Santogold’s Goldrush Tour brings cerebral-sassy style to Chicago

September 28, 2008, at the House of Blues

By Nona Willis Aronowitz
Published: October 1st, 2008 | 3:35pm

We got to Chicago’s House of Blues just in time to see husband-and-wife indie rock duo Mates of State on their first night of the MySpace Music Goldrush Tour. Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel were busy showing off the latest fruits of their labor from their May release, Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk). Gardner’s formidable belt-out over her keyboard blended evenly with Hammel’s mild tenor voice, as the crowd ate it up with a spoon. This couple certainly specializes in straight-up happy songs — every melody was wholly ebullient, like in “Jigsaw” and “Like U Crazy.” But it’s not a cornball scene. Gardner, blond bangs in her face, was rocking out, smirking lovingly at her “mate” foot-bopping to his drums during the funkier songs. Mates of State are the kind of band that will precipitate buoyant energy and keep it there.

But Mates of State seemed an odd choice for an opening band — they are kinda rock-pop, and Santogold is … well, it’s hard to say. Santogold is one of those homegrown artists who achieved Internet fame long before her LP solo release and already garnered loyal fans before her album hit the shelves. Riding on her Philly punk roots, Santogold has just released her eponymous album that’s been perplexing critics eager to categorize her. Her style is cerebral-sassy — part punky, part psychedelic, part ’80s pop, and laced with (though she’d hesitate to admit it) a strong hip-hop influence. Very girl-band meets trippy.

After the crowd thickened, Santogold took the stage wearing a striped, long-sleeve work shirt, billowing red pants, and mock-old-lady horn-rimmed glasses. Two stoned-faced, matching dancers accompanied her with fists in the air, a stark contrast to Santogold’s immediate love for the audience. The show wasn’t sold out, but it was crowded and glowing with the friendly vibe of true fans. “Aww, how did you guys know it was my birthday?” she beamed after a birthday shoutout before launching into a haunting remix of “You’ll Find A Way.” She popped along the stage as she crooned out “L.E.S. Artistes,” one of the most infectious singles I’ve heard in a while. The crowd approved, and all hands were up in the first few rows.

At times, Santogold bounced around the stage like a little kid as she thumped a pink tambourine to her bass-filled tracks. Other times she was hunched over like a shrewd grandma, her crackly voice echoing, urging us to lean closer to listen to her anti-pretense lyrics. During “Anne,” she transformed into a hypnotist, her chunky gold earrings juggling with the spacey beat. Her energy was customized to each track, even as her twin dancers stayed stoic. Santogold is a true performer.

Forty-five minutes in, she invited some of the audience to dance onstage to the electronic, reggae-influenced “Creator,” which — hate to say it — sounds a lot like M.I.A.’s whirring singsong. At the end of her set Santogold had successfully charmed, leaving us with just enough mystery to keep the mystique (the birthday comment was one of the few times Santogold addressed the crowd). It’s clear that Santogold, already a seasoned musician, has much more wisdom to dole out. What’s yet to be seen is what direction her boundless influences will steer her next time around.