Stiffed

Long before Santogold was a household name, Santi White's band Stiffed was turning heads with their unique blend of Ska/Punk. Drawing from vast musical influences, from Bad Brains, Devo, and The Clash, to the Cocteau Twins, Blondie, and The Pretenders, Stiffed took form as a quirky minimalist sound that strips modern rock back to the 2 and 3 chord basics. The music's rapid, raw drive provides an unusual aural canvas over which White spills colorful, melodic, and often sweet vocals. Though without much warning, and at any given moment, White won't hesitate to unleash an unrefined alter ego, who spits out things her other side might not have the heart to say. The songs are alluring and provocative, with lyrics that are candid, introspective, fun, and suggestive all at once. White's vocals blend various qualities of the pioneer vocalists of the late '70s, early '80s punk/no-wave genre: the deranged, slightly off-kilter rantings of Bad Brains' HR, the melodic and sweet/daunting bad-girl style of Blondie's Debbie Harry, the attitude and in-your-face phrasing of The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, and the eerie harmony of "that Cocteau Twins girl" (Elizabeth Fraser).