Arular

Image:Mia20061.jpg]]

In 2001, M.I.A. (Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam) had worked exclusively in the visual arts. While filming a documentary on Elastica's 2001 tour of the US, she was introduced to the Roland MC-505 sequencer/drum machine by electroclash artist Peaches, whose minimalistic approach to music inspired her. She found Peaches' decision to perform without additional instrumentation to be brave and liberating and felt that it emphasised the artist.{{cite web |last=Moayeri |first=Lily |url=http://www.emusician.com/gear/1332/mia/34546 |title=M.I.A. |work=Electronic Musician |date=1 March 2005 |access-date=8 May 2016}}{{cite news |last=Harrington |first=Richard |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR2005091500697_pf.html |title=M.I.A., No Loss For Words |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=16 September 2005 |access-date=28 January 2009}} Returning to London, she unexpectedly gained access to a 505 owned by her friend, former Elastica singer Justine Frischmann. M.I.A. used the 505 to make demo recordings in her bedroom.{{cite web | last= Shapiro|first= Peter |title=Talking about her revolution | work= The Times | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14932-1658366,00.html | date=17 June 2005 |access-date=30 September 2008 | location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} She initially planned to work as a producer. To this end, she approached Caribbean girls in clubs to see if they would provide vocals for the songs, but without success.{{cite magazine |last=Binielli |first=Mark |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8957274/mia/ |title=M.I.A: Guerilla Goddess |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=15 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126151101/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8957274/mia/ |archive-date=26 January 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=29 January 2009}}

{{listen

| filename=Galang.ogg

| title="Galang"

| description=21-second sample of M.I.A.'s single "Galang". First released in 2003, with its mix of 505 beats and claps, edgy vocals and lyrics, it marked M.I.A.'s emergence in underground independent music circles worldwide.

| format=Ogg

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M.I.A. secured a record deal with XL Recordings after Frischmann's manager overheard the demo.{{cite news |last=McKinnon |first=Matthew |url=http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/mia.html |title=Tigress Beat |publisher=CBC.ca |date=3 March 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416192026/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/mia.html |archive-date=16 April 2009 |access-date=30 September 2008}} M.I.A. began work on the album by composing lyrics and melodies, and she programmed drum beats at home on the drum machine. Having produced rough tracks via trial and error, she honed the finished songs in collaboration with other writer-producers.{{cite web |url=http://kexp.org/live/liveperformance.aspx?rId=14587 |title=M.I.A. Radio Interview (audio) |publisher=KEXP |date=11 May 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616015748/http://kexp.org/live/liveperformance.aspx?rID=14587 |archive-date=16 June 2010 |access-date=31 January 2014}} Through these collaborations, she sought to produce a diverse style and "drag [her collaborators] out of their boxes, musically".{{cite web|last=Pearson |first=Gemma |title=M.I.A. |url=http://www.fusedmagazine.com/Past_Issues/Issue_21/M+26+2346+3bI+26+2346+3bA+26+2346+3b.aspx |work=Fused Magazine |year=2004 |access-date=24 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927005531/http://www.fusedmagazine.com/Past_Issues/Issue_21/M%2B26%2B2346%2B3bI%2B26%2B2346%2B3bA%2B26%2B2346%2B3b.aspx |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}

DJ Diplo introduced elements of Brazilian baile funk to "Bucky Done Gun".{{cite web |last=Cochrane |first=Lauren |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jan/24/popandrock-worldmusic |title=Global illage |work=The Guardian |date=24 January 2009 |access-date=31 January 2014}} Fellow composer-producer Richard X worked on the track "Hombre", which featured a drum pattern created from the sounds made by toys that M.I.A. had bought in India, augmented with sounds produced by objects such as pens and mobile phones. Steve Mackey and Ross Orton, known professionally as Cavemen, worked on "Galang", which M.I.A. had initially produced with her 505 and a basic four-track tape recorder. Working with Cavemen in a professional studio, she added a bass line and new vocals to give the song "a more analogue sound" than was possible with the 505. The track was co-written by Frischmann, whose input M.I.A. described as "refreshing". She initially hoped to feature guest vocalists on the album, but was unable due to budget constraints and other artists' unfamiliarity with her work. She chose to perform all the vocals herself, saying, "I just quietly got on with it ... I didn't wanna convince anyone it was good. I felt it was much better to prove that I could be an individual."{{cite magazine |last=Simmons |first=Will |url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/interview/mia.htm |title=Interview : M.I.A. |magazine=Stylus Magazine |date=7 November 2005 |access-date=8 April 2009 |archive-date=28 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828061845/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/interview/mia.htm |url-status=dead }}

