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Santigold

Master of My Make Believe (Atlantic)

Reviewed by Thomas Fawcett, Fri., Nov. 2, 2012

Fun Fun Fun Fest Friday Reviews

Santigold

Master of My Make-Believe (Atlantic)

Four years and one name change removed from her electric debut Santogold, Santi White returns to push the boundaries of pop music, this time as Santigold. The Philly native and Brooklynite still sells global dance music deeply rooted in big bass and Eighties synth pop, but Master of My Make-Believe takes a more subtle approach than its predecessor. Monster club bangers that sparked a million M.I.A. comparisons ("Creator," "Shove It") are largely absent this time. Karen O and Q-Tip get Master off to a rollicking start on "GO!," but the album's pace rolls decidedly mid-tempo, amps cranked to six. Santigold projects a cool detachment on "Disparate Youth," while weary ballads "This Isn't Our Parade" and "The Riot's Gone" melt with melancholic beauty. As close to an anthem as Master musters, "The Keepers" won't spark a revolution, but it does document the decay: "While we sleep in America, our house is burning down." (Fri., Orange stage, 7:40pm)

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