Santogold: It’s Genius, I Swear
By: Thomas Hannan
It's Genius, I Swear: The Smiths - The Smiths (Rough Trade, 1984)
"This is one of the only records I have been listening to since I was 15 yrs old, without ever taking it out of rotation. The Smiths' debut is an amazing record from beginning to end, one of the few records that exist in the world, on which I love every song.
The song writing is great, the music is great, and it's timeless. As a kid, there was something about the melancholy of it that resonated with me. I used to just lie on the floor for hours listening to it and reading, and re-reading the lyrics. It was records like this that inspired me to write lyrics in the first place. 'Still Ill' is my favourite track on it."
Santogold was also kind enough to provide us with a list of her favourite tracks of all time. Here they are in no particular order...
1. Night Nurse - Gregory Isaacs
2. 2. Be Stiff -Devo
3. 3. Plain Gold Ring - Nina Simone
4. 4. Still Ill - The Smiths
5. 5. Jumping Someone Else's Train - The Cure
6. 6. Straight Outta Compton - NWA
7. 7. Sailin On - Bad Brains
8. 8. Private Life - Grace Jones
9. 9. Black Cinderella - Sister Carol
10. 10. This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody) - Talking Heads
Santogold is playing the Coachella festival in the Californian desert on the 25th April. Her MYSPACE is worth a visit.