Santogold
May 14th 2008 12:30
Santogold burps bees (and makes a great album)
The lyrics for 'Unstoppable' off Santogold's (aka Santi White) genre-smashing debut go something like this:
"Eh-eh-eh-eh-you don't like
Eh-eh-eh-eh-you don't like
Ayeh Ayeh
Ayeh Ayeh"
Not sure what she's saying here, but I guess it is pretty hard to sing with a mouth full of bees. Luckily, it looks like she got rid of most of them during the photo-shoot for the album cover.
Santogold jumps genres like an interstellar frog in a galactic beat-pond. Joined by co-pilot John Hill (Johnny Rodeo) and a first class passenger list of just about every underground producer or DJ not currently in a band with Cee-Lo, her sound leaps from lillipad to lillipad never happy to settle on one style. Accompanying her on the voyage is Freq Nasty, Diplo, Switch, Juwan from Spank Rock, Trouble Andrew and the queen of grimy undies herself... M.I.A, who is no doubt getting pretty sick of the comparisons made between Santogold and herself.
These comparisons are really only valid on two songs though, "Creator", which sounds like it could have been an Arular B-side and "My Superman" which is M.I.A if DJ Screw (R.I.P) ever got his hands on her. The rest of the songs on this album are a long way from the chicken dancing, third world beats M.I.A is known for. "I'm a Lady" is a sweet little pop ditty that seems to flow through you like a gentle laxative, cleansing as it goes and building you up gently for sweet, sweet relief, which comes in the form of a great chorus. The first single "L.E.S Artistes" had me thinking this was a sassier, poppier Karen O when I first heard it on radio and "You'll Find A Way" is the coolest chick-rock tune since the days of L7 and Veruca Salt.
But then "Shove It" starts, a dubbed-out, borderline crunk tune which has Santi singing "We think you're a joke, shove you're hope where it don't shine" which leaves me itching to know who she's singing about. With "Lights Out" it's back to the trippy kind of pop that will no doubt give her plenty of fans, but keep her just out of the charts. This is the essence of Santigold, a little too alternative for mainstream pop, right there on the fringe, but I get the feeling this is right where Santigold belongs.
Santogold - L.E.S Artistes
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