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May 3, 2012This is the kind of album that can fully define her sound, but is still multifaceted and well crafted enough to be exciting.
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Alternative PressMay 2, 2012Its pattering Jamaican rhythms and Indian drones well matched to lyrics that ruminate on revolutions both political and personal. [Jun 2012, p.84]
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Oct 30, 2012Master of My Make-Believe takes a more subtle approach than its predecessor.
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Apr 20, 2012While slightly more subdued than before, the pint-sized sparkplug proves she can still churn a stimulating groove, and doesn't need cartoonish gimmicks to do so.
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May 3, 2012Make Believe takes the listener from the same point A to point B as Santogold, but has no qualms about taking a completely different route, which is both more scenic and more difficult, but ultimately feels more fulfilling.
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May 1, 2012Dazzling moments don't come often enough to make up for flat ones.
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Apr 30, 2012White'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.
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May 2, 2012It's not the sort of thing one pins their organic, folksy dreams upon, though you get the sense it was born out of that interest and perhaps lost its way over time.
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May 3, 2012[The album] shines in most parts and violently hampers itself in others.
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Apr 20, 2012Master of My Make Believe has the feel of being made deliberately difficult to listen to; obstructionist for the sake of being obstructionist, confrontational without really having anything to argue against - except what might, ultimately, be self-imposed expectations.
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Apr 26, 2012Master of My Make-Believe'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.
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May 8, 2012Underpinning the shots White fires at the world has always been a deep-seated melancholy that she brings out effectively here.
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May 16, 2012It feels less like an overly ambitious second album, as might be expected, and more like a pivotal and dramatic step forward into relevance once again.
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May 4, 2012There's still a bit more growing to do, but Master of My Make-Believe shows that's she's headed in the right direction.
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May 1, 2012Throughout, Santigold never stops playing spin-the-globe, and she also never loses sight of her mission to keep listeners moving.
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MagnetMay 11, 2012An even more esoteric, and yet - oddly enough - more accessible record than her debut. [No.87, p. 51]
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Apr 23, 2012In her quest to make her own brand of gimmick free progressive pop, Santigold has made an album that, for all its faults, intermittently works. And when it does hit the mark it does so exceedingly well.
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Jun 4, 2012On Make-Believe, a sloppy more-of-the-same same approach has crippled what this album could have been, ultimately leaving us with some vaguely interesting notions rather than well-explored concepts.
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Apr 26, 2012My Make-Believe is a refined continuation of Santi's dubby, militarized, post-punk experimentation.
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May 16, 2012It's a project more likely to fit comfortably into what will likely grow into a large and varied discography than deliver instant lightning in a bottle.
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May 1, 2012Master 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.
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May 2, 2012A 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.
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May 3, 2012I 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.
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May 8, 2012You could never truly expect a truly cohesive album from Santigold, and she's met expectations.
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Q MagazineJun 21, 2012Make-Believe is a record you're more likely to respectfully admire than fall hopelessly in love with. [Jun 2012, p.110]
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May 1, 2012Her 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.
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Apr 26, 2012Santigold's trademark irreverence and penchant for high-energy anthems delivers her sophomore effort from the potential downfalls of miscellany.
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May 1, 2012Amid all the fight songs, Santigold's sensitive interludes only bolster her power, her harmonies rendered more invincible for their vulnerability.
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May 1, 2012At just 11 songs and 37 minutes, Make-Believe is a modest work, short on big thrills and surprises, but generous enough with the creature comforts that made Santigold's debut such a gem.
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Apr 24, 2012Danceable escapism for Urban Outfitters shopping that won't make you question the prices, much less start a riot.
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Apr 20, 2012Grips you like summer flu.
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Apr 20, 2012There's a subdued, mid-paced feel to it, too, and this sense of somehow sad restraint holds it back from greatness.
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Apr 20, 2012Liberally spattered with sonic exclamation marks.
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Apr 23, 2012Bewitching.
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Apr 23, 2012On standout tracks such as "Disparate Youth" and "Big Mouth", the collision of nagging pop and neon polyrhythms often feels like a halfway party-house between MIA and Florence Welch.
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Apr 23, 2012Each track is executed to perfection as Santi morphs with chameleonic pizzazz.
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May 4, 2012Master of My Make-Believe lands with a bit of a thud in contrast; lots of filler propped up by a few far-out pop jams, possessing as many ups and downs as her 2008 debut record.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 43 out of 46
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Mixed: 2 out of 46
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Negative: 1 out of 46
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May 22, 2019
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Sep 20, 2012
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Aug 20, 2012