Master of My Make-Believe

Master of My Make-Believe
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 24, 2012 (2012-04-24)
Recorded2010–2011
Studio
  • Downtown (New York)
  • Echo Sound (Los Angeles)
  • Federal Prism (Beverly Hills)
  • Geejam (Portland)
Genre
Length37:45
Label
Producer
Santigold chronology
Top Ranking
(2008)
Master of My Make-Believe
(2012)
99¢
(2016)
Singles from Master of My Make-Believe
  1. "Big Mouth"
    Released: January 19, 2012
  2. "Disparate Youth"
    Released: February 22, 2012
  3. "The Keepers"
    Released: June 22, 2012

Master of My Make-Believe is the second studio album by American musician and singer Santigold, released in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2012 and in the United States on May 1, through Downtown and Atlantic Records. The album features contributions from a wide range of musicians, including long-time collaborators John Hill, Switch and Diplo, as well as Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The cover art of the album, designed by Jason Schmidt, represents four incarnations of Santigold. The album received positive reviews from music critics, and earned Santigold her first number one on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and reached number 21 on the US Billboard 200 and number 33 on the UK Albums Chart.

Release

Master of My Make-Believe was preceded by the singles "Big Mouth" and "Disparate Youth". The song "Go" featuring Karen O premiered in April 2011, but was not available for purchase until the release of the album. In May 2012, Santigold posted a photo on Instagram from the set of the video for "The Keepers", which was released as the third single on June 22, 2012.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Chicago Tribune
Entertainment WeeklyB+
The Independent
Los Angeles Times
Pitchfork6.3/10
PopMatters8/10
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine
Spin9/10

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Master of My Make-Believe received an average score of 74, based on 37 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". AllMusic said the album is "the kind of album that can fully define her sound, but is still multifaceted and well crafted enough to be exciting." Chicago Tribune felt that "White's subversive way with a hook and her ability to effortlessly blend dance beats from around the world make Master of My Make-Believe a deceptively breezy and enticing summer album." Los Angeles Times wrote, "Throughout, Santigold never stops playing spin-the-globe, and she also never loses sight of her mission to keep listeners moving." Entertainment Weekly stated that the album's "disgruntled machine-raging and spiky new-wave rhythms evoke both the urgency of early U2 and the agit-pop ire of M.I.A.—while delivering more direct danceability than either." Roberrt Alford of PopMatters wrote, "I would place this album among the strongest work coming out in both the realms of indie and pop music these days, and though it may not inspire the level of critical and popular veneration that her first album enjoyed, it's a welcome return by one of the most inventive and inspired recording artists working today." Slant Magazine's Kevin Liedel said, "Santigold's trademark irreverence and penchant for high-energy anthems delivers her sophomore effort from the potential downfalls of miscellany."

Pitchfork critic Carrie Battan gave the album a less favorable review, stating: "A polished assortment of tidily global-sounding, mid-tempo pop tunes that seem to end before they ever kick off, strung together by a checklist of semi-impassioned capital-K Keywords: Youth, Machine, Riot, Fame, Freak, Pirate, Keepers." Rosen Jody of Rolling Stone wrote, "Her songs sound great but feel off, merely gesturing in the direction of emotions. In the end, she's so cool she'll frost up your earbuds." Paste thought that "Master of My Make-Believe is by no means a disappointment, but it falls short of the expectation that has been gestating for the past four years."

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Go!" (featuring Karen O)
3:23
2."Disparate Youth"
  • Santigold
  • Zinner
  • Ricardo Johnson
4:44
3."God from the Machine"
3:52
4."Fame"Sitek3:29
5."Freak Like Me"
  • Hill
  • Switch
2:18
6."This Isn't Our Parade"
  • Santigold
  • Zinner
  • Hill
  • Sitek
  • Santigold
  • Hill
  • Sitek[b]
3:54
7."The Riot's Gone"
  • Santigold
  • Zinner
  • Taylor
  • Kurstin
  • Kurstin
  • Switch[a]
3:29
8."Pirate in the Water"
2:54
9."The Keepers"
  • Santigold
  • Hill
  • Kurstin
Kurstin3:32
10."Look at These Hoes"
  • Santigold
  • Diplo
  • Boys Noize
  • Switch[b]
  • Hill[b]
2:57
11."Big Mouth"
  • Santigold
  • Taylor
  • João Barbosa
  • Rui Pité
  • Karla Rodrigues
3:11
iTunes deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Never Enough"  3:19
13."Go!" (Switch Remix; featuring Karen O)
  • White
  • O
  • Zinner
  • Taylor
  • Fareed
  • Battarel
  • Massiera
Switch3:39
14."Disparate Youth" (music video)  3:51

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Master of My Make-Believe.

Musicians

  • Santigold – vocals (all tracks), drums (tracks 3, 9), keyboards (track 9), piano (track 7)
  • Karen O – vocals (track 1)
  • Nick Zinner – guitar (tracks 1, 2, 7), keyboards (track 6)
  • Jahphet Landis – drums (track 1)
  • Anthony Burlitch – drums (track 6)
  • John Morrical – keyboards (track 6)
  • Greg Kurstin – drums (track 9), keyboards (track 9), piano (tracks 7), all other instruments (tracks 3, 7, 9)
  • John Hill – keyboards (track 6)

Technical

  • Santigold – executive production, production (tracks 1, 2, 6, 8, 10), co-production (track 3)
  • Switch – production (tracks 5, 8, 11), co-production (tracks 7), additional production (tracks 3, 10), mixing (tracks 1, 8, 11)
  • Greg Kurstin – production (tracks 3, 7, 9)
  • John Hill – production (tracks 5, 6), additional production (track 10)
  • Diplo – production (tracks 8, 10)
  • David Andrew Sitek – production (track 4), additional production (track 6)
  • Ricky Blaze – production (track 2), programming (track 2)
  • Q-Tip – production (track 1)
  • Boys Noize – production (track 10)
  • Buraka Som Sistema – production (track 11)
  • Chris Coady – engineering
  • Jesse Shatkin – engineering
  • Bryan Gottshall – engineering
  • Chris Allen – engineering
  • Chris Kasych – engineering
  • Sayyd Droullard – engineering
  • Zeph Sowers – engineering
  • Rich Costey – mixing (tracks 2–7, 9, 10)
  • Eddy Schreyer – mastering

Artwork

Charts


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