I love finding something new that's so good it seems to reenergize me from the inside out. (Eric can vouch that that used to happen daily with me -- always a new "best song ever!"). Local Atlanta radio station 99x decided to cut the cord on their program Sunday School, a weekly segment that introduced listeners to the kind of indie and alternative tracks that don't monopolize the clear-channel inundated airwaves like everything else that gets played on radio. The last show was yesterday, and some of the best tracks I had never heard got aired. But the exit song in particular blew me away.

It was like an auditory orgasm.

I had to find out what this was, so with a little googling I discovered the artist M.I.A., and I'm excited to hell about it:

"Paper Planes" was the song:

The ambient background loop from The Clash is perfect. Makes me want to get moving. I mean figuratively, but literally too.

I usually recommend just taking in the sounds the first time, but YouTube is the easiest way to stream these here.

"Sunshowers"


Remake of a 70s Bollywood hit, "Jimmy":


One more crazy track just to show the breadth of style. I don't see why anyone that appreciates Animal Collective or Gang Gang Dance shouldn't get into this one. "Bird Flu" is set to a typically South Indian beat and infused with odd sounds and general chaos. I just like the rhythm and the kids shouting, lol:


Here's a blurb I found online: "Hailing from Sri Lanka, via London and the South East, M.I.A plays an utterly unique blend of hip-hop, pop, grime, ragga and electronic music, making her one of the most exciting and dynamic artists around."

So there you have it. M.I.A.'s music is good. It's fun. And in its own way, it's fucking punk rock. Her website is here: http://www.miauk.com/

It's true that I tend to listen to a lot of female artists. I am a woman after all, so it shouldn't be much of a shock. I admire women who make good art that is actually about the art, not about appearances (because you know that when you like the music there's always someone who's saying "i like her, she's so sexy/erotic/hot/etc"), someone real and not afraid to show it, and who loves what they do and, well, does it. (Although we all know those are damn attractive qualities). And I'm definitely not saying I don't listen to men's music because I certainly do; not to would just be stupid and closed off. The only reason I'm saying this is because people have told me, "You listen to a lot of females" and I just don't see the deal.

Give me some comment love and let me know what you think!

Screw you LJ!

I know how to post!

They see me rollin'