14 illinoisentertainer . com december 2022
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M . I . A . Mata
( Island )
Following a six-year hiatus after the release of her alleged swan song album , 2016 ’ s AIM , British rapper M . I . A . ( born Mathangi " Maya " Arulpragasam ) returns with the incendiary Mata album . Ever the iconoclast , the new album was released amidst the artist sharing controversial views on social media and an ensuing backlash ( Mata is her first album not to chart in either the US or the UK ). The music here contains the same collision of western and eastern music styles that she has been peddling since entering the scene in the early aughts . The title is a coy nod to Facebook changing its name to Meta . Abrasive beats co-mingle with Sri-Lankan field recordings creating a dizzying effect on the album ’ s opening 2-part “ F . I . A . S . O . M . ( Freedom is a state of mind .)” Longtime collaborators Diplo and Skrillex help create ornate bhangrainfused arrangements for MIA ’ s unique vocals to float above . The lyrics can be obtuse one minute and childlike the next , many times approaching nursery rhyme simplicity . She brings in Rick Rubin to help steer the ship on a few tracks like the transcendent “ K . T . P . ( Keep The Peace )” where the clouds part and things get hypnotically melodic for a brief moment . While nothing on Mata approaches the wily headrush of her 2007 hit “ Paper Planes ,” made famous in the movie Pineapple Express , Mata still pulls the listener in and refuses to let up during its relatively short 33- minute run time .
- Andy Derer
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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Return Of The Dream Canteen
( Warner Music )
After over a decade of pushing forward with Josh Klinghoffer on guitar , Red Hot Chili Peppers finally reunited with John
Frusciante to release not one but TWO double albums in 2022 . A total of 34 brand new tracks released between April ’ s Unlimited Love and October ’ s Return Of The Dream Canteen could be seen as overkill . Cue the usual “ this could have made one great album if you culled the best tracks from the two albums ” discourse that usually gets slung at double albums . In fact , after reuniting with Frusciante and longtime producer Rick Rubin , the band recorded nearly 50 tracks with the plan to release one album of seven physical discs . Obviously , Warner Music wasn ’ t on board with that , so they struck a compromise of releasing the two double albums over the course of a year . So Unlimited Love and
Return Of The Dream Canteen should be seen as one unwieldy beast . Where 2016 ’ s The Getaway featured the hit “ Dark Necessities ,” the rest of the album was cluttered with unsuccessful experiments that suffocated the band ’ s unique approach . The 2022 music is quite different . The hands-off production and “ four men in a room jamming ” technique that helped RHCP on their 1999 comeback album Californication is what this music most closely mirrors . “ Tippa My Tongue ” opens the new set with a Sly & The Family Stone homage so natural sounding it ' s obvious these guys have been rocking off and on for nearly 40 years . “ Peace And Love ” has such a fetching vocal hook one realizes that the Chili Peppers have that clear knack for harmony not so dissimilar