Arular takes its title from the political code name employed by M.I.A.'s father, Arul Pragasam; she contends that her father's "revolutionary ideals" are the album's thematic base.{{cite web|title=What's Up With... M.I.A.? |url=http://philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=12933 |work=Philadelphia Weekly |date=6 September 2006 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071013165645/http://philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=12933 |archive-date=13 October 2007 |access-date=27 May 2007 |url-status=dead }} "In Sri Lankan, arular means 'enlightenment from the sunshine' or something", she remarked, "but a friend pointed out that it was a pun in English – 'a ruler' – which is funny because he is a politician. And my mum always used to say about my father, 'He was so useless, all he ever gave you was his name'. So I turned it around and turned that something into nothing. And at the same time I thought it would be a good way to find him. If he really was an egomaniac, he'd be looking himself up and he'd get this pop album stealing his name that would turn out to be me, and he'd have to get in touch",{{cite news|first=Kitty|last=Empire|title=Flash-forward|work=Observer Music Monthly|date=March 2005|page=29}} a prediction which ultimately came true.{{cite web |last=Sawyer |first=Miranda |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jun/13/mia-feature-miranda-sawyer |title=MIA: 'I'm here for the people' |work=The Observer |date=13 June 2010 |access-date=31 January 2014}} Despite reports to the contrary, M.I.A. denied that her father was a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, popularly known as the Tamil Tigers.{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/featured/spin-cover-story-m-i-a-pow/|work=Spin|title=Read Our 2008 M.I.A. Kala Cover Story|first=Lorraine|last=Ali|date=18 July 2015|access-date=2 April 2019}}

The album is influenced by music that M.I.A. listened to as a child in London, including hip hop, dancehall, and punk rock.{{Cite book |last=Rollefson |first=J. Griffith |title=Flip the script: European hip hop and the politics of postcoloniality |isbn=978-0-226-49618-4 |series=Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology|publisher=University of Chicago Press|chapter=M.I.A.’s “Terrorist Chic”: Black Atlantic Music and South Asian Postcolonial Politics in London|date=23 October 2017 }} She cited as particular influences Eric B. & Rakim, Public Enemy, and London Posse, whom she described as "the best of British hip hop". Her work on the album drew on the punk music of The Clash and music from genres such as Britpop and electroclash, to which she was exposed during her time studying at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.{{cite web |last=Todd |first=Bella |title=MIA: Interview |url=http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/mia-interview |work=Time Out London |date=22 September 2008 |access-date=8 May 2016}} Living in West London, she met many musicians who to her defined an era of British music that was "actually credible".{{cite web |url=http://www.uptheantics.com/antics-tv/music_entry/mia_in_new_orleans_3_of_3/ |title=Antics TV: M.I.A. in New Orleans |work=Antics TV |publisher=Filter Creative Group |year=2008 |access-date=1 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930220459/http://www.uptheantics.com/antics-tv/music_entry/mia_in_new_orleans_3_of_3 |archive-date=30 September 2008 }} In a 2008 interview, she elaborated on the importance of the west London punk scene, citing acts such as The Slits, The Clash, and Don Letts; she claimed that Bow Wow Wow and Malcolm McLaren had a similar cultural impact in England to that of Public Enemy in America.

{{Quote box

| quote ="I found understanding hip-hop a universal thing. Not just understanding the rhythm, how they danced, their style or their attitude; there was something else, beyond song structure and language. It works on a few basic human principles, in terms of what stimulation buttons to push...It had content and struggle behind it... and because I was able to adapt to it, hip-hop gave me a home, an identity. Hip-hop was the most guerrilla thing happening in England at the time. You had Public Enemy fronting it, and that felt like home, and I could dance while I was feeling shitty. It had a whole aesthetic to it – it was being really crass with pride."

| source =M.I.A., Arthur Magazine (May 2005){{cite web | author=Orlov, Piotr|url = http://www.arthurmag.com/2007/02/11/interview-with-mia-from-arthur-magazine/ | title = Interview with M.I.A. from Arthur Magazine | work=Arthur |volume=16|date = May 2005 | access-date=1 October 2008}}

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Before the album's release, M.I.A. said that audiences found it hard to dance to political songs. This made her keen to produce music that sounded like pop but addressed important issues.{{cite web |last=Mangla |first=Ismat |url=http://niralimagazine.com/2004/10/not-so-missing-in-action/ |title=Not-So Missing in Action |work=Nirali Magazine |date=4 October 2004 |access-date=24 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513082654/http://niralimagazine.com/2004/10/not-so-missing-in-action/ |archive-date=13 May 2008}} "Sunshowers", with its lyrical references to snipers, murder and the PLO, was written in response to the Tamil Tigers being considered terrorists in some quarters. She said, "you can't separate the world into two parts like that, good and evil. America has successfully tied all these pockets of independence struggles, revolutions and extremists into one big notion of terrorism."{{cite web|last=Ostroff |first=Joshua |url=http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_01.27.05/beat/mia.html |title=Tiger, tiger, burning bright |work=Eye Weekly |date=27 January 2005 |access-date=28 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009032811/http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_01.27.05/beat/mia.html |archive-date=9 October 2006}} The lyrics caused controversy; MTV censored the sounds of gunshots in the song and MTV US refused to broadcast the video unless a disclaimer that disavowed the lyrics was added.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7549472.stm |title=Singer MIA denies terror support |work=BBC News |date=8 August 2008 |access-date=8 April 2009}} The BBC described the lyrics as "always fluid and never too rhetorical" and sounding like "snatches of overheard conversation". The songs deal with topics ranging from sex to drug dealing.{{cite web |last=Cartwright |first=Garth |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic/a4wm2006/a4wm_mia.shtml |title=MIA – Awards for World Music – 2006 |publisher=BBC Radio 3 |access-date=1 October 2008}}

