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AIM (album)

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Untitled

AIM is the fifth studio album by English recording artist M.I.A, released on 9 September 2016 by Interscope and Polydor. Prior to its release, the rapper claimed that it would be her final album. M.I.A. worked on the composition and production of the album with a range of collaborators, including Blaqstarr, Diplo and Skrillex.

AIM received generally mixed reviews from music critics, some praising certain songs but commenting on the album's lack of focus.

Background

M.I.A. released her fourth album Matangi in November 2013. Although it received generally positive reviews,[1] it failed to match the commercial performance of her previous two albums. The first teaser of the rapper's fifth album came eighteen months later, in May 2015, when M.I.A. shared the demo version of the track "Platforms" on her SoundCloud page.[2] The album was originally going to be titled Matahdatah and have the concept of an audio-visual series filmed around the world, but on 14 July 2016, M.I.A. confirmed the new title of the album, AIM.[3] She considered it her most positive work, saying that there were "no complaints" on it, and claimed that it would be her last album.[4] The official track listing of the deluxe edition was eventually announced on 18 August 2016.[5] The album's cover artwork was revealed on the same day and features a cropped photograph of the rapper on an orange and black background.

Music and lyrics

A number of tracks on the album contain lyrics which relate to borders and refugees.[6] Themes of animal migration, romantic relationships, and self-love are also frequent throughout the album.

Promotion

Producer Diplo, who had collaborated with M.I.A. on her first three albums, returned to working with the rapper following a personal dispute.

A number of the songs from the album were made available ahead of the album's release, either as singles or through other media. "The New International Sound Pt. 2" was first released in June 2015, as part of French producer Surkin's project GENER8ION. "Swords" and "Borders" were both released later the same year.[7] In March of the following year, M.I.A. debuted "MIA OLA" (later renamed "Visa") via her SoundCloud.[8] The song originally sampled Elton John's song "Circle of Life" from the film The Lion King, but she later announced via Periscope that she had replaced the "Circle of Life" sample with a sample of her own early single, "Galang". The complete album, consisting of 12 tracks, was previewed on Periscope on 17 May 2016.[9]

"Go Off" was released on 15 July 2016 as the lead single from the album. The Blaqstarr-produced version of the next single "Bird Song" was released on 12 August 2016. The Diplo version of the song was released on 18 August 2016.[3][10][11] The fifth single from the album, "Freedun", was released on 2 September 2016.[12] On 7 September, "Foreign Friend", featuring Dexta Daps, premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show. M.I.A. has revealed in one of Periscope chats with fans that she will tour the UK in 2017 in support of the album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic65/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubC–[14]
DIY[15]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[16]
Exclaim![17]
The Guardian[18]
The Independent[19]
Loud and Quiet[20]
Rolling Stone[21]
Q[22]
Slant Magazine[6]

AIM received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Writing in The Guardian, Harriet Gibsone noted the album's "vision, scope and experimentation" but described it overall as "frustratingly unfocused".[18] Greg Cochrane of the magazine Loud and Quiet praised several individual tracks but described the album as sounding "disparate, like a collection of ideas rather than songs".[20] El Hunt, in DIY, said that the album is "colliding jangling rhythms with brash, lane-switching pop parps", and described the album as "abrasive" and "divisive".[15]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Universal Music[23] and Tidal.[24]

