L.E.S. Artistes

Infobox Single
Name = L.E.S. Artistes


Caption = UK cover
Artist = Santogold
from Album = Santogold
A-side = Creator
B-side =
Released = flagicon|US March 25, 2008
flagicon|UK May 5, 2008
August 5, 2008 (digital maxi single)
Genre = Indie rock, New Wave, art rock
Length = 3:43 (original) cite web | url=http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=271957809&s=143441 | title= Creator / L.E.S. Artistes - Single | publisher=iTunes Store | date=2008-03-25 | accessdate=2008-04-13 ]
3:24 (album version) [ cite web | url=http://www.amazon.com/Santogold/dp/B0017T6FSY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1208896549&sr=8-3 | title=Santogold | publisher=Amazon.com | accessdate=2008-04-22 ]
Label = Downtown Records (US)
Atlantic Records (UK)
Writer = Santi White
Producer = Jonnie "Most" Davis [ cite web | url=http://www.discogs.com/release/1321687 | title=Santogold | publisher=Discogs | accessdate=2008-05-02 ]
Certification =
Last single = "Creator"
(2008)
This single = ""L.E.S. Artistes"
(2008)
Next single = "Lights Out"
(2008)Extra album cover
Upper caption = Alternate covers
Background = khaki


Lower caption = U.S. digital download cover

"L.E.S. Artistes" is the debut single by American artist Santogold, and along with "Creator", the first to be taken from her self-titled debut "Santogold" (see 2008 in music).

Background

"L.E.S. Artistes" was written after Santi White moved to New York City. The song "is playing on the fact that everyone tries to make things fancy and it's really pretentious" and "about being accosted by the New York scene and the scenesters and hipsters, who are really not artists and are just pretending to be. They're all about just being seen." cite web | url=http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2376&Itemid=266 | title=Santogold discusses Ashlee Simpson, Mark Ronson and her current illness | work=PopJustice | author=Peter Robinson | date=2008-05-13 | accessdate=2008-05-13 ] Contrary to popular belief, the title stands for New York's Lower East Side. "It's not a French thing," White stated in an interview with PopJustice. On MTV's FNMTV, Santogold stated that the title literally meant Lower East Side Artists.

A custom edit of the XXXChange Mix appears in "Grid", a Mark Romanek directed computer animated commercial for Ford Flex that began running nationally in June 2008.

Release and reception

The single's first commercial release was via the US iTunes Store on March 25, 2008, as a joint single with "Creator". It was released as the b-side to "Creator" through a limited edition 12" vinyl in January 2008, [ cite web | url=http://www.amazon.com/Creator-Santogold/dp/B0010X75AO/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1208073397&sr=8-5 | title=Creator [Single] | publisher=Amazon.com | accessdate=2008-04-13 ] before receiving a full release on May 5. [ cite web | url=http://angryape.com/news/2008/04/10/santogold-to-re-release-les-artistes-single | title=Santogold To Re-Release LES Artistes Single | publisher=AngryApe.com | date=2008-04-10 | accessdate=2008-04-13 ] The XXXChange remix was also released. [ cite web | url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=961927&aid=1114053 | title=L.E.S. Artistes [XXXchange Remix] | publisher=Billboard.com | accessdate=2008-04-22 ] "L.E.S. Artistes" was featured as iTunes' Discovery Download for the week of April 28. [ cite web | url=http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=279428406&s=143441 | title=L.E.S. Artistes - Discovery Download | publisher=iTunes Store | date=2008-04-29 | accessdate=2008-04-30 ] The song has received heavy radio play in the UK and was on Radio 1's B List, and in Philadelphia the song has also received ecstatic play on Maximum Shine's themed radio show "Music Fo' Grown Fo'ks" at WKDU.

The song was featured on the soundtrack for the video game NHL 08, which was released in September 2007.

"Rolling Stone" said that the track sounds like a "Cars/Strokes mash-up" and that "the lyrics blast pretentious downtowners, but the taut guitars epitomize New York hipness." [ cite web | url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17316664/artist_to_watch_santogold | title=Artist to Watch: Santogold | publisher=Rolling Stone | author=Brian Hiatt | date=2007-11-14 | accessdate=2008-04-22 ] Drowned in Sound noted that the song is "a slow-burning gem of palm-muted guitar chords." [ cite web | url=http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/11776 | title=Santogold: Creator/L.E.S. Artistes | publisher=Drowned in Sound | author=Alex Denney | accessdate=2008-04-22 ] The Denver Post praised the "understated, Police-style guitars that drive" the song, calling them "almost hypnotic, especially with White's intoxicating mezzo-soprano yelping along." [cite web | url=http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment_old/ci_9044816 | title=If Madonna notta for you, try these chanteuses | work=The Denver Post | publisher=MediaNews Group | author=Richard Baca | date=2008-04-26 | accessdate=2008-04-27 ]

