Wow.

Earlier today, T (The New York Times style magazine) premiered the album art for Santigold‘s upcoming sophomore record Master of My Make-Believe on their blog. The gorgeous photograph was shot by Jason Schmidt and inspired by 18th century painter Joshua Reynolds‘ “Portrait of an Officer.” For further details, head to T.

Sort of makes every other album cover released in the past year look like child’s (Photoshop) play, no?

Santi’s (amazing) new single, “Disparate Youth,” was released earlier this month, along with “Big Mouth” back in January.

Master Of My Make-Believe will be released on May 1. (iTunes)

Santigold‘s coming strong for her sophomore record.

After premiering the M.I.A.-esque banga “Big Mouth” back in January, the Philly-born singer-songwriter/MC (short for musical chameleon, not master of ceremonies–don’t get it twisted) is hitting even harder with “Disparate Youth,” the ridiculously replayable new single off of her forthcoming album, Master Of My Make-Believe.

Floating atop a very Santigold friendly reggae-infused hip-hop beat (see: “Shove It”), Santi gets sassy against earnestly tripping beats, putting her hands up in defiance while keeping her head held high. It’s like a sort of post-Occupy Wall Street anthem of disillusionment, playing as equally outraged as it is inspired.

“So let them say we can’t do better/Lay out the rules that we can’t break,” she cries out before a jagged Yeah Yeah Yeahs-esque guitar lick comes piercing into the speakers. Interesting, given that she’s worked with YYY’s guitarist Nick Zinner on this upcoming record. Coincidence? Me thinks not!

The song is seriously sick–an absolute must! Consider my excitement for the record officially intensified times ten.

We know that we want more, a life worth fighting for…

“Disparate Youth” will be released on February 21. (iTunes)

What’s that you say? Yup, Santi’s back!

Kicking off the promotion for her upcoming album with a bang (and a whole lot of dizzying doodle effects!), Santigold has just unleashed her “Big Mouth,” the first song and video from her long-awaited sophomore follow-up, Master Of My Make-Believe.

Produced by Switch & Portuguese electro-dance outfit Buraka Som Sistema, “Big Mouth” is pumped full of tribal drums, frantic electro bleeps and Kuduro rhythms, giving off big M.I.A. and Major Lazer vibes. (No surprises there–Major Lazer is the collaboration between Switch & Diplo, and M.I.A.’s worked with Buraka Som Sistema in the past.) As a result, you might even hear some of Beyonce‘s “Run The World (Girls)” and Nicola Roberts‘ “Beat Of My Drum” thrown in too!

“Got a big mouth, big mouth…you said enough!” Santi snaps during the maddeningly manic track, recalling the healthy helpng of sass delivered on Santigold‘s “Shove It.”

We already know that Santi’s a genre-hopping chameleon, so it’s difficult to make any real predictions about the sound of the new album just yet. But so far, it sounds like Make-Believe‘s going to be one mayjah dance party!

Liking what you hear? Well, good: She’s giving away for free on her official website. (iTunes)

The official line-up for the 2012 Coachella Festival–a strange world where hipsters, hip-hop enthusiasts, ravers and wandering Burning Man attendees, join for one magical celebration–has just been announced.

The two week line-up includes some majorly MuuMuse Approved acts, including Swedish House Mafia, Florence + The Machine, Avicii, Morgan Page, M83, Kaskade, Afrojack, Miike Snow, Santigold and many, many more.

Will you be heading to Coachella Valley for this year’s festival? Who knows…I just may show up twirling in the crowd!

Santigold first burst into the scene with her brilliant 2008 genre-bending debut Santogold (pre-name change, of course), featuring killer cuts like “L.E.S. Artistes” and “Lights Out” that quickly won her comparisons to acts ranging from M.I.A. to The Gossip.

While she’s busied herself in between 2008 and now–including collaborating with N.A.S.A. and Basement Jaxx and penning “Monday Morning” and “Bobblehead” for Queen Legendtina‘s Bionic–fans have remained hungry for her long delayed, highly anticipated follow-up.

