If M.I.A. could sing we might be blessed with something amazing, but unfortunately she can't so we get a gimmicky mashing of styles with thin vocals and incoherent chants. But there is hope if you like the idea of M.I.A. but realize that the lps just aren't up to the hype (though I might still buy them both). The hope is in Santogold. Her music is something else huh? New Wave, dubby, electro-pop with 'real singing'!! Funny how that is a blessing these days, like, "Man you gotta check out this artist, she can actually sing!"
If you ever listened to the great cd How Do I? by Res, you might be surprised to know that Santogold, or Santi White, co-wrote most the the songs! She also put out a decent album fronting the punk group Stiffed, then hid out in Brooklyn or Micronesia or someplace and came out with this mad mix of sounds. Think MIA, Spank Rock, and the mashing up of genres we get b/c of djs like Diplo. Funny thing is this gal can sing, really well infact, and has the swagger and attitude and style and other BS you need to be popular for more than 5 weeks.
To scrap at the tip of another iceberg she might also be part of a large wave of emerging black artists who don't feel the need to be conformed by the contemporary trappings of hip-hop and R&B, as seen by other artists like J*Davey and what the NYTimes calls blipsters (sic).
Perhaps this post is just me pandering to hipsters instead of discussing useful matters such as the transportation nightmare our country is in, or the collapsing housing market, or even the depressing war. But we all like music and need a little something to keep ignoring reality. Though I think her music might force us to pay attention to the world outside of our smoky dive bars and facebook accounts at least once in a while.
Now the bad news. Santogold doesn't even having anything released yet! Which actually fits perfectly into today's underground hipster hype machine. Isn't everything better without an actual release? Then you don't have any material through which to pass judgement and shatter you musical hopes/hypes. As someone who loves new music, (but hates 98% of what is out there since 1990) I am truly hopeful about her 'impending' release. Though I said the same about Amy Winehouse and she is on the verge of an understandable self-destruction. It is that 'hope' in new artists like this that keeps me going.
Here is an old Stiffed video. If I'd been an A&R man this might have charted alongside the best of No Doubt, but instead vanished into the dustbins of music history.
Listen to her tracks now at the appropriately named site Hypemachine
Then support her by requesting the music on your local radio (like the fabulous 88.9MKE) or see a show or be on the lookout for a release.
