For Maya Arulpragasam, guerrilla tactics aren't a trendy tag for a shambolic gig, they're a way of life. Having survived the upheaval of moving from Britain to the rebellion-torn Sri Lankan homeland of her father, a freedom fighter, she came back to the UK only to battle her way through life on a south London council estate.
Like Vicky Pollard with a terrorist fixation, she throws images of bombs and murder in among tales of text messaging and adultery, spitting out threats like old chewing gum as she tries to make sense of the brutality of her two worlds. A fractured backing of hip-hop beats and dancehall rhythms is peppered with poetic slang. "I'm bongo with my lingo/ Beat it like a wing you/ Can't stereotype my thing yo," she sings in Sunshowers. Her street style, based on repetition and recognition, is beguiling and often unfathomable.
Arulpragasam's confrontational storytelling and brazen punk politics are reminiscent of Neneh Cherry and Peaches, respectively, though the hostage-taking scenario in Amazon and three skits offering a guide to refugee education make for uneasy listening. But M.I.A. are shrapnel-sharp dance music that demands to be heard.
