M.I.A. (Musician)

Last Night: M.I. A. and The Cool Kids at House of Blues

Last Night: M.I.A. And Holy Fuck At The Palladium Ballroom

The Scratch Pad: Prince William Talks Post-Rap And The Dallas Dance Scene

Top Ten Dance Albums of 2008

Any knucklehead with DSL and a laptop can now make an electronic track. With a half hour of clicking and fiddling, you can sample enough cheesy beats and mashups to clog arteries from here to Berlin. Simple dropdown mouse maneuvers can transform electro tracks into progressive house tracks (from dry ... More >>

Top Ten Pop Songs of 2008

Pop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that's true. (Katy Perry, Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, step right up!) But every year, a few irresistible bits of innovative ear candy rocket up the charts and seep into our subconscious. The following ten singles ... More >>

The Village Voice's Annual Pazz And Jop Poll Is Now Up And Running

Earlier this month, we unveiled our Dallas Observer contributors' top albums and, in some cases, top singles of the year, as submitted to the annual Pazz & Jop poll conducted by our sister paper in NYC (in some cases, to the best of our recollections).Well, now the full results of those submiss ... More >>

Border Wars

What's the difference between Mexican and Tex-Mex food?

Today In Music News: Smashing Pumpkins Loses Drummer, Tool To Headline Lollapalooza, M.I.A. Is Two Years Older and Trick Daddy Has Lupus

Your daily dose of national music news for Tuesday, March 24, 2009...Drummer Jimmy Chamberlain has left the Smashing Pumpkins for unspecified reasons. Mr. Corgan I'm looking in your direction.Maynard James Keenan is taking some time off from wine-making to join Tool in headlining Lollapalooza along ... More >>

The Halftime Report

With six months X'd off of the calendar year, we look back at the best music of the year—and wonder which albums we'll remember come December

M.I.A.

Friday, May 2, Palladium Ballroom

Erykah Badu Has Returned

The songstress burst through her stuggles with writer's block and created a solid record

Making a List, Checking It Twice

The songstress burst through her stuggles with writer's block and created a solid record

M.I.A., LCD, ACL

The Sri Lankan lady starts the dance, dance revolution

Big D's Great Roar

The Sri Lankan lady starts the dance, dance revolution

Bigfoot Strikes Again

Local luminaries leave a print or two at this year's Sasquatch! Festival

On the Download

Some of the best music of 2006 wasn't exactly officially released (wink, wink)

CD Source

We pick out the best undiscovered albums so that you don't have to

Good Ideas

When SMU alum Astronautalis stopped rap-battling, he finally figured out how to win

M.I.A.

Arular (XL/Beggars US)

Today in Music News: Eminem Live On Tape, White Stripes Not Far Off, M.I.A Needs Oprah

Your daily dose of national music news for Wednesday, April 29, 2009...Booking residencies on late night talk shows has become quite the fad this year. But I think Eminem needs to figure out what a residency actually means. Like Prince did with Jay Leno, Eminem will perform for three nights on Jim ... More >>

Today In Music News: Diplo Hooks Back Up With M.I.A., Morrissey Leaves A Show And Cake Goes Green

Your daily dose of national music news for Monday, November 9, 2009...Sure, it's pretty awesome that Diplo has reteamed with M.I.A. for her new album--but Major Lazer may come to Adult Swim!Morrissey exited his show in Liverpool in the middle of a song after getting hit in the head with a bottle or ... More >>

Today In Music News: Weezy Gets Busted, More Beatle Stuff Is Sold And M.I.A. Keeps Opening Her Mouth

Your daily dose of national music news for Thursday, May 13, 2010...A "prison rat" tipped off officials at Rikers Island that Lil' Wayne was in possession of contraband. Time for Weezy sharpen up that toothbrush and get some prison justice!Is there anything that is associated with The Beatles that p ... More >>

Austin City Limits Announces 2010 Lineup...

​It's that time of year, again. The Austin City Limits Festival line-up was unveiled early this morning via the fest's official website. There isn't any question: This year's docket will have people gabbing--whether it's vitriolic hate or nostalgic, warm-fuzzies. Sure, for many, bashing on the cho ... More >>

Passing Up Everybody Loves Raymond Reruns for a Little Korean Nightlife

​Being the stodgy homebody that I am, I haven't the faintest idea of what goes on in this city after 10 p.m. Even on most weekends, anything after that time is reserved for bad television and snuggling with my dog. My friends, meanwhile, including the boyfriend, are creatures of the night, who ... More >>

Today In Music News: Why Lollapalooza Isn't That Great, Bun B Turns Professor And M.I.A. Learns Her Lesson

Your daily dose of national music news for Monday, August 9, 2010...If you didn't make it to Lollapalooza this past weekend, here's a reason why the current incarnation isn't as good as the original.Bun B will be a guest lecturer at Rice University for a Religion and Hip-Hop Culture class. M.I.A. l ... More >>

Q&A: Rusko Explains Dubstep And Tells Us Why Bass Is The Best, Why American Music Is Boring and Why His Shows Keep Improving

Rusko​UK-bred, LA-based producer Rusko has had a busy year, what with being signed to Mad Decent, partaking in Diplo and Switch's Major Lazer tour, and releasing his debut album O.M.G.! As such, the dubstep pioneer is taking the US electronic music scene by storm, showing absolutely no signs of sl ... More >>

Last Night: Neon Indian, Prefuse 73, Miniature Tigers at the Granada Theater

Neon Indian, Profuse 73, Miniature TigersGranada TheaterOctober 5, 2010Better than: the album, which is a miracle for an electronic act. Stop hiding, Palomo. We see you.​Few Dallas acts have non-Dallas acts opening for them. Even fewer electronic acts can boast about having a live show t ... More >>

Tonight, Tonight: Vampire Weekend at the Palladium, Local Natives at House of Blues, Light Pollution at Hailey's and Phantogram at The Loft

Quite the hopping hump day we have here. While Monday and Tuesday each had a couple of interesting musical offerings, this particular Wednesday night has a bounty of choices for those in search of cool sounds.

