I haven’t stopped listening to the new M.I.A. record since I got it last week. Miss Arulpragasam represents one of my trends in music: globetrotting populists who make music on the fly and on the road (think Manu Chao and Diplo). She’s set her sights on becoming the spokesdiva of the 3rd world, and succeeding. The low-tech mix of worldbeat and old-school electro is as vibrant and seizure-inducing as her site and myspace page.

The video for Bird Flu: