Okay, so I know that isn’t technically a brand-new track (it’s been out for a couple of weeks), but Santigold’s new song “Big Mouth” is making me all kinds of curious about her forthcoming 2012 album. Santi White, aka Santigold, revealed that the highly-anticipated follow-up to her 2008 debut will be called Master of My Make-Believe; the Brooklyn-based artist told V Magazine, “I want it to be about creating your own reality.” If Santigold’s reality is anything like the video for “Big Mouth,” then damn: I want to go to there:
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxdQ_uD5IWk&feature=youtu.be 425×344]Are you digging the video? I’m a big fan of MS Paint and cheetah-print creepers, so obviously, I’m on board with the aesthetic. To be honest, I don’t love this song the way I loved “L.E.S. Artistes,” but I do think it’s an interesting departure. “Big Mouth” has a marked harshness to it, from its spastic electronic sounds to Santi’s shouted vocal on the chorus– it’s fun to listen to, but Santigold’s eye-rolling “fuck that” attitude (and jabs, perhaps, at pop stars like “Ga ga ga” at 1:27?) is what really got my attention. It’s definitely aggressive, but is it derivative? “Big Mouth” has been earning Santigold plenty of comparisons to the notrious M.I.A(see below). I see it, though, as being part of a larger movement among female artists who are reacting to pop music with songs that are both mad and catchy as hell, as full of ‘tude as they are hooks.
I’ve been making a conscious effort to use the term “badass” less after hearing my mom say it recently (*shudders*) and realizing what a too-convenient catch-all word it is. Can we come up with some really excellent alternate words and phrases to describe badassery? Because between this song, M.I.A.’s return (her new single “Bad Girls” was released yesterday), and Azealia Banks being touted by pretty much every music blog and magazine ever as One To Watch in 2012, I think it’s going to be The Year of The Badass; I’m at once stoked and, admittedly, a little wary about it. I know you don’t want to talk about Lana Del Ray anymore (well, too bad, because Eliza’s review of Born To Die is getting posted today! Also, I was working on this metaphor about LDR being the Bruce-Willis-in-The-Sixth-Sense of the music world, but I’ve since abandoned it), so let’s talk about the current crop of women (the aforementioned trio are just a few who come to mind) who are redefining swagger, what it means to be a “badass” (whoops), what that means for music.
You can download “Big Mouth” by signing up for Santigold’s e-newsletter on her website.
