Thanks to lazy hype-makers, Santogold’s Santi White has been (bitch-) slapped with the troubling “new M.I.A.” label. It’s unfortunate, since the two artists (and friends) have little in common other than the fact that they’re both women of colour working outside the umbrella of mainstream “urban” music and making tunes that appeal to white hipsters. But where M.I.A.’s oeuvre is rooted in hip-hop and club cuts, White fucks with a foundation that is punk to the core. Her fantastic debut as Santogold is essentially a more sophisticated, innovative take on the punkish new wave she busted out with Philly’s Stiffed. (She’s recycled her old rhythm section, one-time Bad Brains drummer Chuck Treece and producer/bassist John Hill.) The songs here slide naturally between urgently skanking salvos (“You’ll Find a Way”), effervescent arena-pop anthems (“Lights Out”), deconstructed rhythmic electro (the “Firestarter”-ish “Creator”) and awesomely bass-heavy rock ‘n’ soul. White is a shape-­shifting volcano of a vocalist, a more technically gifted version of Debbie Harry and Chrissie Hynde. She sounds like she’s spitting ground glass in your face even when she’s purring prettily on a ballad like lead single “LES Artistes,” which parts the verses’ watery keyboards, handclaps and muted bass with a crashing chorus that evokes Tegan & Sara’s The Con. There’s not a single dud on this disc; it’s easily one of the year’s best pop albums. 

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