Musically, the album incorporates elements of baile funk, grime, hip hop, and ragga. Peter Shapiro, writing in The Times, summed up the album's musical influences as "anything as long as it has a beat". Some tracks drew on Tamil film music, which M.I.A. listened to while growing up. Shapiro described her music as a "multi-genre pile-up" and likened it to her graphic art, calling it "vivid, gaudy, lo-fi and deceptively candyfloss". In a 2005 interview, when asked about the difficulty in categorising her sound, M.I.A. explained, "Influences are crossing over into each other's puddles. I just accept where I'm at, I accept where the world is at and I accept how we receive and digest information. I get that somebody in Tokyo is on the internet instant messaging, and someone in the favelas is on the internet. Everybody seems to know a little bit about everything and that's how we process information now. This just reflects that."{{cite web |last=Ostroff |first=Joshua |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/funk_soul_outernational_vibes-year_in_review |title=Funk, Soul & Outernational Vibes: Year in Review 2005 |work=Exclaim! |year=2005 |access-date=8 May 2016}}

M.I.A. and Steve Loveridge created all the album's artwork, using what Spin writer Lorraine Ali called a "guerrilla" style. The CD booklet features motifs of tanks, bombs and machine guns,{{cite magazine |last=Shepherd |first=Julianne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7-GZm2de98C&pg=PA61 |title=M.I.A. Pow! |magazine=Spin |volume=24 |issue=12 |page=61 |date=December 2008 |access-date=1 February 2014}} and depictions of tigers, which writers connected with the Tamil Tigers. Village Voice critic Robert Christgau connected the album's imagery with the artist's "obsession" with the organisation, but claimed that its use was purely artistic and not propaganda. In his view, the images were considered controversial only because "rock and roll fans are assumed to be stupid" and would not be expected to ascertain their true significance.{{cite web |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/music/burning-bright-6404584 |title=Burning Bright |work=The Village Voice |date=22 February 2005 |access-date=8 May 2016}} Similarly, PopMatters writer Robert Wheaton observed that tiger imagery "does predominate M.I.A.'s vision of the world", but noted that the tiger is more widely associated with Tamil nationalism and that the singer's use of such imagery did not necessarily indicate her support for the Tamil Tigers.{{cite magazine |last=Wheaton |first=Robert |url=http://www.popmatters.com/feature/mia-050506/P3/ |title=London Calling – For Congo, Columbo, Sri Lanka.... |magazine=PopMatters |date=6 May 2005 |access-date=28 January 2009}} Joshua Chambers-Letson determined that the imagery was perhaps "a means of negotiating the violence necessary" and described the controversy as "an attempt to disengage" from the performative intervention that M.I.A.'s album's made, through what he called "the complicated negotiation" of M.I.A.'s own autobiographical trauma, violence, and loss, as well as the geopolitical trauma, violence, and loss that her audience are engaged in from different subject positions.{{cite journal |last1=Chambers-Letson |first1=Joshua |year=2006 |title=Reparative Feminisms, Repairing Feminism—Reparation, Postcolonial Violence, and Feminism |journal=Women & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory |publisher=Routledge |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages= 169–189 |doi= 10.1080/07407700600744287|s2cid=194075331 }}

Arular was to be released in September 2004, but was delayed.{{cite magazine|last=Timmermann |first=Josh |url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/mia/arular.htm |title=M.I.A. – Arular |magazine=Stylus Magazine |date=24 February 2005 |access-date=23 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217084738/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/mia/arular.htm |archive-date=17 December 2007 |df=dmy }} M.I.A.'s record label stated that the delay was caused by problems obtaining permission to use an unspecified sample.

{{cite magazine |last=Mar |first=Alex |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/m-i-a-album-in-limbo-20050217 |title=M.I.A. Album in Limbo|magazine=Rolling Stone |date=17 February 2005 |access-date=8 April 2009}} Revised release dates of December 2004 and February 2005 were publicised, but the album remained unreleased; at one point, Pitchfork announced that it had been shelved indefinitely. It was eventually released on 22 March 2005, when XL Recordings made it available in the US, albeit with the track "U.R.A.Q.T." omitted as the issues with a sample had not been resolved. The UK edition was released the following month with the track included,{{cite web |last=Vowell |first=Zach |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/34272-mias-arular-out-march-22 |title=M.I.A.'s Arular Out March 22 |work=Pitchfork |date=3 March 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308155703/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/34272-mias-arular-out-march-22 |archive-date=8 March 2008 |access-date=6 February 2009}} and this edition was released in the US by Interscope Records on 17 May. Arular sparked internet debates on the rights and wrongs of the Tamil Tigers.{{cite web |last=Empire |first= Kitty |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/dec/18/2005inreview.popandrock |title=Enough Pete Doherty already |work=The Observer |date=18 December 2005 |access-date=1 February 2014}} By the time it was released, a "near hysterical buzz" on the internet had created "slavish anticipation" for the album.{{cite web |last=McGarvey |first=Evan |url=http://www.michigandaily.com/content/new-urban-warfare |title=New Urban Warfare |work=The Michigan Daily |date=22 March 2005 |access-date=8 February 2009}} Despite this, M.I.A. claimed in late 2005 that she had little comprehension of her prior popularity with music bloggers, stating that she did not even own a computer.{{cite web |last=Epstein |first=Daniel Robert |url=https://suicidegirls.com/girls/anderswolleck/blog/2679435/mia/ |title=M.I.A. |publisher=SuicideGirls |date=29 December 2005 |access-date=1 February 2014}}

