Santigold: Master of My Make Believe – review

The title of Santigold's second album wears its embattled production with pride. The artist formerly known as Santogold (but actually named Santi White) was the hip revelation of 2008. Writing a follow-up proved tough – never mind the writer's block, White's new label wanted chart-friendly hits, trusted producer Diplo was busy with Beyoncé's album and an expanding creative cast (Greg Kurstin, Nick Zinner and Ricky Blaze among others) needed bedding in. To break the ice, TV on the Radio's David Sitek baked a blueberry pie with White; a track called "Fame" was the result. On standout tracks such as "Disparate Youth" and "Big Mouth", the collision of nagging pop and neon polyrhythms often feels like a halfway party-house between MIA and Florence Welch.