Santi White strikes gold (again)

She was Santogold, but between the release of her stunning 2008 debut and now, Santi White was a guest on recordings by The Beastie Boys, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, and N.A.S.A., just to name a few, and still found time to swap her “o” for an “i” and alter her name to “Santigold.”

Nothing else has seemed to change. Master of My Make-Believe, her excellent sophomore elpee, is a bit quieter and more introspective than its predecessor, and it doesn’t have an unmistakably obvious pop hit like “Lights Out.” Master Of My Make Believe is a buffet of world-beat samplings, seasoned with early-eighties new wave (a favorite flavor of hers) and hip-hop. From these base elements, Santigold is creating an alchemic sound of her own. The way the refrigerated synth new wave sound continues to inform Santigold’s music is fascinating.

John Hughes, the departed director of numerous eighties Teen Angst dramedies, many of which took place on the North Shore of Illinois (and documented, quite well, new wave pop of that era), would’ve adored Santigold. “The Riot’s Gone,” a slow and somewhat weary march that Karen O of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs lends herself to was just the kind of song that used to inspire a Hughes script. If yer not old enough to remember that stuff, you’ll still love this record for its cutting-edge dancibility.

Nicki Minaj has nothing on Santi White, kids.