M.I.A.

I can't get Kala out of my head. Maya Arulpragasam's new album, named after her mother (just as her debut album, Arular, was named after her father), is a stunning cacophony of sounds and cultures, from the 18 year old Lagos-born rapper Afrikan Boy (above), to the raspy rhymes of the Australian children's hip hop group, the Wilcannia Mob (right). She sings her favorite Bollywood tune, "Jimmy", covers The Pixies, and samples The Clash. The album is worthwhile for the music she introduces as much as for what she produces herself. This world-skipping wasn't by design. She planned on making the entire album with producer-extraordinaire Timbaland, only to blocked out of the U.S. because of Visa issues (one Timbaland track makes it to the album). Plus, she's a prolific video maker!

Here she is with Spike Jonze and Afrikan Boy:


And here's the video for "Jimmy":


Other M.I.A.'s:
Miami International Airport

Minneapolis Institute of the Arts (whose Nordic Landscape Painting exhibition Michael Anderson posted about over at Tativille)

Migration Institute of Australia

Ministries In Action

The Motorsport Industry Association (Supporting the UK motorsport industry since 1994)

Molecular Information Agent

And my favorite:
the Marble Institute of America (Stone of the Month: Black Granite)