Pages tagged “santogold”

There’s something both simple and transcendent about a classic pair of Chucks. It’s a style that’s lasted through the decades, with everyone from Brit punks to hip-hop moguls to young female MCs donning the kicks. And perhaps that’s why Converse managed to wrangle together L.A. beatmaker Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D., Brooklyn's so-hot-right-now Santogold, and Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas to record a song together.

Philadelphia-raised Santogold's MySpace bio opens with these words: "Santogold is a survivor of a half century worth of living along musical evolution’s most cutting edges. The only live act that can boast of having out-aged Barbara Bush, having outlived Mr. Miyagi and out styled Liberace, Santogold is here with future flavor."

Not to be confused with Santo Gold, a recording artist who apparently recorded a song entitled "Your Fired" [sic], inspired by Donald Trump, Santogold is the latest artist in the M.I.A./Diplo/Spank Rock circle, and her self-titled album has been receiving massive amounts of critical praise in the last month.

Check out our recent review of her album, then enjoy this unreleased track:

MP3: Santogold - "Your Voice"

Finally, watch the official video of her first single "L.E.S. Artistes." It's extremely awesome:

Santogold is Unstoppable:

May
10 - Sheffield, England @ The Plug
11 - London, England @ Zavvi
12 - London, England @ Old Blue Last
16 - Manchester, England @ Roadhouse
17 - Brighton, England @ Digital
18 - Brighton, England @ Concorde 2
20 - Paris, France @ Noveau Casino
21 - Antwerp @ Trix
22 - Berlin, Germany @ Tape Club
24 - Bristol, England @ Thekla
25 - Nottingham, England @ Rescue Rooms
26 - Birmingham @ Bar Academy
28 - Liverpool, England @ Alma de Cuba
30 - Glasgow @ Sub Club
31 - Salamanca, France @ Castilla y León International Arts Festival

June
1 - Dublin, Ireland @ Crawdaddy
3 - London, England @ Scala
7 - Mountainview, Calif. @ LIVE 105’s BFD at the Shoreline Amphitheater

Related links:
Santogold on MySpace
YouTube: Santogold: live @ The FADER/AT&T Sideshow
Diplo on MySpace

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Santogold’s auspicious debut arrives bearing the weight of near-constant media hype and a Bud Light commercial, which pimps her dub-glitch manifesto “The Creator” for its soundtrack. In spite of the infamy, however, she has delivered a remarkable and assured album. Its confident tone is the result of having spent years paying industry dues, first co-writing several songs for Res’ vastly underrated rock-and-soul gem How I Do, then experiencing an early failure fronting her own band, the new wave outfit Stiffed.

Santogold is a veteran, but to her credit she makes music that sounds fresh, all while unearthing alternative rock nuggets that wouldn’t sound out of place on an '80s hits compilation. One of her best songs, “Lights Out,” breezes along like Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” while “My Superman” feels like an outtake from Siouxsie and the Banshees’ Juju. Casual listeners will notice that Santogold’s voice resembles M.I.A., particularly since both celebrate the same urban pop/electro-rave scene, but the musical resemblance mostly ends there.

As an artist building a debut from borrowed parts, Santogold’s secret weapon is her charismatic persona. She flips her lyrics with stylish cool, howling, cooing and ranting. She embodies her songs, breathing them into brilliant life. A performer that mixes coquettishness and swagger, she draws her listeners close, but not too close. “We think you’re a joke,” she sings on “Shove It,” an anthem for her native Brooklyn. “Shove your hope where it don’t shine.” Like Chrissie Hynde, Santogold has the makings of a rock 'n' roll icon; she's a tough cookie that’s all heart.