Santogold: Santogold
Friday, 16 May 2008 11:07
Santi White brings her genre-bending to the UK
Lizard King Records, out now.
In a nutshell...
The next Next Big Thing.
What's it all about?
Brooklyn's Santogold bring us a punchy, poppy and most of all mixed bag of genre-crunching songs in a debut album that joyfully pinballs between the boundaries of new wave, rock, hip-hop, electronica and dub reggae.
Initially tagged as an apparent acolyte of M.I.A after the release of the singles Creator and L.E.S. Artistes, Santogold uses her first long-player to showcase a much more individual sense of style and a rich set of influences.
There's sunny indie pop (Lights Out), punky power jams (You'll Find A Way), in-your-face dub-dance (Shove It) and even the odd icy slab of 80s-influenced synth pop (My Superman).
In fact, it's a genuine surprise to find such sonic diversity in a single album of 11 songs - especially when that album comes from just two permanent band members and a handful of choice collaborators.
To read the inthenews.co.uk interview with Santogold, click here
Who's it by?
Feisty frontwoman Santi White accompanied by long-time partner-in-musical exploration John Hill.
The pair cut their teeth in Philadelphia new wavers Stiffed, whose ska-influenced pop-punk railed against bad relationships and bummed-out jobs with more than a shade of Blondie and The Pretenders thrown in for good measure.
As Santogold, Santi takes some of those shades and mix them with electronica, dance and hip-hop influences drawn from the last 30 years to create a sound that invoke the past without slavishly copying it.
As an example...
"We think you're a joke/Shove your hope/Where it don't shine." (Shove It)
"I'm a creator/Thrill is to make it up." (Creator)
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Santi's already been declared "the Queen of all Pop in 2008" by the always sober and in-no-way hysterical NME and make no mistake, Santogold is making big waves across the board. Don't be surprised to see them explode, especially after her appearances at this year's festivals.
What the others say
"A star in the making" - The Guardian
"The emerging - and hopeful - face of the new millennium, and an altogether shining accomplishment." allmusic.com
"While Santogold's songs have an arty Brooklyn edge, they're proudly pop." - New York Times.
So is it any good?
Veering from a poppier Pixies (I'm A Lady) to dubby dance (Shove It) to wild mash-ups of jazz, house and rock (Creator), Santogold crams more sonic stylings into a single album than most artists manage to contort themselves into in a career.
Admittedly, this shotgun blast of songwriting means maybe not everything is to the listener's taste but if you don't enjoy one style, just hang on - they'll be an entirely different one along in three minutes or so.
And for all Santogold's cosmopolitan and even experimental soundscaping, there's always one eye - or ear - on creating strong, melodic hooks.
Having paid her dues, Santogold is much more than a hyped-up flavour of the month for music hacks. She is, in an industry where everyone wants to be tagged the next someone else, fiercely unafraid of being herself - and are all the more exciting for it.
9/10
Andy Jowett
Watch the video for L.E.S. Artistes here:
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