These war-torn beats are my divine right. Not that I really feel all that guilty when I snatch advance MP3s, but M.I.A.’s Sasquatch ’07 no-show is currently working in my guilt-free favor. Since you abandoned me, M.I.A., I’m entitled to download an illicit copy of Kala.

You say it’s not the rapping Sri Lankan’s fault that her visa was denied before the fest? Well, uh…then my copy of Kala is a protest against the man! Yeah! Screw your FBI warnings. See if you ever block a foreigner from performing at a concert again, fascists.

Besides, half the record is already making the blog hype rounds before it sees official release on August 21. Some of the stuff that has already seen leakage is Arular Part II—throbbing synths and bare beats beneath M.I.A.’s monotonal shout-chants. But while “Boyz” brings expected, MIA-style jam…z, unveiled track “Paper Planes” is all kinds of early ‘90s prom; you can practically see the girl snap her fingers in mid-air as she grooves to the soft, looping guitar tones and coyly sings (whoa now, sings!) “Hit me on my pre-paid wire-luhss / we pack and deliv-ah like UPS trucks.”

The rest of the disc seems intent to both reaffirm the political bump-and-stomp of Arular and expand with a larger sonic palette. “Hussel” is an as-yet-unreleased example of both, combining crunked-out buzzsaw-synths with more singing, an organic, subdued drumbeat and a Grime-laced guest spot by UK MC Afrikan Boy. Seems silly to call M.I.A.’s followup more worldly sounding—it’s not like she was the KFC of Sri Lankan beats—but every track on Kala has a different country’s club stamp of approval on it. Get ready to get down. And not just when the FBI storms in as a response to that whole “fascist” thing I said, either.