Ellington

Setting the music world on fire, Maya Arulpragasam's (M.I.A.) debut release is a futuristic urban monolith. Having released two singles in 2004 and a mixed tape (on which she collaborated with Diplo), the hype was built up in the U.K. and rightly so. Her charged lyrics are very political, probably in no small part due to her being a Sri Lankan refugee of war in the 1980's. However, they are precisely placed and poetic in form. Musically, she has created a hyper-hybrid of ragga, dancehall, bhangra, hip-hop, electronica and pop. The result is a release that is innovative and fresh- one that will undoubtedly top many best of 2005 lists including this one. --Alex Slawson and Herman Snell