In a new interview this month with V Magazine, the Philly-bred musician revealed new details about her upcoming sophomore attempt now due out in 2012, called Master of My Make-Believe, which was been recorded with Greg Kurstin, Switch, TV On The Radio‘s Dive Sitek and Nick Zanner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Two choice quotes from the article:

How do you go about songwriting?

I write to the music. The lyrics came slowly on this record.

Why do you think that was?

It was about learning to trust myself. I also had expectations. Never have those! Everyone I worked with before was in a different headspace. I had to get past that. That’s why I started writing with Nick, and it started being cool and fun.

So was that the turning point?

That was when it was like, I just want to work with who I want. We recorded in Jamaica for a little while and finally some lyrics started to come to me. I think that time really colored the record.

No one wants to be real anymore. Wikipedia is always wrong. No one fact checks and it’s not even a priority. Reality TV is more popular than ever, and it’s the fakest thing ever. Where is there place for truth in all of that? My record is called Master of My Make-Believe because I want it to be about creating your own reality. I have a song called “The Keepers”: “we’re the keepers, while we sleep in America our house is burning down.” It’s about how if we accept this then that’s what it is. We’ve got to fix it.

Is that, in your opinion, the overall feeling of the record?

I connect with music that makes me feel alive, or a sense of possibility. Music is powerful. If I go out and I’m watching a show and it’s really good, all I want to do is go home and work on music. It’s a backhanded motivation when something is really good. I want my music to be that for people. I want it to be an initiator of something compelling, to set something in motion.

Make sure to check out the full article at V.

Kurstin, Switch and some Yeah Yeah Yeahs flavor to boot? Yes, yes and yes, PLEASE!

Frankly, it’s about time. While Santogold still sounds more fresh and innovative than most of the albums released in 2011, we’re in desperate need for Santi to switch up the game once again. For now, let’s go out with one of my favorite cuts off of her debut: “Shove It.”

We think you’re a joke, shove your hope where it don’t shine! (Not you, Santi!)

Master of My Make-Believe will be released in 2012. (iTunes)

On Wednesday night, Natalia Kills, Maluca and Robyn took to the stage at Terminal 5 in New York City.

This is what transpired.

Photo taken by Andrew St. Clair for Brooklyn Vegan.

First up to perform was my bloody valentine, Miss Natalia Kills.

The brooding seductress took to the stage around 7:40 P.M. to work her way through the same set as the one I caught the week before Halloween at the PopJustice/High Rise showcase in Brooklyn–a killer whirlwind of five tracks from her upcoming album: “Zombie,” “Wonderland,” “Free,” “Love Is A Suicide,” and lead single, “Mirrors.”

The macabre act translated well on a larger stage, as Kills’ sinfully luscious dancers finally had room to strut and spin in full force around the singer. And slowly but surely, the props just kept coming: Masks, axes, leather and cuffs–just a few of my favorite things!

Oh Natalia, you absolutely slay me each and every time.

Photo taken by Andrew St. Clair for Brooklyn Vegan.

About twenty minutes later, Maluca took to the stage with two dancers flanked in “Parental Advisory” over-sized sweatshirts and dark shades shouting in what sounded like devil tongue. Seeing as I’d never seen or heard her before, my reaction was simple: WHO DA FUCK IS DIS BITCH?!

Then she started performing.

Like a cross between Arular-era M.I.A., Flesh Tone-era Kelis, and a whole lot of random musical influences in between (Janelle Monae and Santigold come to mind), Maluca was giving me everything I needed as she raced through a breakneck, WTF-worthy set of hi-octane Diplo-fied beats and dutty lyrics.

“My hair weighs like five pounds…that’s heavier than your left nut. I’m doing this shit for YOU,” she growled to the crowd at one point, working up and down the stage and whipping around some sort of furry hair rope. I had no idea what the fuck was going on (which you can blame on three hours of sleep and delusions of grandeur), but I was l-o-v-i-n-g (and living) every second of it–even the inexplicable cover of Jay-Z/Alicia Keys‘ “Empire State of Mind.” (WATCH)

Then that amazing mess was over, and the crowd started getting randy. Or rather, they turned into a pile of douche-fucks.

