M.I.A.'s "Boyz"

If you haven't heard Arular, believe the hype. Becky and I do. Like early hip-hop, M.I.A. is both sonically avant-garde and completely accessible. And like any beautiful musical idea, M.I.A.'s style isn't a move towards complexity (e.g., Radiohead or Wilco), it's a move towards a different simplicity. Not that that simplicity is simple or easily obtained. In fact, making music sound difficult takes about an hour; making music sound simple takes years, sometimes a lifetime. Just ask Miles Davis or Duke Ellington. Or John Lennon. Or James Brown.

Anyway, her new single, "Boyz" could be catchier that "Sunshowers," or even "Bucky Done Gone." And it captures the world-wide musical zeitgeist better than Manu Chao, which is saying something. (His new single, "Rainin in Paradize," is great, too, by the way.) This may be my favorite video ever. If revolution can be this much fun, there may be hope for us yet.