For the first thirty seconds of this song, it crosses my mind that I may have misjudged MIA in the past. I've never really understood the adulation she receives – it all seems really mediocre, and not the ground-breaking cross-over that she has been lauded as. If anything, I've always felt that she proves that merely merging a couple of genres isn't enough to be brilliant. This particular unearthing is The Clash's 'Straight to Hell'
The beginning of 'Paper Planes' has a nice feel to it – lazy summer days. The voice is still mildly annoying, and the backing sounds like 'Where is the Love?' by Black Eyed Peas, but it's not terrible. Then the first chorus kicks in – cockney kids and BBC sound effects – triggers, gunshots and the ringing of a cash machine. There's a social point to this song, don't you know?
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Then there is the worst rapping in a pop song since Madonna's 'American Life.' The social conscience on the sleeve thing is hard to bear and even the singing becomes annoying very quickly. Would it be unfair to call this charmless? Probably not. The whole thing is a disaster after the first verse and once again I can feel vindicated, apologising to myself for ever questioning my snap judgements.
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