Before I even had a chance to practice my epic-bridge-breakdown-fist pump “Dancing On My Own” choreography, about 10 glitter-drenched Ke$ha try-hards and their assorted gays attempted to squeeze their way into my area and/or personal safe zone. Luckily, I know how to push back (and/or snatch an extension), and while my entire outfit was soiled with their tainted slut glitter, I remained firmly on top. (Don’t I always?) Pause. Moving on.

Twenty minutes later, the lights went low and an eerie sound began emanating from the speakers as strobe lights flashed and smoke poured from the stage. What was it? Why, the sound of an intergalactic space-hop princess coming in for a crash landing, of course!

Photo taken by Andrew St. Clair for Brooklyn Vegan.

And so Robyn took to the stage, looking fresh to death as always with her hair side-swooped to perfection, wearing tight white pants and a broad-shouldered blazer. Very scientifically advanced hot mama!

For those who attended the year’s best concert three months ago–The All Hearts Tour (REVIEW)–you’ll be happy to know that Robyn’s second run around the country borrows heavily from herAll Hearts set. She even ate the banana during “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do” again! YASSSS.

Over the course of an hour and a half, the Swedish superstar cycled through her biggest hits and fan favorites, including “Dancing On My Own,” “Hang With Me,” “With Every Heartbeat,” her collaboration with Röyksopp, “Girl And The Robot,” “Dream On,” and “Be Mine.”

The set also benefited from a glossy Body Talk Pt. 2 face-lift, including an oddly romantic, lo-fi re-rub of “U Should Know Better” (the line “Even the Vatican knows better than to fuck with me” has never sounded quite so charming), “Love Kills” (GAYMAZING) and the latest single off of Pt. 3, “Indestructible.”

After about an hour of some serious body rockin’ and hip tossin’, Robyn bowed out (well, for the first time of the night anyway) with one of her greatest tracks to experience live: “With Every Heartbeat.” (WATCH)

Photo taken by Andrew St. Clair for Brooklyn Vegan.

But as any seasoned concert-goer ought to know, it ain’t over until the lights come up. They didn’t, and within just a few seconds, she was taking to the stage for the second–and then later–a third time.

“You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen,” Robyn started to sing slowly to the crowd’s loud approval. It was a cover of ABBA‘s shining disco classic, “Dancing Queen.” But before anyone could slip into their bell-bottoms, Robyn quickly transitioned into a nearly acapella rendition of her 1997 smash, “Show Me Love.” (WATCH)

The classic was most definitely a hit: Directly in front of me, a girl began to seize madly with an indescribable excitement, reaching out to Robyn and then back to her boyfriend and then back to Robyn in disbelief. “You’re the one that I ever needed,” the singer crooned as the crowd sang loudly–nearly drowning her out in the process.

After the extended singalong, it was clear that this was–at last–the actual last song. “Goodnight New York, I love you!” she shouted for the millionth time to an audience, as dozens of fans greeted her with their hands raised and cupped in the shape of a heart. All Hearts, part deux!

Photo taken by Andrew St. Clair for Brooklyn Vegan.

Robyn’s is a show that simply cannot be missed; an entertainer wholly worth the price of admission. Her performances are truly, consistently legendary, which is why she remains the most underrated artist in the industry.

Seeing as I’ve now seen and reviewed her three times in the past three months, there’s really not much more I can do or say to further express what an unstoppable force of energy and enthusiasm Robyn is on stage. The woman is a star, ’nuff said.

With one album still to come from the Body Talk series, something tells me this isn’t the last time I’ll be catching her.

Until then, my love!

Setlist (Courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan).

Fembot
Cry When You Get Older
Cobrastyle (Teddybears cover)
Dancing On My Own
We Dance to the Beat
Don’t Fucking Tell Me What to Do
Love Kills
The Girl and the Robot
Indestructible
Dream On
With Every Heartbeat
=======
U Should Know Better
Konichiwa Bitches
Hang With Me
Be Mine
=========
Dancehall Queen
Dancing Queen (ABBA cover)
Show Me Love

Reinvention can be a tricky thing.

