32. M.I.A - Galang (2003)

One of the decade's biggest revolutions was in the artists' ability to circumvent the music industry, and reach the public directly. Out of the artists that managed to establish themselves in that way, M.I.A is one of the primary examples, and my personal favorite.

M.I.A was born by the name Mathangi Arulpragasam, to a Tamil family active in the struggle against the authorities in Sri-Lanka. She reached England as a refugee, and started to make politically-flavored graffiti art. The female rock group Elastica hired her to work on the visual aspects of their art, and as a result she started to take interest in music as well. With the aid of some simple electronic devices, she created something wholly original, a kind of an Asian version of Jamaican dancehall. In 2003 she released her songs on the web in mp3 format, and from there they took on a life of their own, traveling from one computer to the other, spreading the word. By 2004 it became apparent that she has an audience, and she created videos for her songs as well.

'Galang' is a fantastic pop record. There are some political messages in here too, but they are chopped thin and mixed into a salad of electronic bleeps and repetitive syllables, creating ecstatic gibberish reminiscent of fifties doo-wop. That is the true power of pop - not in lyrics, but in rhythms that penetrate your body and teach it new experiences, which transform your being. After you have been changed, you open up to receive the verbal messages as well.

Mia was promptly signed by a record label, kept on putting out good records, and became a force in the rising Asian pop. But this, to my ears, is still her best record.