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9.0
13709
9.0 |
Clash
M.I.A. stands alone in her own world of pop firing out her mercurial messages, which are as complex as they are captivating. ‘/\/\ /\ Y /\’ is a towering work that makes a mockery of rivals and genres
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9.0
13716
9.0 |
Spin
Exploring the mindset of impulsive youth caught up in Islamic terrorism is a head-spinning project. But M.I.A. embraces it fearlessly, even mischievously
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9.0
13848
9.0 |
BBC
The leap in her ability, to realise such a distinct vision, is complete. /\/\/\Y/\ is at points a terrifying achievement but, much like life in general, it has so much to offer an inquisitive and open mind
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9.0
14257
9.0 |
musicOMH
M.I.A.'s back, louder and more renegade than ever
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9.0
14518
9.0 |
The 405
As with M.I.A.'s previous offerings, the beats, hooks and pervading general noise is what keeps the momentum up throughout the mishmash of electro-pop and severely distorted dance hall
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9.0
14555
9.0 |
Spin
Aside from "Lovealot," she proudly proclaims her intentions as a first-world pop star, de-emphasizing found collage and "third-world democracy" for melodic sway and punky bluster
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9.0
14885
9.0 |
God Is In The TV
M.I.A. persuades us there is a life for individuals outside of the media and when it is as vibrant and exhilarating as this it is certainly a cause for celebration
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8.5
14368
8.5 |
The Observer
A headache-inducing patchwork of conspiracy theories, love, technological overload, world musics and sadness...It justifies all the cultural static by being rather brilliant
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8.0
14197
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
“I got something to say” she hollers in ‘Born Free’. As long as her music remains as bold, inventive and occasionally thrilling as it is here, long may that continue
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8.0
14355
8.0 |
State
Rather than being obscured by one standout single (as in the case of 2007’s Kala, and its omnipresent ‘Paper Planes’), MAYA is a well-crafted collection that improves with each listen
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8.0
14357
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Maya is the most uncompromising, paranoia-fuelled record of her career
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8.0
14363
8.0 |
Daily Telegraph
MAYA isn’t politics, it’s pop music, and accusations of hypocrisy miss the mark. Provocation, controversy and contradiction are all part of the fun
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8.0
14320
8.0 |
The Irish Times
If you’ve been looking for a quick-acting and powerful antidote to Lady Gaga, you’ve found it here – on repeat prescription
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8.0
14331
8.0 |
The Independent
Maya sounds like a party for Cabaret Voltaire's stroppy teen daughter
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8.0
13867
8.0 |
Mojo
It would be churlish to expect another Paper Planes, and there isn't one, although this is still invigorating stuff. Print edition only
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8.0
14645
8.0 |
Prefix
The entire listening experience is both exhaustive in its aggression, but edited deliberately (the entire album clocks in at around 45 minutes) to avoid excess
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8.0
14751
8.0 |
Under The Radar
Despite some of its missteps, /\/\ /\ Y /\ has treasures to explore. Nothing screams “next big thing” like XXXO
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8.0
14533
8.0 |
Eye Weekly
Even on her noisiest, messiest album in every sense, she’s still got the irrepressible intellect of a pop prodigy
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8.0
14434
8.0 |
Rave Magazine
It’s hard to know what to make of this album, which is about as much of a hot mess as its YouTube-inspired cover: it has several high-quality, absolutely inspired moments, but fails to bring these together into a coherent whole
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8.0
14463
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
She covers so much ground because it's all part of who she is. And from the sound of Maya, she's capable of anything – except being dull
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7.9
14493
7.9 |
Beats Per Minute
As a scathing critique of “information politics” or an audible page of Pynchon-esque paranoia in a digital age, Maya undoubtedly fails. However, as an innovative album, with stellar production and true grit, it works
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7.0
14697
7.0 |
No Ripcord
M.I.A. has now made a trilogy of inventive, engrossing records, but for the sake of music we’d all better hope that /\/\/\Y/\ isn’t the beginning of the end
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7.0
14267
7.0 |
NME
It has moments you'll be tempted to skip, but also those you'll want to come back to again and again. Print edition only
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7.0
14350
7.0 |
The Fly
It’s a record that has so much going on at times you don’t know whether to dance, nod or shrivel into a nervous, cowering wreck
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6.0
14306
6.0 |
FasterLouder
M.I.A. never quite convinces as a hipster-socialite with a militant heart, but when she can inspire some of the highlighted songs here from her collaborators and wear them well enough then /\/\ /\ Y /\ is worth the ride, bumps and all
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6.0
14343
6.0 |
The Guardian
A sense of alienation, of an artist attempting to create distance between herself and her audience is compounded by the preponderance of effects on MIA's voice
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6.0
13884
6.0 |
Q
Dense and compacted, Maya forsakes the human touch. Print edition only
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6.0
14498
6.0 |
The Skinny
MAYA is missing the spikiness so central to her personality
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6.0
14477
6.0 |
The Scotsman
There are some true pop moments woven into the commotion and confrontation. She takes on the Kylies and Christinas with current single XXXO, an outright dancefloor blast of synth claps and droning keyboards
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5.0
14421
5.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
The album's overarching conceptual conceit seems to fall apart by design, leaving behind a fragmented collection of false starts and undercooked themes. "Teqkilla" is one of only a few tracks on the album that sounds like a natural evolution of M.I.A.'s sound
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5.0
14394
5.0 |
PopMatters
Perhaps the next time around, M.I.A. should take the time to figure out what it is that she does want to say before heading into the studio
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4.4
14393
4.4 |
Pitchfork
It's not exactly a surprise that M.I.A. would opt to create such an off-putting and anti-pop album at this point in her career. She may be reaching for an interesting and provocative style, but her motives seem defensive in nature
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4.0
14397
4.0 |
Independent on Sunday
Some might argue that a lefty, radically minded pop star is something for which we should just shut up and be grateful. But is M.I.A. really the best we can do?
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4.0
14037
4.0 |
Uncut
This was recorded in MIA's new LA mansion and suffers from diminished horizons
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4.0
14476
4.0 |
The Quietus
MAYA is a record that sells itself on its links to its collaborators and ultimately it lets all of them down
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2.0
15186
2.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
With provocative but overall senseless lyrics, a horrible undertone of feigned political vilification, and a straight up fucking dumb title, this album is truly an error, a blooper that needs to be edited out
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