Maya Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A., may have produced one of the most complex and least-listened to albums of recent times. Although Arular was originally released in 2003, along with its first single, “Galang,” it has recently been re-released on March 22. “Sunflowers,” the second single from Arular, was released in 2004, but interest in M.I.A. has mostly spread over the Internet, as her songs are hardly radio-friendly. Upon first listening, the songs seem like crude beats put together by an amateur, but they are influenced by a plethora of genres and Arulpragasam’s tumultuous childhood, which deserves some explanation to better understand her intentions.

M.I.A. was born in Sri Lanka, and her father was a member of a Sri Lankan rebel group. These Southeast Asian influences manifest themselves throughout the album, but especially in “Galang,” whose beats are heavily influenced by traditional Sri Lankan songs. The lyrics of Arular’s songs are sometimes unintelligible because of the abundant use of London dialect and idioms, but they reveal a political side to M.I.A.’s music. Because her father was a rebel fighter, Arulpragasam’s family was constantly in flight, and she even speculates on her own imagined kidnapping in “Amazon”: “Somewhere in the Amazon/They’re holding me ransom.” She even pleads, “Please can I call home?/Please can I go home?”

Other songs are loosely autobiographical as well. Arulpragasam’s family moved frequently due to her father’s association with Sri Lankan rebels, and rotated between Sri Lanka, India, and London. She harkens back to her early childhood in Sri Lanka with “Fire, Fire,” and poignantly describes growing up in the war-torn country. Her own stage name, M.I.A., is a direct reference to her missing father, who is addressed in “Freedom Skit,” a looser track with sporadic bursts of electronic gunfire that gives a break between the heavy percussion, which characterizes most of the album.

Arular opens with “Ba-na-na (Skit),” which begins with a play on the word “banana,” and its different pronunciations. It is followed by a reggae-heavy “Bucky Done Gone,” and although each song seems to choose a genre and toy with it, there is a tension between playfulness and utter seriousness. “Bingo” has a slower tempo, but with a distinctly Caribbean steel drum layered over the beats. “Hombre” recalls some of her life in India with a rhythm that could double in a Bollywood film. This beat also resurfaces in “One for the Head (Skit).”

“Galang” and “Sunshowers,” the two singles, are themselves radically diverse, with “Galang” being the closest M.I.A. has come to a popular club-beat song with sometimes incomprehensible lyrics. The rhythm of “Sunshowers” could cause it to be mistaken for a purely dance song, but its interpretation is changed by serious, politically-charged lyrics, which depict a man who is persecuted for befriending Muslims.

Arular is radically different from most of the slick beats that are currently being mass-produced in East London for the club scene. It sounds less polished and more worldly than the dancehall hits, but may be an easier pill for Americans to swallow than more distinctly British rappers such as The Streets and Dizzee Rascal, whose audiences are mostly from their own London neighborhoods. That isn’t to say that M.I.A. didn’t have a heavy-hitting production team to put together her album. Diplo, Pulp’s Steve Mackey, Richard X, and Ross Orton all contributed their talents to the 38-minute-long Arular.

M.I.A.’s songs have been repeatedly described by the media as “grimy,” but this is a disservice to the well thought-out arrangement of her songs. They are certainly very percussive, but have subtle aural trademarks which separate her from the rest of the pack. Songs based on a heavy beat and synth are accompanied by seemingly-random claps and strategically placed clangs. Arulpragasam’s voice is not as distinctive as the music, but combined with her often violent lyrics, make a strong impression.

With the release of Arular, M.I.A.’s career has taken off, and has been reviewed by Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker, as well as had the two videos appear on WNYE’s program for budding musicians, “New York Noise.” M.I.A. and Diplo also collaborated on the album, Piracy Funds Terrorism, and continue to work together. With buzz from the Internet and its much hyped release, Arular may finally get the attention it deserves.

—Marcella Veneziale, Assistant A&E Editor