Image:MIASonar1.jpg festival]]

The first track from the album to be made available was "Galang". It was initially released in late 2003 by independent label Showbiz Records, which pressed and distributed 500 promotional copies before M.I.A. signed with XL Recordings.{{cite web |last=Robinson |first=Knox |url=http://www.thefader.com/2006/01/06/ya-ya-heeeeeeey |title=Ya Ya Heeeeeeey |work=The Fader |date=6 January 2006 |access-date=8 May 2016}} The song was re-released on XL as the second official single from the album in September 2004,{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/galang-mw0000396387 |title=Galang – M.I.A. |publisher=AllMusic. All Media Network |access-date=8 February 2009}} and again in October 2005, under the title "Galang '05", with a remix by Serj Tankian. The first official single, "Sunshowers", was M.I.A.'s first on XL and was released on 5 July 2004.{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/sunshowers-mw0001061906 |title=Sunshowers – M.I.A. |publisher=AllMusic. All Media Network |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929082654/http://www.allmusic.com/album/sunshowers-mw0001061906 |archive-date=29 September 2012 |access-date=10 February 2009}} It was supported by a music video directed by Indian filmmaker Rajesh Touchriver. Following the re-release of "Galang", the third single from the album, "Bucky Done Gun", was released on 26 July 2005.{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/bucky-done-gun-mw0000534686 |title=Bucky Done Gun – M.I.A. |publisher=AllMusic. All Media Network |access-date=10 February 2009}} The video was directed by Anthony Mandler.{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/videos/mia/72817/bucky-done-gun.jhtml |title=M.I.A. – "Bucky Done Gun" |publisher=MTV |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204051728/http://www.mtv.com/videos/mia/72817/bucky-done-gun.jhtml |archive-date=4 February 2009 |access-date=10 February 2009}}

In December 2004, M.I.A. independently released a mixtape titled Piracy Funds Terrorism, produced by M.I.A. and Diplo, as a "teaser" for the album. The release featured rough mixes of tracks from Arular mashed up with songs by other artists, and was promoted by word-of-mouth.{{cite web |last=Wolk |first=Douglas |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/music/booty-call-6398730 |title=Booty Call |work=The Village Voice |date=14 December 2004 |access-date=8 May 2016 |archive-date=30 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530052431/http://www.villagevoice.com/music/booty-call-6398730 |url-status=dead }} In early 2005, after the release of Arular, an extensive collection of fan-made remixes of M.I.A.'s work was uploaded, expanded and made available as an "online mixtape" on XL's official website, under the banner Online Piracy Funds Terrorism. M.I.A. toured extensively during 2005 to promote the album. The Arular Tour included concerts in North America supporting LCD Soundsystem and appearances at music festivals in Europe, Japan and South America.{{cite web |last=Chekuru |first=Kavitha |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/34916-mia-announces-headlining-tour |title=M.I.A. Announces Headlining Tour |work=Pitchfork |date=25 July 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114034842/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/34916-mia-announces-headlining-tour |archive-date=14 January 2009 |access-date=11 February 2009}}{{cite web |last=Martin |first=Megan |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/34604-lcd-soundsystem-mia-kick-off-tour-tonight |title=LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A. Kick Off Tour Tonight! |work=Pitchfork |date=10 May 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307111215/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/34604-lcd-soundsystem-mia-kick-off-tour-tonight |archive-date=7 March 2008 |access-date=11 February 2009}} In November 2005, she appeared as the support act at a number of dates on Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour.{{cite web |last=Llewellyn |first=Kati |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/35282-mia-to-open-for-gwen-stefani |title=M.I.A. to Open for Gwen Stefani |work=Pitchfork |date=13 October 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218014100/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/35282-mia-to-open-for-gwen-stefani |archive-date=18 December 2008 |access-date=11 February 2009}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 88/100{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/arular/mia |title=Reviews for Arular by M.I.A. |publisher=Metacritic. CBS Interactive |access-date=23 December 2007}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web |last=Kellman |first=Andy |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/arular-mw0000264968 |title=Arular – M.I.A. |publisher=AllMusic. All Media Network |access-date=21 January 2011}}

