Santogold
L.E.S. Artistes

Cover art for L.E.S. Artistes by Santogold Description: 7" on Atlantic
Format: 7" (vinyl)
Genre(s): Indie Rock
Label: Atlantic
Price:
£1.99
Availability: Sold out / currently unavailable. Sorry!

4Rating: 4
...according to our on 08 May 2008.

Santogold: L.E.S. Artistes (Lizard King/Atlantic) Wherein we catch a unique phenomenon: a lone black female singer songwriter bucking the usual trend/stereotype of singing bling/consumerist tales of getting the man and the money. There's something of the Anglophile in her that comes with the clipped, nasally delivery, rockist/electro pop backing and the deployment of a dub wise pop bubbler on the flip. If I'm sounding a bit breathless, then maybe I'm getting excited at the prospect of a girl living up to my expectations of one Nelly Furtado.Probably our single of the week, in a perfect world. Goddamn the sun's even out! First single of the week contender. Yo i'm Brian, and not one to meddle with the heavyweight words of our Mingo, I just wanna state that this is one of those amazing tunes I just cannot shake from my head. It's like a bolt of lightning to me, a subtle mid-tempo pop beauty with a blinding 80's radio twist. She's like a M.I.A./Liz Frazer hybrid singing a classic Cyndi Lauper tune and sends huge shivers up my spine everytime the chorus kicks in. One to unite the crowds at the end of a tough night clubbing, this is this years 'Umbrella', totally perfect, like a glug of posh brandy in a cold avalanche.

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What their label says...

TRACKLISTING: 7” A) L.E.S Artistes, B) Your Voice,
CD 1 L.E.S Artistes, 2 L.E.S Artistes (Video),

OVERVIEW: The eagerly awaited debut album from pops genre crunching bright new thing - Santogold - is here. Since whetting appetites with the limited release Creator late last year both sides of the Atlantic have been crying out for more. New single L.E.S Artistes is released on May 5th 2008. The self titled album 'Santogold' is as sonically challenging and innovative a record as its roll call of cutting-edge collaborators (Diplo, Switch, Disco D, Sinden, FreqNasty) would suggest, it reconfigures dub, pop, rock, and electronic influences into something new and intoxicating, then attaches them to nuclear-powered pop tunes. From sing-a-long pop gem 'Say Aha', with its undeniably catchy chorus - to the eerily magnetic 'Superman' and Bjork's favourite track of 2007 'You'll Find A Way' - which resulted in Santogold opening up for her Madison Square Gardens show in New York. You might not be familiar with her name but you've probably heard Santi White aka Santogold's past work. Formally the front lady of her own band Stiffed, she's also written for Lily Allen, Res and Ashlee Simpson, and more recently was a guest vocalist on Mark Ronson's 'Versions' album. Now time to take centre stage with her own project Santogold, Santi’s influences are as noticeable and varied as her animal print accessories. Growing up listening to acts as broad as Nina Simone, Bad Brains, The Cure, The Pixies and Talking Heads ‘Santogold’, the album, is a reflection of her musical tastes all mashed up into something distinctively unique and her own. Santogold's ability to marry real songwriting talent with an intriguing musical prowess makes her an uncategorisable and unstoppable force.