M.I.A.

[Drunk Monk]

M.I.A. @ Fillmore 11/7/007

She's the daughter of a Tamil Tiger and getting a lot of buzz for her fusion of hip hop, JA-dancehall and electronica. Three women and one DJ. This is big booming base. It's loud. Thunderously deafeningly loud. You could set a cup down anywhere in the Fillmore and watch it jiggle and dance to the beat. Gunfire and air horns as percussive breaks. For those who don't follow beats, riddems or base worship, it probably sounds like a series of chaotic explosions. But M.I.A. is all over the place with her sound. Her lyrics are about poverty and revolution, the haves and have nots. Her accent is U.K. with an Indian lilt and just a hint of JA patois. It's quite amusing. The sold out crowd was rocking all the way through. Dm found it very enjoyable.

[Drunk Monk]

Writhing lipstick lesbians. That's what this show was about. DM caught a ride up with LB and LB's SO, so he could be indulgent, not having to drive. Both LB and LB's SO thought the show was too loud. In fact, everyone thought the show was too loud, except for those of us dancing. It's dancehall. Dancehall is loud. Deafeningly loud. Headsplitingly loud. So loud, you might pee blood for a few days after.

There was an opening act - Eugene International. He was some Asian dude in a pink suit with bleach blonde hair and a tennis racket doing a strip-tease rap. He sucked. DM was next to LB at that moment and LB had a great laugh at DM's expense as DM ranted "what the hell? WHAT THE HELL?!?!" He was a disgrace to Eugenes everywhere. Then there was Hot Tub, three dayglow rapper chicks that were way too shrilly. The opening acts and dj's went until past 10 and we were so ready for M.I.A. that chants shook the house several times.

When she finally came out, she turned in a pounding set, but way too short. Still, the concourse was sweating, great greasy globs of condensed humidity rained on startled bystanders by the end. Now that DM knows M.I.A.s music (only two cds) he has a much greater understanding about what she does and how she works it. And it's still captivating, even without the writhing lipstick lesbians. Her beats are awesome, but you have to be a true bass worshipper to get it. You have to love dancehall and my suspicion is that none among DOOM share dm's taste for that. It's just as well. More writhing lipstick lesbians for dm.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Does anyway in Doom share any of DM's tastes? I'm thinking no.

[Drunk Monk]

Just got to review MIA's latest, mostly because I want to write the title: /\/\ /\ Y /\

Rolling Stone has been pumping her up with features in the last three issues or so, getting that buzz buzzin, and there's a big spread in the new iss in honor of the new release. I actually picked it up the day it was released. From Target, no less. And it was under $10.

When I first played it, I had to turn it down. Too loud. When have you heard me say that? Too loud? The gal who brought us the cashregister/gunshot chorus in the so overplayed Paper Planes (How many movie soundtracks did that make? Well, two and a trailer, but still...) brings us tracks based on pneumatic drills (been done, so Stefani), jet engines, sirens and distortion, distortion, distortion. Teqkilla is a hilarious ode to hard liquor based on the whiny two-tone beep of a liquor-store doorbell. But after a few listenings, it's really grown on me. I figured out how to listen to it and what can I say? I love my dancehall divas. I'm a confessed bass worshipper. MIA's got the the bombs to make you blow. She's got the beats to make you bang bang bang. There's two possible pop tracks, the stripper-song XXXO and the reggae tune, It Takes a Muscle. But most of it will be unlistenable to the casual audience, which just makes me enjoy it all the more.

I can't wait to see her live with this album. I may have to resort to earplugs, but I'm sure it'll be worth it if I can writhe with writhing lesbians.

[Drunk Monk]

It's classic MySpace where she went with this. I post it cuz it's got swards.

[youtube]SVUD_vgYkkc[/youtube]

[Drunk Monk]

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Teqkilla is the greatest ode to Tequilla ever. MIA totally nailed it.

[Drunk Monk]

As you might assume, I was greatly looking forward to this show. It was hot yesterday, hot like coming apocalypse hot, but it made for a beautiful day in downtown Oaksterdam, a place I seldom think of as beautiful.

Opening was Rye Rye. She's an MIA collaborator. She had three dancing guys with here. Combined, they had enough rap and dance moves for one song, but of course, they played a full set.

MIA came on with two male dancers (one who kept humping the monitor) and three dancers in burqas. That was kind of funny. And yes, she was loud. Outrageously loud. We made a killing on earplugs. I got out for Amazon, one of my fav tunes, but it kind of petered out. People were all congested in the front and too inhibited in the back of the house, so there wasn't as much writhing, but plenty of lipstick lesbians and a lot of geeky guys :oops:. She went into Paper Planes, and then Born Free, and I was just about to go out again when the lights came on. WTF?! She came on late (9:20ish) and left at 10:10. That sucked. It was like Neil Young at the Fox all over again. I hate short sets. People were disappointed. I was tempted to hang out in Oaksterdam for a beer as we were clear by 10:30, but I couldn't find an accomplice so I decided to go home and watch TV.

All in all, a very underwhelming evening.

[Drunk Monk]

That's my gal.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

All I could think was "What did you expect"?

[cranefly]

Gee. I sure hope the coaches and players weren't offended.
Just what we need, to have them learn new naughty words and gestures...

[Drunk Monk]

I had heard that song on the radio earlier and was looking forward to MIA's appearance most of all and right when she hit stage, my oven alarm went off to tell me that my potato bolani was ready. Dammit! I dashed to shut off the alarm and missed the very end, and then I asked T if MIA said 'shit'. T wasn't sure. She didn't know you couldn't say 'shit' on TV. ha. Kids today...

T is an MIA fan too. She has her on her iPod alongside the chipmunks.

All I could think was "What did you expect"?

wardrobe malfunction?

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

They had the finger blurred on my TV and I thought I heard 'Shit'. But then I just heard the same word on the FX networks.

Long live the overweight VW dog.

[Drunk Monk]

http://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-seth-...le/2781716

This is her reggae tune of her latest album. I post it because it had drones, drones which kinda failed, and that reminded me of Greg.

She's coming to Shoreline in two weeks but I will be in NJ. Oh bollocks.

[Drunk Monk]

The vid just dropped. Now I understand.

[youtube]v9AKH16--VE[/youtube]

[Drunk Monk]

[youtube]uAYPacrJnyQ[/youtube]