Musick's Top 20 Albums: 06

06. Santogold
Santogold

Santi White, aka Santogold, has been one of the biggest discoveries of 2008. Not only does she have the songs, she also has the look, coming on like a drunk in a fancy dress shop. Much has also been made of her friendship with fellow sartorial experimenter M.I.A, with many dismissing Santogold as a mere copycat. These people are idiots. Despite the presence of producers Diplo and Switch (both of whom have worked with M.I.A), Santogold is its own beast, an album brimming with pop hooks that uses genres in a way most would call cavalier. Everything from dub, to new wave, to punk, to aggressive-electro-pop-type-stuff is thrown into the mix. Debut single ‘L.E.S. Artistes’ is one of the best songs of the year, a brilliant example of effortless cool mixed with an almighty chorus, whilst the likes of ‘Lights Out’ and ‘Say Aha’ are proof this was no fluke. Unlike M.I.A, Santogold isn’t afraid to let the melodies shine, creating songs that are innovative yet immediate and in doing so has made an album that sounds as fresh the fiftieth time as it did the first.

Key track: 'L.E.S. Artistes'