Santogold

The song “L.E.S. Artistes” is about

standing on your own; it’s about

standing up for “the things that I

believe in.” But the video leaves me

wondering what exactly Santogold

believes in.

Santogold, perhaps best described

as an up-and-comer, is known for her

electric beats layered with smooth vocals.

While some of her music makes

you feel like you’re in a club and on

the verge of seizures, her new song,

“L.E.S. Artistes,” has a relaxed pace

and silky sound.

Its video, however, makes you

wonder what exactly she was thinking

when she made it. It starts with martial

images of Santogold on horseback,

flanked by two militant looking women

in aviators and boots who perform

jerky dance moves between close-ups

on Santogold’s hardened features. It

seems that this could go on forever,

until an explosion of some sort occurs

and the video grows ever stranger as

the theme turns to violence.

My guess would be that Santogold

is parodying pervasive violent imagery

by using gross fluids and substances

to pose as innards, but there is

really no way to know as the video is

so visually bizarre that it’s difficult to

think about its message. As Santogold

walks down the street we see images

of a woman who appears to be vomiting

green slime (which is really coming

from tubes hooked over her ears)

and two men that appear to be pulling

links of cucumbers out of a man’s

body cavity.

Perhaps Santogold is using this

video to outline the dangers of being

an artist, or perhaps she is a little

bit unhinged. Either way, “L.E.S. Artistes”

is an admirable song in which

Santogold says “You don’t know me,

I’m an introvert, an excavator.” Introvert

is a label I would likely dispute.

But after watching the video, I can say

I definitely agree with the first point. I

don’t know Santogold.

—Kerry A. Goodenow