Just one long day ago, I headed off to Central Park to watch Ms. Santi Santogold White perform at SummerStage. I took some time in advance to brace myself for the sheer volume of gun necklaces, desert scarves, and neon-glow, retro eighties wear directly off the shelves of the local Urban Outfitters, but the heat made it so that even the most hipster-ish of hips couldn't bare the thought of those skin-tight jeans.
The show started at three, though the anticipated headliner didn't take the stage until around six. To fill the void, a cast of DJ's and MC's including Diplo (rather attractive in person), A-Trak, Kid Cudi and Blaqstarr blasted beats for three whole hours. I don't remember much of it after the first hour, mainly due to Blaqqstar's every-other-minute repetition of "Get it, Shawty! Where all the hot ladies at NYC?" and a general tickling feeling all throughout my palms and feet. I'm not sure why all the hot ladies weren't representing (perhaps there was some fronting going on), but I kept praying that one of them would just answer that obnoxious, obnoxious man's calling for sanity's sake.
It was miserably hot, and I must have lost around eight pounds through my pores alone. But alas, like anyone who knows me can attest to, I remained stoic. Just as I began to turn to my friends to say, "Fuck you all, I'm leaving," Santi's emotionless, Ray-Ban donning dancer/singers arrived on stage, staring down the crowd in preparation for Santogold. I think that was about when I decided to stick it out. Lacking a grand entrance or exit, Santogold walked out onto stage and began her hard-hitting offering of the Santi experience.
Within moments, she zoomed through "You'll Find A Way (Switch & Sinden Remix)" which I personally thought was her best performance of the afternoon. Call me a sucker for dramatics, but I absolutely loved the fierce little dance breaks between the "run for cover" chorus skip that drones on like an damning, industrial machine gun.
She quickly plowed through "L.E.S. Artistes" and "Say Aha," and then opted to take down the BPM a bit for "Anne," which was a curiously tame choice to me. "Shove It" was next, and was just as punchy as I hoped it would be live; a real kiss-off bout of attitude that the crowd seemed to gobble up as much as she did. As a person, Santogold seemed rather genuine on stage, so it felt good to watch her giggle to the crowd and jump around. From there she continued onto a downbeat streak with the Brooklyn anthem "Unstoppable" and "Starstruck," her lusciously crawling seducer.
By this point the crowd was still eager to move, though evidently a bit fatigued at that point. "Don't do an encore," she laughed to the crowd before starting the final track, "because I seriously don't have any other songs." With one final pull for energy from the audience, Santi and crew went into full celebration mode to launch her final hands-in-the-air grinding groove, "Creator," as the show came to a close as quickly as it had opened.
And so, that was that. It felt like twenty minutes, and I think it actually was. Looking back, I guess no one could be mad that the show flew by so quickly. She essentially performed her entire album, save about three tracks. Santi announced that she'll be on tour with Coldplay next, which may sound strange until you remember that it was Björk who invited her on tour last year.
To the top right is an ultra high quality photograph of the performance. To the top left, a sassy photograph. I've circled the Santi in red in case you can't quite locate her there. Yes, I was that close. Jealous?
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sweaty memories...
0 commentsPosted by Brad at 10:22 AM
Monday, June 16, 2008
Urban Outfitter's Wet Dream
0 commentsOh, why look--it's a gaggle of trendy artists! Not sure how you'd refer to them as a bunch...a gaggle? A clustering? A murder, perhaps? I'll have to get back to you on that one.
Santogold, Pharrell Williams, and Julian Casablancas of The Strokes have all joined up to produce "My Drive Thru," a little ditty in honor of eally, really old shoes. Remember Santy's rant on racist labeling? Note how they refer to her in the header of this article about the Converse Anniversary.
The song is a bit all over the place, coming off like the Scissor Sisters playing in space with a country twang. Generally, I like it, even if it seems to go on for longer than it should. Happily, the song was uploaded alongside a Kingdom Hearts fan video, which is probably a hair more entertaining than the actual video will be.
Posted by Brad at 10:58 AM
Monday, May 12, 2008
MuuBits
0 commentsSo sorry about the lack of updates lately. Really I'm not, but it looks better to say that I am. I've just returned back from school, and I've decided that my room needs renovating. My chi just doesn't flow like it used to here. My chakras are all unaligned, and I just can't see out my third eye as well as I used to. Therefore, I'm introducing some negative space into the mix. A new workspace for a new me! And all that.
So what's new in the world of Muuse? Not much, really. It's actually a time of reflection here...for once I've been dwelling on the same albums, producing the same amount of content. It's a strange feeling for me...content-ness. I'm not a fan. I remain highly amuused by the album releases of Santogold, Martha Wainwright, and Charlotte Sometimes. This has yet to change, and is causing a certain degree of anxiety from within. Sam Sparro's? Not so much.
