Santigold - 99¢


Santigold
99¢
2016
Spotify

You are never going to confuse the brightness on 99¢ for anything other than the pure take on pop that it is. Much of the album is firmly tongue in cheek from the cover to the actual arrangement taking on the shine of synthpop and party songs and bringing them into the Indie world. The record could easily slip into the parody realm with its upbeat style and bubblegum sensibility but it never does. Santigold instead is using the genre and the style of music she creates as a vehicle for something bigger. It is not all sunshine and butterflies though, on "Walking In A Circle" she takes a turn for a darker more brooding sound. This theme actually begins with that song and continues as the more central theme, departing from the straight up colorful pop. But the undertone is always there. These are supposed to be bubblegum songs on the surface, but something lies beneath showing that this is not just another vapid record out there to cash in on something. From the cheerleader chants to the darker songs like "Before the Fire" Santigold is wholly unaffected by genre. She will use what she wants when she wants to which gives you the same kind of surprise track to track as when you heard the most recent Grimes record.

99¢ however is not Art Angels nor does Santigold make a play for Grimes' throne of Indie-Pop queen. The one thing that is very odd is that this record feels tailor-made to have infectious ear-worm hits, but none of these tracks really stay with you. They seem to come in, make some kind of impact than leave your mind completely. Nothing hangs around or stays with you. 99¢ feels transient pretty good for the moment by not something you plan on coming back to. It is odd because all the elements of something great are right there, but they just really never come together in an impactful way. Something is being held back on this record, like at one point it had a real point of view but it has been locked away somewhere we just can't hear. It is almost like you are listening to this record through a filter, but not one of your own creating but one that Santigold put on the music herself. 99¢ is an interesting take on modern pop, but in the end it just does not have that push to really set it apart.

6.2 out of 10

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