Santogold

Imagine M.I.A. and Beck had a lovechild, and that child grew up in the 80s, and lived across the street from Feist and upstairs from TV on the Radio, and spent her pre-adolescent years sitting in her room with a Walkman and a pair of headphones on. And then the child became an immensely talented lyricist. And then spent years working in the music industry before recording her own album. This child would be named Santogold.

Santogold (aka Santi White) released her self-titled debut album last April. It is an amalgam of about a trillion different genres. It is delicious. Every song seems to allude to a different group of artists. The opening track, "L.E.S. Artistes," could be a Yeah Yeah Yeahs single. Taken out of context, the instrumentals of "Lights Out" and "You'll Find A Way" could have been recorded in 1987. "Creator," a highlight of the album, begins with a fast-paced jazz drum line but quickly descends into complete hip-hop/electronic-dom. A reggae guitar lick and electric rock instrumentals are seamlessly combined in "Shove It," another standout track, in which Santogold clearly defines herself as a fringe artist, calling mainstream music a "joke."

Perhaps the album is best defined by the chorus of "Creator": "Me, I'm a creator / Thrill is to make it up / The rules I break got me a place / Up on the radar."

Though on occasion the album comes dangerously close to being overly-eclectic, Santogold's distinctive vocals, firm grasp of a wide variety of genres and fearlessness in combining all of her influences makes her an artist to watch.

Get the whole album. Now.

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