After only three weeks, I'm completely over Madonna's Hard Candy, and have deemed it completely forgettable.
Needless to say, I'll be attending the sugar lady's Sticky & Sweet Tour in October.
The new Cyndi Lauper song "Same Ol' Story," in its non-live-screaming-fan version, isn't so bad, but it isn't actually "good." It's just fine. Sadly, the use of the word "fucking" is not in reference to any form of intercourse, thereby hindering any amount of brilliance the song may have redeemed itself with upon first play.
The b-side to Lorraine's current single "When I Return To The World," called "Beyond Sky," is a little bit self explanatory, as it's over-the-moon good. It's a heavenly orchestral composition that lazily floats by with a killer addictive chorus, so don't miss it. You can hear it now at their MySpace!
After two weeks, Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" still pawns. Hard.
So does Lindsay's "Bossy." Forget who's singing for the moment if it offends your sensibilities.
And that's that, for now at least. Yes, I know--there's nothing new here. Deal with it until something new slips through the cracks!
MuuBits--like Cubits, only slightly less relevant to your daily life.
Posted by Brad at 8:53 PM
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Punching Gold
2 comments
When I heard "Creator," I didn't want to like her. Sure, it was good...but that's M.I.A.'s territory! So, I neglected to listen to her debut album for many weeks. Finally, I decided to check out her video for "L.E.S. Artistes," which came out recently. Only now do I realize that my criticism was unjust--she's much more than the follow-up act I assumed she was trying to be.
With Gwen Stefani ska-like vocal stylings, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's warbling, crashing sounds, some Blondie, some reggae, the M.I.A. experimentalist beats, and a handful of tricks of her own, Santogold is the new big thing; she's different, exciting, and promising. Her debut is an eclectic collection of the above--never too much of the same, the songs are complexly varied in their styles, speeds, and sounds.
The lead off tracks (which happen to offer the greatest departures of the album as well), "You'll Find A Way" and "L.E.S. Artistes" are raw, biting indie-pop gems, full of explosive energy. "Unstoppable," the reggae-tinged electro drifter, and "Creator" offer the clearest lines of symmetry to M.I.A.'s work, though they're thankfully not perfectly exact. Then there's "My Superman" and "Starstruck" which both move at a near snail-like pace, though they're nothing short of hauntingly paced mind-fucks. The bonus track album closer, "You'll Find A Way (Switch & Seiden Remix)" is an amazing reinterpretation of the original--converting the song's original indie-rock flavor into unforgivably hard-hitting, guns blazing electro warfare. In short, there's never a dull moment.
Playful, carefree, and explosive, the debut holds a lot of promise...I'm a big fan, plain and simple. I think the aspect I like most about Santogold is her sound...or lack thereof. She's not any artist in particular, as evidenced within this album. She bounces around between genres, combining and stripping down, but never actually conforming to a specific niche. Come in with no expectations, and leave without labeling it, because you can't. So do yourselves a favor and check out her MySpace here, as well as the video for "L.E.S. Artistes" below.
And if you can't get enough, listen to the remix of "You'll Find A Way" that I spoke of below. Heaven!
Posted by Brad at 5:57 PM
Muu Who?

Bradley
Muuser
Welcome to MuuMuse, my sassy, classy music commentary blog.
Got new music to show me? Juicy gossip I simply must know? Amusing stories regarding your grandmother to share with me? Contact me to question, berate, or reaffirm my brilliance at muumuse@gmail.com
To the artists: All content within this blog is posted for promotional purposes only. If you feel copyright laws are being violated, please contact me to have media removed immediately.
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| Britney Spears-Womanizer |
| Girls Aloud-The Promise |
| BoA-Eat You Up |
| Annie-2 Of Hearts |
| Alesha Dixon - The Boy Does Nothing |
| Grace Jones-William's Blood |
| Janelle Monae - Many Moons |
| Kaskade-Move For Me |
| Lorraine-Tell It All |
| Frankmusik-3 Little Words |
Single Reviews
- Alesha Dixon: The Boy Does Nothing - Oct 6, 2008
- Boa: Eat You Up - Oct 2, 2008
- Grace Jones: Bleeding Love - Sep 27, 2008
- On Womanizer... - Sep 26, 2008
- The Promise: First Thoughts - Sep 14, 2008
Album Reviews
- The Summer Daze of Natalie Walker - Aug 31, 2008
- The Suite Escape of Janelle Monáe - Aug 15, 2008
- Out To Sea... - Aug 3, 2008
- We've Come To Kick Your Ass. - Aug 1, 2008
- Shoot baby, shoot baby - Jul 28, 2008
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