It's a good thing the album M.I.A. is releasing tomorrow isn't her first, because Pitchfork's 4.4 rating, accompanied by a pretty scathing write-up, would be enough to ice this woman's career before it had the chance to get hot. Then again, part of the reason their review of /\/\ /\ Y /\ is so harsh is precisely because it doesn't live up to the expectations set by her previous two albums. There aren't enough hooks, and therefore enough hits, for an artist who they claim is badly in need of one.

The album comes not long after a New York Times Magazine cover story that portrayed her as a pretentious, truffle fries-eating phony spouting radical politics at odds with her extremely comfortable lifestyle. The piece was devastating to her credibility, and her childish response-- putting the author's cell number on Twitter-- only made matters worse. It seems likely that /\/\/\Y/\ will only accelerate this M.I.A. backlash. The record is a shambling mess, devoid of the bangers that characterized Arular and Kala, two of the stronger pop albums of the past decade.

It only gets worse, as Pitchfork has trouble deciding if the album is "half-assed" or "half-baked." The review then goes on to posit the reasonable theory that M.I.A. has purposely made an anti-pop record.

She may be reaching for an interesting and provocative style, but her motives seem defensive in nature-- reasserting her artsy, agit-prop cred not long after breaking through to the mainstream and becoming engaged to the heir of the Bronfman liquor fortune.

Let's not forget the time M.I.A. slammed Lady Gaga back in April, saying, "She sounds more like me than I fucking do." Meaning, /\/\ /\ Y /\ is also her attempt not to sound like Gaga, which is definitely admirable.

But all this talk of Maya's new album not being catchy enough is sort of bullshit, since this is on the new album, and it's one of the most pop-y things she's ever recorded.