Cool Kids :: The Bake Sale E.P.

There's something about summer and hip hop that goes together like chocolate and peanut butter, or, perhaps more appropriately, gin and juice. I have heaps of "summer" playlists in my iTunes library -- well, if not heaps, at least one each year for the past five years -- and all of them are heavy on the hip hop. Something about the sun just makes me want to turn up the bass and roll down the windows, so a new discovery is always a welcome addition to my sunny weather collection.

Recently on a whim I picked up The Bake Sale E.P. by Cool Kids, and was thrilled with what I found. Cool Kids deliver slick and spare "Goin' Back To Cali" era L.L. Cool J style beats with a modern and wry sensibility. They rap about shoes and BMX bikes, and are almost impossibly referential; the song "88", for instance, manages to riff on Missy Elliott, channel Jay-Z from Beyonce's "Crazy In Love", and then segue directly into "The Safety Dance". Genius.

You're easily grabbed (as you should be) by the first track, "What Up Man" with the repetitive "tick tick tick tick ticka tick tick" making way for the flow that follows. The E.P. continues in the same vein through the remaining nine tracks, and the sound overall is busily simple; harkening back to a time when hip hop was fun and it was all about the beats. It's heavily recommended that you pick this one up before the nights get too long and you feel the urge to turn on some Elliott Smith and pull the covers up.

Santogold :: Santogold

Lately I've been listening to (and obsessively) the recent eponymous debut from the band Santogold, and, now that summer is in full(ish) swing, I am ready to declare it The Number One Summertime Record Of Dakinsez. (There are a few others in the running, and I may get to them in due time [Fall, perhaps?], but for now, this is The One.) I was initially drawn in by the cover (a fabulous, glittery mess that proves that, at heart I am no better than a crow), and was hooked by the amazing opening track "L.E.S. Artistes"; after that it was an uphill climb through a stunning and sunny record.

Santogold is the creation of Santi White, who possesses a very impressive resume that includes a Wesleyan education, a stint as an A&R rep for Epic, songwriting for artists as seemingly disparate as Lily Allen and Ashlee Simpson, and tour support for M.I.A., Bjork, Coldplay, and Architecture In Helsinki. She played the role of lead vocalist most recently with the punk rock/ska outfit Stiffed, and appeared on the 2007 Mark Ronson LP Version. Additionally, she worked on the single "My Drive Through" with Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) and Pharrel Williams for Converse -- which explains the converse graphic ad posted in the window of a vacant shop by my house that caused me to pause, point, and say Is that Santogold??!! Answer? Yes.

The great, brilliant and glorious thing about this record is that it's all over the map, but manages to do so in a brilliant and cohesive way. There are elements of Siouxsie influenced Yeah Yeah Yeahs (as well as straight up Siouxsie influence), M.I.A, reggae, dancehall, ska, and The Pixies (no, really!). The last time that I heard a record this diverse and proud of it's influences was the No Doubt record Tragic Kingdom (and we all know what happened with them!). In description, it sounds a little schizophrenic, but Santi White pulls it all together to create something that will have you driving too fast with the windows down, hosting a living room dance party, or just rocking out while you make dinner.

I for one am looking forward to whatever great things Santi White comes up with next; and as a matter of fact, there is already a collaboration with Diplo in stores right now that I am too lame to already have. In any event, this is one to watch, and I can guarantee that Santogold is going to see a great deal more visibility in late 2008, early '09. (it's not just for summer!)

Enjoy the video for "L.E.S. Artistes" with explosions, faux violence (with meat and fruit!), horses, and smoke. it's both beautiful and ghastly!