| rev2 = Blender

| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |last=Weiner |first=Jonah |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=3198 |title=M.I.A.: Arular |magazine=Blender |issue=34 |date=March 2005 |access-date=8 May 2016 |page=142 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509214103/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=3198 |archive-date=9 May 2006}}

| rev3 = Christgau's Consumer Guide

| rev3Score = A{{cite web |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=12741 |title=M.I.A.: Arular |publisher=RobertChristgau.com |access-date=12 June 2009}}

| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4Score = A−{{cite magazine |last=Chen |first=Steven |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2005/04/11/mia |title=M.I.A.: Arular |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |issue=815 |date=15 April 2005 |access-date=8 May 2016 |page=85}}

| rev5 = The Guardian

| rev5Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web |last=Clarke |first=Betty |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/apr/15/popandrock.shopping4 |title=M.I.A., Arular |work=The Guardian |date=15 April 2005 |access-date=1 February 2014}}

| rev6 = The Independent

| rev6Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite news |last=Gill |first=Andy |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-mia-495862.html |title=Album: MIA |work=The Independent |date=22 April 2005 |access-date=12 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208184710/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-mia-495862.html |archive-date=8 December 2008}}

| rev7 = NME

| rev7Score = 7/10{{cite magazine |title=M.I.A.: Arular |magazine=NME |date=16 April 2005 |page=49}}

| rev8 = Pitchfork

| rev8Score = 8.6/10{{cite web |last=Plagenhoef |first=Scott |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5618-arular/ |title=M.I.A.: Arular |work=Pitchfork |date=22 March 2005 |access-date=12 June 2009}}

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9Score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev10 = Spin

| rev10Score = A

}}

Arular received widespread acclaim from music critics. Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, reported an average score of 88 based on 33 reviews, described as "universal acclaim".

Julianne Shepherd of Spin appreciated the album's fusion of "hip hop's cockiness with dancehall's shimmy and the cheap and noisy aesthetics of punk" and claimed that Arular would be regarded as the best political album of the year.{{cite magazine |last=Shepherd |first=Julianne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u2f8puPMUSsC&pg=PA88 |title=M.I.A.: Arular |magazine=Spin |volume=21 |issue=3 |page=88 |date=March 2005 |access-date=31 January 2014}} Adam Webb, writing for Yahoo! Music, described the album's style as "professionally amateurish" and M.I.A.'s approach as "scattergun", but said that she "effortlessly appropriates the music of various cultures and filters them through the most elementary equipment". He said, "dancehall is the primary influence, but also one of many seismic collisions with several other genres."{{cite web |last=Webb |first=Adam |url=http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/050426/33/1xkwz.html |title=M.I.A. – 'Arular' |publisher=Yahoo! Music |date=26 April 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060109204308/http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/050426/33/1xkwz.html |archive-date=9 January 2006 |access-date=6 October 2008}}

In his review for Stylus Magazine, Josh Timmermann described Arular as "a swaggering, spitting, utterly contemporary album" and went on to say, "We've not heard its like before." Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield found Arular "weird, playful, unclassifiable, sexy, brilliantly addictive".{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/6857856/arular |title=Arular : M.I.A. |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=24 February 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216191931/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/6857856/arular |archive-date=16 December 2007 |access-date=23 December 2007 |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |url-status=dead |author-link=Rob Sheffield}} Sasha Frere-Jones, writing in The New Yorker, described the album as "genuine world music", based on "the weaving of the political into the fabric of what are still, basically, dance tunes".{{cite magazine |last=Frere-Jones |first=Sasha |author-link=Sasha Frere-Jones |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/11/22/bingo-in-swansea |title=Bingo in Swansea: Maya Arulpragsam's world |magazine=The New Yorker |date=22 November 2004 |access-date=8 May 2016}} Other reviewers were not as complimentary. Paste{{'}}s Jeff Leven said that the album, although strong, was not as "mindblowing" as many critics were saying.{{cite web|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2005/08/mia-arular.html|title=M.I.A. – Arular|first=Jeff|last=Leven|work=Paste|date=16 August 2005|access-date=27 January 2009}} Q characterised the album as "style mag-cool pop-rap" and claimed that it lacked the substance suggested by M.I.A.'s decision to name it after her father.{{cite magazine |title=Q Reviews |magazine=Q |date=May 2005 |page=105}}