Music video

The music video, directed by Nima Nourizadeh, is a homage to the film "The Holy Mountain". [ cite web | url=http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/santogold-vs-jodorowsky/2651 | title=Santogold vs. Jodorowsky! | publisher=BlackBook Magazine | author=Ben Barna | date=2008-04-09 | accessdate=2008-04-13 ] "Rolling Stone" placed the music video at number four on their bi-weekly Hot List. The video received attention after it was praised by Kanye West on his blog. [ cite web | url=http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/?em3106=192768_-1__0_~0_-1_3_2008_0_0 | title=OK, This May Be The Best Thing Ever! | work=KanyeUniversityCity.com | author=Kanye West | date=2008-03-06 | accessdate=2008-05-13 ] [ cite web | url=http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/reviews/story/0,,2278626,00.html | title=Santogold | work=The Guardian | publisher=Guardian Media Group | author=Caroline Sullivan | date=2008-05-09 | accessdate=2008-05-13 ]

The video starts with Santogold in a forest, singing on top of a black horse, while two similar looking women in sunglasses stand at her side, often making awkward movements. The forest scene ends up with a light snow, following to a scene on a seemingly peaceful street/block. Santogold releases her black horse. People are simultaneously dying, but the gruesome things are replaced with various items: green hot dogs instead of intestines, paint instead of blood, being shot with paintballs rather than bullets. Santogold comes walking down the streets, without dying herself. The video ends with Santogold atop her black horse with her eyes closed.

Track listing

*U.S. digital download [ cite web | url=http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=271957809&s=143441 | title= Creator / L.E.S. Artistes - Single | publisher=iTunes Store | date=2008-03-25 | accessdate=2008-04-13 ]
#Creator – 3:32
#L.E.S. Artistes – 3:43

*U.S. digital EP [ cite web | url=http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=286664735&s=143441 | title= Creator / L.E.S. Artistes - EP (US) | publisher=iTunes Store | date=2008-08-05 | accessdate=2008-08-12 ]
#L.E.S. Artistes – 3:24
#L.E.S. Artistes (XXXchange Remix) – 4:20
#L.E.S. Artistes (Switch Remix) – 5:15
#L.E.S. Artistes (Instrumental) – 3:45

*UK CD single [ cite web | url=http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1&sku=797653 | title=L.E.S. Artistes | work=HMV Group plc | publisher=HMV | accessdate=2008-04-13 ] (ATUK078CD)
#L.E.S. Artistes – 3:24
#L.E.S. Artistes (Video) – 3:24

*UK 7" vinyl [ cite web | url=http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1&sku=797654 | title=L.E.S. Artistes | work=HMV Group plc | publisher=HMV | accessdate=2008-04-13 ] (ATUK078)
#L.E.S. Artistes – 3:24
#Your Voice – 4:00

*UK digital EP [ cite web | url=http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=279155220&s=143444 | title= Creator / L.E.S. Artistes - EP (UK) | publisher=iTunes Store | date=2008-08-05 | accessdate=2008-08-12 ]
#L.E.S. Artistes (Switch Remix) – 5:15
#L.E.S. Artistes (XXXchange Remix) – 4:20
#L.E.S. Artistes (Herve Edit) – 6:08

Official versions and remixes

* Original Version — 3:43
* Album Version/Radio Edit — 3:24
* Instrumental — 3:45
* Grahm Zilla Remix — 4:26
* Hervé Edit — 6:08
* Switch Remix — 5:15
* XXXchange Remix — 4:20
* XXXchange Remix feat. Mavado — 3:50 (appears on "Top Ranking")

Chart positions

"L.E.S. Artistes" entered the UK Singles Chart at number fifty-one on 4 May, 2008. cite web | url=http://acharts.us/song/35378 | title=L.E.S. Artistes | publisher=aCharts.us | accessdate=2008-05-12 ] The single rose to number thirty-seven and then a week later climbed to its peak of twenty-seven. cite web | url=http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=33791 | title=L.E.S. Artistes | publisher=ChartStats.com | accessdate=2008-05-19 ] It entered "Billboard"'s Hot Modern Rock Tracks at number forty in August 2008, and rose four places the following week. cite web | url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=377&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Modern+Rock+Tracks&ci=3098997&cdi=9883514&cid=08%2F30%2F2008 | title=Hot Modern Rock Tracks | work=Billboard.com | publisher=Nielsen Company | accessdate=2008-08-21 ]

References

External links

*MySpace|santogold|Santogold
*Youtube|Y9JI0GXkARQ|L.E.S. Artistes