Last Night: Vampire Weekend, Beach House and The Very Best at the Palladium Ballroom

Vampire Weekend, Beach House, The Very BestPalladium BallroomOctober 6, 2010Better than: watching the Yankees win another play-off game.Vampie Weekend​To understand just how good 2010 has been for Vampire Weekend, one can look at their trips this year through Dallas: Their first time through last ... More >>

ACL Day One Recap: Hipsters, Hippies and The Poor Schlubs Stuck In Between.

Patrick MichelsJulian Casablancas wears his sunglasses at nights.​ Well, Austin City Limits, you redeemed yourself. After a slow start to the festivities, things picked up very quickly, as predicted, and, by three o'clock, things were in full swing. But Night One--despite names like Miike Snow, Gi ... More >>

ACL '10, Night Two: Muse, Matt & Kim and M.I.A. Muster Might, Magic and Meh.

​Night fell down on Austin Town and it figured it'd be a busy night. And with The xx and Temper Trap setting the table for LCD Soundsystem, Gogol Bordello, Monsters of Folk, Deadmau5, Matt & Kim, MIA and Muse, Saturday did indeed set it self up to be remembered as ACL 2010's strongest.Except f ... More >>

ACL 2010 So-Far Superlatives: The Best Performers, Songs and Movements of Days One and Two.

Here we are, final morning of Austin City Limits, and we're getting all wistful and whatnot. It's a busy day ahead filled with North Texas connections like whoa: 15-year-old Dallas-born fiddle wunderkind Ruby Jane kicks the entire day off with her 11:15 a.m. set; Midlake will somehow have to physica ... More >>

A Blow-by-Blow Field Report From Austin City Limits 2010.

Here we are, final morning of Austin City Limits, and we're getting all wistful and whatnot. It's a busy day ahead filled with North Texas connections like whoa: 15-year-old Dallas-born fiddle wunderkind Ruby Jane kicks the entire day off with her 11:15 a.m. set; Midlake will somehow have to physica ... More >>

DC9er Mixtape, Vol. 29: DJ Fishr Pryce

​ DJ Fishr Pryce thrives off spontaneity -- and, as has been made clear in the past, he doesn't like to take himself too seriously."I'm not afraid to be goofy," he says. "And I think that makes me a little different [from other DJ's in town]." Fittingly, the experienced hip-hop DJ, who has been sp ... More >>

Last Night: Diplo and Cee Lo Green at the Axe Lounge

Diplo, Cee Lo GreenAxe Lounge (normally Rio Room, formerly Suite)February 5, 2011Better than: hanging out in a lounge filled with Axe body spray. Fortunately, this sponsorship was in name only.All photos by Justin NamonCee Lo's appearance was short but sweet last night. Go here for a full slideshow ... More >>

Sleigh Bells Ring. Are You Listening?

Diplo, Cee Lo GreenAxe Lounge (normally Rio Room, formerly Suite)February 5, 2011Better than: hanging out in a lounge filled with Axe body spray. Fortunately, this sponsorship was in name only.All photos by Justin NamonCee Lo's appearance was short but sweet last night. Go here for a full slideshow ... More >>

Looking Back at The Best and Worst Lineups Seen In Warped Tour's 17 Years Of Existence

​The Warped Tour has always had a lot of bands and a lot of different bands. Sure, you're not going to see these bands end up on any Pitchfork best-of, but the tour doesn't exactly play to people who decree most things in life as "meh," either.Even in its first few years, you could see a hardcore ... More >>

The Ten Best Music Videos Banned by MTV

​MTV has gotten some flack for censorship over the course of its 30 years on the air. The station, in addition to helping proliferate the music video concept, is equally known, it seems, for bleeping words, playing only censored versions of certain videos, relegating racy videos to late-night pla ... More >>

Last Night: Diplo at Rio Room

DiploRio RoomSeptember 1, 2011Better than: watching the movie Rio, I assume.Diplo​It was a packed house at Rio Room last night -- a fact that, initially, maybe isn't all that impressive considering the room's 300-person capacity, but one that earns some serious points on other fronts. Like, say, t ... More >>

Culture Club: A Few Thoughts on Madonna's Halftime Performance

If I had to explain Madonna's Super Bowl performance in one word that isn't followed by question marks and exclamation points, it would be synergy. She was in a commercial before the event, and her new song, "Give Me All Your Luvin'" was featured afterwards. OK, fine, the Super Bowl is commerce, a ... More >>

The Problem With... M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls"

Among the colorful palette of artists in pop music today, I've noticed parallels between M.I.A. and Kanye West. Both have taken their wealth and branched out into other artistic media, both rarely watch their words, and both apparently like making videos set in the desert with cars. The difference ... More >>