AIM – Standard version[25]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Borders"
  • M.I.A.
  • ADP
  • Lennox
4:11
2."Go Off"
  • M.I.A.
  • Skrillex
  • Blaqstarr
3:04
3."Bird Song" (Blaqstarr version)
  • M.I.A.
  • Blaqstarr
3:01
4."Jump In"
  • Arulpragasam
  • Smith
  • M.I.A.
  • Blaqstarr
2:23
5."Freedun" (featuring Zayn)
  • M.I.A.
  • Polow da Don
4:41
6."Foreign Friend" (featuring Dexta Daps)
  • Arulpragasam
  • Louis Grandison
  • Craig Harrisingh
  • David Harrisingh
M.I.A.4:23
7."Finally"
  • M.I.A.
  • ADP
  • Barbosa
  • Fakear
3:00
8."A.M.P (All My People)"
  • Arulpragasam
  • Moore
3:21
9."Ali R U OK?"
  • M.I.A.
  • Blaqstarr
  • Richard X
3:30
10."Visa"
MC Renee2:51
11."Fly Pirate"
  • Arulpragasam
  • Smith
  • M.I.A.
  • Blaqstarr
2:25
12."Survivor"
  • Arulpragasam
  • Justus Arison
  • M.I.A.
  • Arison
2:59
Total length:39:49
AIM – Deluxe version (bonus tracks)[26]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Bird Song" (Diplo version)
  • Arulpragasam
  • Smith
  • Gnanathesikan
  • M.I.A.
  • Diplo
  • Blaqstarr
3:22
14."The New International Sound Pt. 2" (featuring GENER8ION)
Surkin[a]3:28
15."Swords"
2:25
16."Talk"
  • Arulpragasam
  • Plaate
  • M.I.A.
  • Skrillex
  • Blaqstarr
2:14
17."Platforms"
  • Arulpragasam
  • Leembruggen
  • Fernhout
  • Tevin Plaate
2:55
Total length:54:13
Notes
  • ^[a] credited as part of the project GENER8ION.[27]

References

  1. ^ "Matangi – M.I.A." Metacritic. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  2. ^ "M.I.A. shares demo for new song 'Platforms'". Fact. May 8, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Monroe, Jazz (July 14, 2016). "M.I.A. Announces New Album Title and Release Date". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  4. ^ "MIA says new album will be her last". The Guardian. July 15, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  5. ^ Renshaw, David (August 18, 2016). "M.I.A. Shares AIM Album Track List". The Fader. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Goller, Josh (September 8, 2016). "ALBUM REVIEW: M.I.A. 'AIM'". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  7. ^ Kreps, Daniel (July 14, 2015). "Watch M.I.A.'s 'Matahdatah' Video Featuring New Track 'Swords'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  8. ^ Cooper, Leonie (March 17, 2016). "Donald Trump Needs To Listen To MIA's 'Lion King'-Sampling New Track 'MIA OLA'". NME. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  9. ^ Platon, Adelle (May 18, 2016). "M.I.A. Reveals Being in Talks with Rihanna for Collaboration". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  10. ^ Renshaw, David (July 14, 2016). "MIA To Release New Album AIM In September". The Fader. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  11. ^ Blistein, Jon (March 17, 2016). "M.I.A. Unleashes 'MIA OLA,' 'Foreign Friend,' Samples 'Lion King'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  12. ^ Minsker, Evan (September 1, 2016). "M.I.A. and Zayn Malik Share New Song "Freedun": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  13. ^ "AIM by M.I.A." Metacritic. September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  14. ^ http://www.avclub.com/review/mi-misses-mark-aim-242126
  15. ^ a b Hunt, El (September 6, 2016). "M.I.A. - A.I.M. | DIY". DIY. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  16. ^ http://www.ew.com/article/2016/09/09/mia-aim-ew-review
  17. ^ Carlick, Stephen (September 8, 2016). "M.I.A. A.I.M." Exclaim!. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Gibsone, Harriet (September 1, 2016). "MIA: AIM review – fearless but fragmented global pop". The Guardian. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  19. ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-reviews-wilco-wilco-schmilco-jack-white-acoustic-recordings-mia-aim-and-more-a7232056.html
  20. ^ a b Cochrane, Greg (August 2016). "MIA, 'AIM' – Album review « Loud And Quiet". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  21. ^ Dolan, Jon (September 8, 2016). "Review: M.I.A.'s 'AIM' Keeps Things Radical". Rolling Stone. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  22. ^ "Q Review". Q. Bauer Media Group. August 23, 2016. p. 102. {{cite magazine}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  23. ^ ""A.I.M.", le retour de M.I.A." (in French). Universal Music France. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  24. ^ "Listen to AIM (Deluxe) by M.I.A. on Tidal". Tidal. September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  25. ^ "AIM (Deluxe) by M.I.A." iTunes Store (NZ). Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  26. ^ Minsker, Evan (August 19, 2016). "M.I.A. Details New Album A.I.M.". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  27. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (May 22, 2015). "M.I.A. Teams With Surkin's Gener8ion on "The New International Sound Pt. II"". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
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