular with samples of her own "Galang" track sprinkled throughout, a tongue-in-cheek moment for self-referencing relevance. Though incessantly repetitive, the "Fly Pirate" production bounces hard much as any other club centerpiece, even amidst losing itself in all the echoes that drone to obscurity. For all the serious elements of “Survivor” (think G.O.D. as “Gold & Oil & Dollar”), the shimmery synths in the album closer permeate the stratosphere in a hopeful ending that wouldn’t be out of a place in a rolling credit reel.
A special edition adds to the collection another five tracks which ironically enough present the strongest M.I.A elements that have made her so appealing over the years. Yet the AIM playlist without still creates what it set out to do: explore new sonic territories that are substantially personal and a bit all over the place. Considering her usual output this release might be somewhat underwhelming, but for a final outing it’s a bit disappointing that there will be nothing left to muse upon.
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