Bird Flu

Song: Bird Flu
Artist: M.I.A.
Album: Kala



M.I.A.’s debut record, 2005’s “Arular” was one of my favorite records of that year. It sounded home-made yet was as fresh as anything out there. Singles “Galang,” “Bucky Done Gone,”and “Sunshowers” were some of the more interesting world music inspired hip-hop to emerge on the scene and because of her political stance (and marketing) the beautiful Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam (M.I.A. was a good choice) was pretty hot with the alternative set. My favorite track from her first record was the raucous “10 Dolla” which had the unforgettable chorus; “How much can I get for ten dolla? (Anything you want!)” Hot.

M.I.A.’s second album “Kala” is being released sometime this year, but no date has been set. The first single, “Bird Flu” has been released to her MySpace page and a video has been made for it, shot in Jamaica. To be honest, even though I have read the lyrics and listened to the song many times, I have no idea what she’s talking about. And when asked why she named the song “Bird Flu” M.I.A. answered simply, “because the beat is gunna KILL people.”

Umm… okay.

While I’m a fan, and like “Bird Flu,” I’m looking for more from her follow up. She’s working with everyone from Timbaland to Three 6 Mafia on the record, so we’ll see what happens. You can find more about M.I.A. on her official website, but as a warning, it’s really LOUD.

Enjoy.

The video for “Bird Flu”


And the videos from “Arular”
“Galang”


“Bucky Done Gone”

(This is not, as I originally thought, a plea to eject the last season Idol contestant from the show. And I’m kidding.)

“Sunshowers”