Arular was nominated for the Mercury Prize and the Shortlist Music Prize,{{cite web |url=http://www.shortlistofmusic.com/ |title=(shôrt–lĭst) |publisher=Short List |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127054621/http://www.shortlistofmusic.com/ |archive-date= 27 January 2010 |access-date=8 January 2010}}{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4217140.stm |title=Antony and Johnsons win Mercury |work=BBC News |date=7 September 2005 |access-date=11 February 2009}} and was named as the best album of the year by Stylus Magazine.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/stylus-magazines-top-50-albums-of-2005.htm |title=Stylus Magazine's Top 50 Albums of 2005 |magazine=Stylus Magazine |date=19 December 2005 |access-date=11 February 2009 |archive-date=30 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330070654/http://stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/stylus-magazines-top-50-albums-of-2005.htm |url-status=dead }} The album placed second in two major critics' polls, The Village Voice{{'}}s 33rd annual Pazz & Jop poll for the Best Album of 2005{{cite web |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/pazzandjop05/winners.php?type=album |title=The 33rd Annual Village Voice pazz&jop critics' poll |work=The Village Voice |date=31 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060415040728/http://www.villagevoice.com/pazzandjop05/winners.php?type=album |archive-date=15 April 2006 |access-date=8 April 2009}} and The Wire{{'}}s annual critics' poll for Record of the Year.{{Cite magazine |title=2005 Rewind: 50 Records of the Year |date=January 2006 |magazine=The Wire |issue=263 |page=41 |location=London |url=https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/34942/spread/40 |url-access=subscription |via=Exact Editions}} {{subscription required}} The Washington City Paper chose it as the second best album of the year,{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/special/2005top20.html |title=The CP 2005 Top 20 |work=Washington City Paper |date=30 December 2005 – 5 January 2006 |access-date=11 February 2009}} and Pitchfork and Slant Magazine named Arular the fourth best of 2005.{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/6222-top-50-albums-of-2005/?page=5 |title=Top 50 Albums of 2005 |work=Pitchfork |date=31 December 2005 |access-date=8 May 2016}}{{cite magazine |last=Cinquemani |first=Sal |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/2005-year-in-music |title=Top 10 Albums, Singles, & Videos of 2005 |magazine=Slant Magazine |date=15 December 2005 |access-date=11 February 2009}} The Observer listed it as one of the year's five best albums.

Arular was featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, where it was described as "the most sparkling debut since Madonna's first album".{{cite book|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die|first=Robert|last=Dimery|page=[https://archive.org/details/1001albumsyoumus0000unse_l0q0/page/947 947]|isbn=1-84403-392-9|year=2005|publisher=Cassell Illustrated|url=https://archive.org/details/1001albumsyoumus0000unse_l0q0/page/947}} The singer Nelly Furtado expressed her admiration for M.I.A.'s style, flow and dancing on Arular, having listened to it during the recording of her album Loose.{{cite web |author=Furtado, Nelly |url=http://www.interscope.com/artist/news/default.aspx?nid=22960&aid=1029 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323161411/http://www.interscope.com/artist/news/default.aspx?nid=22960&aid=1029 |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 March 2012 |title=Nelly Furtado: News: New Message From Nelly, 4/25/05! |publisher=Interscope Records |date=25 April 2005 |access-date=15 January 2012}} Thom Yorke of alternative rock band Radiohead cited M.I.A.'s method of music making on Arular as an influence on his own work, saying that it reminded him of "just picking up a guitar and [liking] the first three chords you write" as opposed to "agonizing over the hi-hat sound which seems to happen with programming and electronica a lot of the time".{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/18060334/radioheads_secret_influences_from_fleetwood_mac_to_thomas_pynchon |title=Radiohead's Secret Influences, from Fleetwood Mac to Thomas Pynchon |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=24 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208075110/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/18060334/radioheads_secret_influences_from_fleetwood_mac_to_thomas_pynchon |archive-date=8 February 2008 |url-status=dead |access-date=28 September 2008}} In 2009, the NME placed the album at number 50 in its list of the 100 greatest albums of the decade.{{cite web |url=http://www.nme.com/list/the-top-100-greatest-albums-of-the-decade/158049/page/6 |title=The Top 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade |work=NME |access-date=4 December 2009}} In 2009, online music service Rhapsody ranked the album at number four on its "100 Best Albums of the Decade" list.{{cite web |url=http://blog.rhapsody.com/2009/12/100-best-pop-albums-of-the-decade-10-1.html |title=100 Best Albums of the Decade, 1–10 |publisher=Rhapsody |date=4 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100110195308/http://blog.rhapsody.com/2009/12/100-best-pop-albums-of-the-decade-10-1.html |archive-date=10 January 2010 |access-date=12 January 2010}} In 2011, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 52 on its list of the 100 best albums of the 2000s.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-2000s-20110718/m-i-a-arular-20110718 |title=100 Best Albums of the 2000s: M.I.A., 'Arular' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=18 July 2011 |access-date=16 August 2011}} Clash magazine ranked the album at number 7 on their list of the "50 greatest albums of our lifetime (since 2004)".{{cite web|last1=Ensall|first1=Jonny|title=Clash Essential 50 – Number 7|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/features/clash-essential-50-number-7|website=Clash|date=17 April 2009 |access-date=26 December 2016}} Pitchfork ranked the album the 54th best album of the 2000s.{{Cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/7708-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-100-51/?page=5|title=The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 100–51 {{!}} Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com|language=en|access-date=2017-08-22|archive-date=13 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613054212/http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/7708-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-100-51/?page=5|url-status=dead}} In 2019, the album was ranked 32nd on The Guardian's 100 Best Albums of the 21st Century list,{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/13/100-best-albums-of-the-21st-century |title=The 100 best albums of the 21st century |work=The Guardian |date=13 September 2019 |access-date=18 September 2019 }} while in 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 421 in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.{{Cite magazine|date=22 September 2020|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=22 September 2020|magazine=Rolling Stone}} In July 2022, Rolling Stone also ranked Arular as the 77th best debut album of all time.{{cite magazine |last2=Browne |first2=David |last3=Dolan |first3=Jon |last4=Freeman |first4=Jon |last5=Hermes |first5=Will |last6=Hoard |first6=Christian |last7=Lopez |first7=Julyssa |last8=Reeves |first8=Mosi |last9=Rosen |first9=Jody |last10=Sheffield |first10=Rob |last1=Shachtman |first1=Noah |title=100 Best Debut Albums of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-best-debut-albums-of-all-time-143608/arular-228589/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=1 July 2022 |date=1 July 2022}}

