Santigold: Youthful Difference

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  21 Feb 2012 in Music

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Formerly a letter different from her current name, Santigold was the unsung heroin of quirky ‘80s pop re-emergence, perhaps because she wasn’t a white female act with a penchant for forced eccentricity. Regardless, debut album Santogold was an impressive musical curriculum vitae – showcasing malleable vocal chops (both saccharine and emotionally fragile) and pop music acumen in the production.

In her absence since the 2008 debut, pop music has been filled with acts informed by hipster-pandering retro pop and dance music, her return would only be made redundant due to this. Thankfully Santigold is still queen of pop acumen. Her previous single ‘Big Mouth’ off upcoming LP Master of My Make Believe saw her channelling M.I.A and a little bit of genre-lost Karen O.

However newly released ‘Disparate Youth’ sounds like the Santigold we all knew from her debut. ’80s revisionist synth and piano with jittery guitar emerging intermittently, the track works wonders as an instrumental. However it is her voice that completes the track. Singing “we know that we want more, a life worth fighting for” would be repeating a platitude ad nauseum if sung by a lesser vocalist, but with Santigold’s half droll, half sneering voice — it casually seeps into your mind and becomes a mantra.

Keep yourself updated with the latest on her sophomore album here.