フォーマット |
CD |
---|---|
構成数 |
1 |
国内/輸入 |
輸入 (International Version) |
パッケージ仕様 |
- |
発売日 |
2016年09月09日 |
---|---|
規格品番 |
5711180 |
レーベル |
|
SKU |
602557111804 |
構成数 | 1枚
合計収録時間 | 00:54:13
"Stars come and go," Maya Arulpragasam sings as her fifth album comes to a close, and it's another reminder of what a self-aware artist she is. On AIM, which was rumored to be her final album at the time of its release, she sounds revitalized. For someone supposedly ending her career, M.I.A. issued a lot of music in the months prior to the album's arrival. Several of her best songs didn't even appear on AIM's final track list (the excellent "Swords," which samples clashing blades for its beat, only appears on a deluxe edition of the album). Nevertheless, M.I.A. sounds more relevant on AIM than she has in some time. As a musician who always sought to break boundaries, it's fitting that she explores the issues facing refugees, immigrants, and others at the mercy of geographical and political borders with renewed passion. Though the trap-tinged "Borders," which premiered in late 2015 with a powerful music video inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis, loses a little something when stripped of its visuals, she fares better on "Go Off," where she sings of the "fans back home" over a Skrillex/Blaqstarr production that blends traditional music with contemporary beats -- a classic M.I.A. tactic, if there ever were one. As the title suggests, Arulpragasam comes full circle on AIM, revisiting some of her career highlights along the way. She name-drops "Bamboo Banga" on "Visa," which shares the feeling that M.I.A. represented a new pop paradigm; alludes to "Bad Girls" on "Foreign Friend"; peppers "Finally"'s dancehall rhythms with gunshots a la "Paper Planes"; and harks back to the storytelling of her earlier albums on "Ali R U OK," where she tells her overworked refugee lover "I haven't even seen you since we left Calais." While some songs recall Matangi's droning cul de sacs, more often than not Arulpragasam remembers to include melody and fun, particularly on the swaggering "A.M.P (All My People)." "Freedun," which features former One Direction member Zayn, is a highlight that proves M.I.A. still has the ability to surprise. Even if AIM is more scattered than her finest work, at its best it plays like a scrapbook that pieces together over a decade's worth of sounds and issues. ~ Heather Phares
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1.[CD]
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1.Borders
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2.Go Off
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3.Bird Song
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4.Jump In
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5.Freedun - (featuring ZAYN)
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6.Foreign Friend - (featuring Dexta Daps)
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7.Finally
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8.A.M.P (All My People)
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9.Ali R U OK?
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10.Visa
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11.Fly Pirate
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12.Survivor
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13.Bird Song
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14.New International Sound, Pt. 2, The - (featuring Gener8ion)
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15.Swords
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16.Talk
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17.Platforms
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2月に"Boom ADD"を公開した際には、〈スーパーボウル〉の事案がまだ尾を引いていたのか……とも思ったものだが、いずれにせよ件の生放送中に〈flip the bird〉したあたりで潮目が変わったのは確かだろう。M.I.A.の通算5枚目のアルバムは、本人によると〈アルバムという形態では最後の作品〉になるという。曲名通りのテーマとMVも物議を醸した"Borders"をオープニングに、ブラックスターとディプロ各々による2種のトラックで収められた"Bird Song"や、ゼインを招いたポロウ・ダ・ドン制作の"Freedun"、スクリレックスとのコラボ、恩人ジャスティーン・フリッシュマンとの共作など、多様なトピックとメッセージを持ち前のエスニック・バンガーで届ける刺激的な作りは変わらない。一周してまたモダンなダンスホールやバングラの飛び交う格好良いサウンドに身を委ねていると、ここ10年で生まれた音のトレンドの前提に彼女が存在していたことにも改めて気付かされて遠い目にもなる。まあ、本当に最後だとは思っていないけれど。
bounce (C)轟ひろみタワーレコード (vol.396(2016年10月25日発行号)掲載)
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