I Found Myself An Innovator

Santogold “L.E.S. Artistes” – The Lower East Side was once an area mainly reserved for the immigrant population, but has since become a super-gentrified playground for the city’s hipster population. That said, it still thrives on a well-heeled variation of the immigration narrative — artsy people from around the world come to it (and other similar neighborhoods) in the hope of reinventing themselves and achieving some form of success and upward mobility. The character in “L.E.S. Artistes” is one of those people. Her ambition and competitive streak exacerbate her feelings of alienation — she’s surrounded by hacks and phonies, she’s paranoid about being exploited, and mindful of the fact that the odds are stacked against her potential success. Nevertheless, it is not a song about freaking out. If anything, it’s an expression of muted courage, and working nonstop, and desperately hoping that there’s a payoff to the relentless grind. Basically, it’s a sympathetic ballad for the “creative underclass.” (Click here for the Santogold MySpace page.)