The Bionic campaign began with the promise of a pop superstar’s futuristic return to the scene after an extended love affair with ’20s and ’30′s-inspired vintage sound. On the way back (to the future, if you will), Christina Aguilera would confront setback after setback in trying to properly relaunch herself.

In looking back at the campaign’s early stages, there’s little doubt that the Iamamiwhoami viral videos–now all but confirmed to be a project created by Swedish singer Jonna Lee–largely contributed to the initial deconstruction of the Bionic campaign’s magic.

For those unfamiliar, the mysterious web series first cropped up on the web in late 2009 as a series of two or three minute clips uploaded on YouTube. The videos featured an unidentifiable blonde frolicking around in the forest licking trees, rolling in mud–and generally just being weird–as lovely, lush electronica music played in the background.

While warped video and sound effects veiled the singer’s voice and face, early screen-shots from the clips all stubbornly pointed to the same source: Christina Aguilera.

At some point, most people began to believe–or at the very least, wanted to believe–that the “proof” photographs that circled the blogosphere did indeed come from Aguilera’s camp.

After all, the album was newly titled Bionic (which sounded forward-thinking), she was flying below the radar (filming Burlesque with Cher, as it turned out), and her album’s growing collaborator list was comprised of avant garde, left-of-center artists and producers like Ladytron, Hill & Switch, and Le Tigre.

So when the preview of the radio-friendly lead single “Not Myself Tonight” finally premiered on Aguilera’s website back in March, the hope that one of pop’s princesses was going deep underground quickly and definitively deflated.

“Not Myself Tonight,” too, was another major strike against Bionic. Production wise, the song sounded as though it were recorded in 2002; a by-the-numbers club banger that was neither bad nor particularly innovative. For a comeback track after an extended absence from the pop scene, however, the decision to release the song as the first single was devastating. The song’s final chart positions only further solidified proof of the folly, peaking at a modest #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The final blow against Aguilera came in the form of a new-found rival pitted against her in the media: Lady Gaga. Almost immediately after revealing the cover art and album title for Bionic (and truly, ever since her masked VMA performance in 2008), Aguilera continued to battle sharp, inaccurate criticism for allegedly lifting Gaga’s future-pop styling, eventually leading her to write a formal response to the drama on her website.

Yet anyone that truly understands pop should know that there’s no real style swiping between Gaga and Christina. They’re two blondes operating within the confines of the mainstream pop industry and both happen to hone excellent voices. Beyond that, there’s are few comparisons to make.

Their sounds are entirely separate, and as far as their artistry is concerned, Christina had been exploring issues of sexuality and dabbling in exotic fashions long before the name Lady Gaga ever hit the ears of most critics now lashing out against the singer. In fact, Gaga is probably one of the only artists that Christina doesn’t sound like on Bionic.

To be fair, the video for “Not Myself Tonight” did no favors in building a case for Christina as an artist in her own right. Scenes featured within the video depicted Aguilera in various states of undress and bondage, as well as shot-by-shot homages to Madonna‘s early ’90′s work including “Express Yourself,” “Human Nature,” and “Erotica.” While clearly out of reverence rather than unoriginality, the decision to release a video based on the work of another artist was ill-timed at best.

And so, at long last, comes Bionic–a record four years in the making, produced by the artists and producers that Aguilera admires, written to express her thoughts on womanhood, sexuality, and lifestyle.

Kicking off the new record comes its dubstep-laden title track “Bionic” which, while an excellent number, sounds as though it were lifted straight from the recording sessions of Santigold’s debut album back in 2008. It’s hardly surprising, given that the producers of the song are the very same who first worked with Santigold, but the general expectation behind an artist-producer collaboration is a creative middle ground that sounds entirely new (in theory, anyway).

“Many times imitated, not duplicated / Can’t be replaced,” Aguilera sings on top of the stuttering, grinding beats, she sings during the song’s second verse. Yet herein lies the problem with Bionic: It does sound duplicated.

