It would be easy to compare Brooklyn's Santogold to M.I.A. - both women of ethnicity making catchy dub indie... But since I've never listened to an M.I.A. cd I'm not going to make such a comparison (well maybe just once...)
Having only heard the remix of L.E.S. Artistes I was caught offguard by the cd opener - a much more straightforward pop song than I was expecting, with hints of Cyndi Lauper in the vocal. 'You'll find a way' is a throwback to early 80's two-tone pop, blending new wave and reggae that brings to mind The Selecter, The Ruts, The (English) Beat, Fine Young Cannibals and bizarrely Men at Work! 'Shove it' continues the reggae flavour and 'Say aha' starts off all FYC with a groovy bass line, choppy guitars and an infectious sing-along chorus... Ok, here's the M.I.A. comparison - 'Creator' sounds a close relative of 'Paper Planes' and is almost as good...
'My Superman' starts with a lumpy 80's drum machine beat but is saved by some Marcella Detroit type yodelling in the choruses. The start of 'Lights Out' has some neat Pixies-like guitar chops but the light vocal and chorus brings to mind The Go-Go's and even The Cranberries... The lo-fi bleeps and clicks of 'Starstruck' don't really work for me but 'Unstoppable' is a better effort and sounds like Pauline Black with an electro backing rather than the traditional instruments used earlier on the cd... 'I'm a lady' sounds slightly out of place on the cd - the production is weak, particularly on the drums giving the song a demo feel. The song itself is ok - more hints of Shakespears Sister - which continue on 'Anne'... Last is a remix of 'You'll find a way' - a dub mix which is spoiled by sections that sound like Britney Spears...
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