Arular peaked at number 190 on the Billboard 200, while reaching number three on the Top Electronic Albums chart and number 16 on the Top Independent Albums.{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/arular-mw0000264968/awards |title=Arular – M.I.A. {{!}} Awards |publisher=AllMusic. All Media Network |access-date=31 January 2014}} By May 2010, it had sold 190,000 copies in the United States.{{cite web | url= https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/magazine/30mia-t.html |last=Hirschberg|first=Lynn|title=M.I.A.'s Agitprop Pop|work=The New York Times |date=25 May 2010|access-date=12 June 2024}} The album peaked at number 98 on the UK Albums Chart, while in mainland Europe, it reached number 20 in Norway, number 47 in Sweden, number 71 in Germany and number 97 in Belgium.

{{Track listing

| headline = XL US edition

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Banana Skit

| writer1 = Maya Arulpragasam

| length1 = 0:36

| title2 = Pull Up the People

| writer2 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• A. Brucker
• Paul Byrne

}}

| extra2 = {{flatlist|

• Brucker
• Byrne

}}

| length2 = 3:45

| title3 = Bucky Done Gun

| writer3 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Wesley Pentz
• Bill Conti
• Ayn Robbins
• Carol Connors

}}

| extra3 = {{flatlist|

• Diplo
• Wizard{{ref|a|[a]}}

}}

| length3 = 3:46

| title4 = Fire Fire

| writer4 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Anthony Whiting

}}

| extra4 = Whiting

| length4 = 3:38

| title5 = Freedom Skit

| writer5 = M. Arulpragasam

| length5 = 0:42

| title6 = Amazon

| writer6 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Richard X

}}

| extra6 = Richard X

| length6 = 4:16

| title7 = Bingo

| writer7 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Whiting

}}

| extra7 = Whiting

| length7 = 3:12

| title8 = Hombre

| writer8 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Dwain 'Willy' Wilson III

}}

| extra8 = Wilson

| length8 = 4:02

| title9 = One for the Head Skit

| writer9 = M. Arulpragasam

| length9 = 0:29

| title10 = 10 Dollar

| writer10 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Richard X

}}

| extra10 = Richard X

| length10 = 4:03

| title11 = Sunshowers

| writer11 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Ross Orton
• Steve Mackey
• August Darnell
• Stony Browder Jr.

}}

| extra11 = Cavemen

| length11 = 3:16

| title12 = Galang

| writer12 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Justine Frischmann
• Orton
• Mackey

}}

| extra12 = Cavemen

| length12 = 3:35

| title13 = M.I.A.

| note13 = hidden track, included at the end of track 12

| writer13 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Frischmann
• Sugu Arulpragasam

}}

| extra13 = Diplo

| length13 = 3:27

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = XL UK/international and Interscope US editions

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Banana Skit

| writer1 = M. Arulpragasam

| length1 = 0:36

| title2 = Pull Up the People

| writer2 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• A. Brucker
• Byrne

}}

| extra2 = {{flatlist|

• Brucker
• Byrne

}}

| length2 = 3:45

| title3 = Bucky Done Gun

| writer3 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Pentz
• Conti
• Robbins
• Connors

}}

| extra3 = {{flatlist|

• Diplo
• Wizard{{ref|a|[a]}}

}}

| length3 = 3:46

| title4 = Sunshowers

| writer4 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Orton
• Mackey
• Darnell
• Browder

}}

| extra4 = Cavemen

| length4 = 3:16

| title5 = Fire Fire

| writer5 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Whiting

}}

| extra5 = Whiting

| length5 = 3:28

| title6 = Dash the Curry Skit

| writer6 = M. Arulpragasam

| length6 = 0:40

| title7 = Amazon

| writer7 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Richard X

}}

| extra7 = Richard X

| length7 = 4:16

| title8 = Bingo

| writer8 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Whiting

}}

| extra8 = Whiting

| length8 = 3:12

| title9 = Hombre

| writer9 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Wilson

}}

| extra9 = Wilson

| length9 = 4:02

| title10 = One for the Head Skit

| writer10 = M. Arulpragasam

| length10 = 0:29

| title11 = 10 Dollar

| writer11 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Richard X

}}

| extra11 = Richard X

| length11 = 4:03

| title12 = U.R.A.Q.T.

