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Arular

Arular
M.I.A. - Arular.png
Studio album by M.I.A.
Released 22 March 2005 (2005-03-22)
Recorded Mid-2003 – 2004; London, England
Genre
Length 38:06
Label
Producer
M.I.A. chronology
Piracy Funds Terrorism Volume 1
(2004)
Arular
(2005)
Kala
(2007)
Singles from Arular
  1. "Galang"
    Released: 2003
  2. "Sunshowers"
    Released: 5 July 2004
  3. "Hombre"
    Released: 2005
  4. "Bucky Done Gun"
    Released: 11 July 2005
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 88/100
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 5/5 stars
Blender 4/5 stars
Christgau's Consumer Guide A
Entertainment Weekly A−
The Guardian 4/5 stars
The Independent 4/5 stars
NME 7/10
Pitchfork Media 8.6/10
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars
Spin A

Arular is the debut studio album by English recording artist M.I.A.. It was released on 22 March 2005 in the United States, and one month later in the United Kingdom, with a slightly different track listing. In 2004, the album's release was preceded by two singles and a mixtape. M.I.A. wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album and created the basic backing tracks using a Roland MC-505 sequencer/drum machine given to her by long-time friend Justine Frischmann. Collaborators included Switch, Diplo, Richard X and Ant Whiting. The album's title is the political code name used by her father, Arul Pragasam, during his involvement with Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups, and themes of conflict and revolution feature heavily in the lyrics and artwork. Musically, the album incorporates styles that range from hip hop and electroclash to funk carioca and punk rock.

Arular was lauded by critics for its blending of styles and integration of political lyrics into dance tunes. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2005 and was included in the 2005 edition of the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Although it only reached number 98 on the UK Albums Chart and number 190 on the US Billboard 200, several publications named it as one of the best albums of the year. By mid-2007, the album had sold 129,000 copies in the US, Arular spawned the singles "Sunshowers", "Bucky Done Gun" and "Galang", which was released twice.


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Wikipedia

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