One of the singer’s greatest weaknesses here is a propensity toward sounding like a mimic. From lifting Sia‘s warbling delivery style on “I Am,” to the dead-on imitation of M.I.A.‘s monotone delivery on “Elastic Love,” the singer seems to be so lost in the shuffle of talent that I can’t help but wonder if “Not Myself Tonight” would have made for a far more fitting title for the record.

Imitation aside however, there’s no denying that a great deal of Bionic is actually quite good.

Despite her reinvention into robot territory, Christina’s still found plenty of time to entertain her lady region (as with Back to Basics‘ “Still Dirrty”), including the booty-popping “Woohoo,” featuring Nicki Minaj, which finds the singer doling out instructions on how to navigate below the belt. “You don’t even need a plate, just your face, ha,” she offers during the instructional chorus.

There’s also the Latin-tinged “Desnudate,” a romping, stomping burst of breathy desires being purred into the listener’s ears. Further on, the tempo drops for a coo-heavy, Janet-esque offering with “Sex for Breakfast.”

Then there’s just plain self-indulgence, as with the album’s final moment, “Vanity,” a wonderfully cocky electro-pop ride through tongue-in-cheek lyricism. “Mirror mirror, on the wall / Who’s the flyest bitch of them all? / Never mind, I am,” Christina taunts off the top of the track before calling on her queens and launching into a flurry of bratty boasts.

Given all the controversy surrounding Christina’s pop star status in 2010 however, the irony sort of just writes itself in the final seconds of the song: “And the legacy lives on, going strong / Let us not forget who owns the throne,” Aguilera pompously declares. “You do, mommy,” baby Max responds. Crickets.

And while the gorgeous Linda Perry-penned ballad “Lift Me Up” is the next best candidate to follow Aguilera’s already established classics, “Beautiful” and “Hurt,” there’s little debate as to the album’s true shining moment(s), which comes in the shape of three Sia ballads: “I Am,” “You Lost Me,” and “All I Need.”

These songs aren’t just torch tracks–they’re the kind of next level balladry we’ve come to expect to come from the Australian singer-songwriter responsible for “Breathe Me.” Here is where Christina truly shines, delivering a wealth of vulnerability and control when needed and a signature yelp when it’s time to truly unleash.

At the same time, the album also suffers from a fair share of filler, including the noisy, childish chant of “I Hate Boys” and the needless noodling found on the rather unspectacular “Prima Donna.” “Glam” is another dud that, while initially promising, ultimately fails to inspire enough energy in the chorus to prove itself as fierce as the lyrics imply.

As one may gather from the song descriptions, the main issue with Bionic is that it lacks any solid musical identity, as well as any real sense of cohesion.

Perhaps if the album had been separated into a more logical two-disc process–a side for serious contemplation and sophisticated pop such as “Birds of Prey,” “Monday Morning,” (both of which having been unfairly ousted onto the second disc) “Bionic” and all of the killer ballads–as well as a side for the best of the sex-drenched club jams (“Vanity,” “Woohoo,” “Desnudate”), the package itself would be more appealing.

As it stands, Bionic is a convoluted set of semi-working parts that could use some serious rewiring. But while the machinery included within isn’t necessarily pieced together properly or as cutting edge as promised, there’s still good enough reason to invest in Aguilera’s latest reboot.

I first heard of Tiffany Page a few months ago when I received the rehearsal video for her song, “Walk Away Slow.” She seemed genuine and raw; a rockstress-in-the-making with a touch of Courtney Love. Three months later, and she’s now opening for Hole in the UK. I guess there was reason for that comparison!

The English singer’s new single, “On Your Head,” is a more pop-friendly affair than her other tracks, incorporating sunny elements reminiscent of Santigold‘s “I’m A Lady” and a bit of country and classic rock swagger.

While I’m not at all well versed in the references that should come to mind with Page’s music, I can appreciate the fact that Page is talented, and that her songs are indeed good and catchy. Therefore, she gets the MuuMuse seal of approval.

“On Your Head” will be released on May 24.

Over five years ago, David Byrne met with Fatboy Slim to discuss a musical endeavor. His goal, initially inspired by the book The Emperor by Ryszard Kapuściński, was to tell the tale of the theatrics of royal life through music.