| writer12 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Quincy Jones

}}

| extra12 = {{flatlist|

• KW Griff
• Diplo{{ref|b|[b]}}

}}

| length12 = 2:56

| title13 = Galang

| writer13 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Frischmann
• Orton
• Mackey

}}

| extra13 = Cavemen

| length13 = 3:35

| title14 = M.I.A.

| note14 = hidden track, included at the end of track 13

| writer14 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Frischmann
• S. Arulpragasam

}}

| extra14 = Diplo

| length14 = 3:27

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Japanese edition bonus tracks

| title14 = Pull Up the People

| note14 = D'Explicit Remix

| length14 = 3:00

| title15 = Bucky Done Gun

| note15 = DJ Marlboro Carioca Remix

| length15 = 2:37

| title16 = Bucky Done Gun

| note16 = Y£$ Productions Remix

| length16 = 3:26

| title17 = Bucky Done Gun

| note17 = DaVinChe Remix

| length17 = 3:00

}}

;Digital bonus tracks

• "You're Good" – 4:13{{cite web |url=https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/arular/id54818429 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130132939/https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/arular/id54818429 |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 January 2014 |title=Arular by M.I.A. |publisher=iTunes Store (GB). Apple |access-date=23 February 2014}}{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001MXVW1A |title=Arular [Explicit]: M.I.A.: MP3 Downloads |publisher=Amazon.co.uk |access-date=23 February 2014}}
• "Lady Killa" – 3:32{{cite web |url=http://www.7digital.com/artist/m-i-a/release/arular-2-1 |title=Arular (2005) {{!}} MIA |publisher=7digital (UK) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227234404/http://www.7digital.com/artist/m-i-a/release/arular-2-1 |archive-date=27 February 2014 |access-date=23 February 2014}}
• "Do Ya" – 3:22{{cite web |url=http://www.7digital.com/artist/m-i-a/release/arular-3-1 |title=Arular (2005) {{!}} MIA |publisher=7digital (UK) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227235335/http://www.7digital.com/artist/m-i-a/release/arular-3-1 |archive-date=27 February 2014 |access-date=23 February 2014}}

;Notes

• ^{{note|a|a}} signifies an additional producer
• ^{{note|b|b}} signifies a co-producer
• "Bucky Done Gun" is inspired by "Injeção" by Deize Tigrona and incorporates elements of "Gonna Fly Now" by Bill Conti.
• "U.R.A.Q.T." contains a sample from "Sanford and Son Theme (The Streetbeater)" by Quincy Jones.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Arular.{{cite AV media notes |title=Arular |type=CD liner notes |others=M.I.A. |publisher=Interscope Records |year=2005 |id=B0004971-02}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

• Maya Arulpragasam – vocals, artwork
• A. Brucker (Switch under a pseudonym){{cite web |last=Cellini |first=Joe |url=https://www.apple.com/logicstudio/action/switch/ |title=Dave "Switch" Taylor: Producing M.I.A. |publisher=Logic Studio – In Action. Apple |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207061033/https://www.apple.com/logicstudio/action/switch/ |archive-date=7 February 2009 |access-date=28 January 2009}} – production {{small|("Pull Up the People")}}, final mix and production {{small|("Bucky Done Gun", "U.R.A.Q.T.")}}
• Paul Byrne – production {{small|"Pull Up the People"}}, final mix and production {{small|("Bucky Done Gun", "U.R.A.Q.T.")}}
• Diplo – production {{small|("Bucky Done Gun", "M.I.A.")}}, co-production {{small|"U.R.A.Q.T."}}
• Pete Hofmann – engineering, mixing {{small|("Amazon", "10 Dollar")}}

{{col-2}}

• KW Griff – mixing, production {{small|"U.R.A.Q.T."}}
• Steve Loveridge – artwork design
• Richard X – production {{small|("Amazon", "10 Dollar")}}
• Nesreen Shah – chorus vocals {{small|("Sunshowers")}}
• Anthony Whiting – mixing, production {{small|("Fire Fire", "Bingo")}}
• Dwain 'Willy' Wilson III (Richard X under a pseudonym){{cite web |url=http://www.blackmelody.com/track.php?id=36 |title=M.I.A – Hombre (from The Arular LP) |publisher=Black Melody Productions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125043048/http://blackmelody.com/track.php?id=36 |archive-date=25 January 2009 |access-date=28 January 2009}} – production {{small|("Hombre")}}
• Wizard – additional production, mixing, programming {{small|("Bucky Done Gun")}}

{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Discogs master|80899|type=album}}
• {{MusicBrainz release group|id=32d38e25-27e8-45bc-b79b-931f5a609546}}
• {{Metacritic album}}

{{M.I.A.}}

{{Featured article}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2005 debut albums

Category:Albums produced by Ant Whiting

Category:Albums produced by Diplo

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