Anticipation is feverishly high for M.I.A. [1]'s third album, and why shouldn't it be? Aside from finally breaching the U.S. pop charts with "Paper Planes," Maya Arulpragasm has founded her career on a seamless pattern of musical innovation. If 2007's "Kala" rearranged the jungle beats of 2005 debut "Arular" into a sweaty stomp, "/\/\ /\ Y /\" blasts M.I.A. into outer space and lets her explore otherworldly electronic arrangements. "Teqkilla" is a 7-minute raver full of violent blips and vocal snippets, while "Born Free" commits to straight-faced rock and a screw-you attitude. There are flashes of brilliance throughout, notably the bouncy single "XXXO" and the Diplo [2]-assisted pop track "Tell Me Why," but most of the album's production is so abrasively busy that it pummels M.I.A.'s vocals into the background. "All I ever wanted was my story to be told," M.I.A.'s echoing voice confesses on "Story To Be Told." Although "/\/\ /\ Y /\" is an undeniable testament to M.I.A.'s inventiveness, the album is so jam-packed with beats that any statement that she is making gets lost in translation.