After stumbling on a newspaper clipping written about his soon-to-be protagonist and enlisting some of the industry’s greatest vocalists (22 in all!) to help guide her voice, the project would evolve into what became known as Here Lies Love: A concept album, DVD, book, and proposed theater experience based on the life of former first lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, Imelda Marcos.

I pre-ordered the complete package a few months ago having found the concept quite ‘neat.’ Two weeks ago, it arrived in my mailbox–and now, the review.

First of all, the actual Here Lies Love book is gorgeous–a 114-page narration of not only the evolution of Byrne’s original idea for the album, but the story of Imelda Marcos that he shaped with his songwriting. In the front of the book is the double-disc of the album; on the back the DVD. Each song is given its own chapter inside, including full lyrics and key connections between the songs and Marcos’ personal life. It’s quite a treat!

So what about the music? Completely apart from the narrative, the album is rife with hits as well as a fair share of misses: Highlights include Florence Welch‘s soaring, bossa nova-tinged title track, “Here Lies Love,” Sia‘s twangy, swinging “Never So Big,” Natalie Merchant‘s gorgeously sung “Order 1081,” Kate Pierson‘s “The Whole Man,” and Róisín Murphy‘s disco-licious “Don’t You Agree?”

Yet while Murphy’s song sounds like it could fit in snugly with her last effort, Overpowered, most of the other songs on the record sound nothing like that of their artist’s back catalog (not too surprising given all the tracks were penned solely by Byrne, and a few with Fatboy Slim). This reality can occasionally provide somewhat disappointing results, as with Santigold‘s pacified contribution, “Please Don’t.”

Even more problematic for me however was the nagging country influence that continued to rear its head between some of the better disco gems here, including Allison Moorer‘s “When She Passed By” and Steve Earle‘s “A Perfect Hand.” Even if they’re necessary for moving the narrative along lyrically, there’s no way I’ll be returning to those tracks.

Reading the book alongside the album helped to elevate the project to another level (which I absolutely admire and adore), but to be honest, I don’t know how much I would have enjoyed it had I opted for the “MP3 only” package. On the other hand, I suppose that’s the point. The music of Here Lies Love lends itself to a larger experience with the accompanying book and DVD.

In the introduction, Byrne acknowledges that Here Lies Love is in some ways a response to the music industry’s floundering state and an attempt to create something more for listeners: “As it is now incredibly easy to download just a single song off a new album release–or to rip just a couple of the most accessible songs–I, like many others, have wondered: How do we incentivize listeners to check out more of what we have recorded? Is it possible to have an experience of some added depth, as one sometimes does when listening to a series of songs?”

While Here Lies Love doesn’t completely have the legs to stand on its own as an album (though there are quite a few strong numbers), the charm and magic is in its complete visual, aural, and intellectual appeal.

For music fans with some cash to spare, I recommend diving into the complete Here Lies Love package–there’s a lot of rich substance for the reaping here.

Here Lies Love was released on April 6.

Lots of juicy tidbits in my inbox today!

Vice Magazine, in partnership with Vodafone, has undertaken a new video interview series called Heroes, which spotlights several recording artists from around the world.

Here’s what they have to say about it:

Lily Allen is nothing if not honest in her lyrics and her commendable quest for “fuckloads of diamonds”, and that’s probably why most people on the planet, including us, love her. As part of our ongoing Heroes project with Vodafone, we sat down with Lils, who’s been touring for a year, to talk about her plans to move to the countryside and have babies as she got ready for her first ever gig in Liverpool. You can watch the full series here.

If you head over to the site, you’ll be able to watch all the video segments, featuring some rather stunning visuals displayed in massive full screen–not to mention the high quality recordings of some of Lily’s performances live in Liverpool.

And it doesn’t stop with L’Allen: Peaches, Santigold, VV Brown and La Roux are ALL featured as well in the Heroes campaign. (Click and flick the mouse downward on the screen to cycle through all the names!)

The site is oriented around the Vodafone 360, pitting all the artists as “Contacts” on the phone. If you peruse the site a little more, you’ll find a lot of silly little features including videos, pictures, map details, and status updates.

It’s actually a lot of fun…so poke around!