It’s simply unfair. Santi White’s eponymous 2008 debut as Santogold now plays like an incredible time capsule of the moment when all genres were cross-pollinating through the millennial magic of YouTube and Pitchfork Media. Depending on which track you sampled, you might have thought Santigold was paying homage to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MIA, Blondie, or Kanye West. Her voracious musical appetite digested them all and crossed borders with more conviction than anyone since The Clash. At that time, she was even rad enough to earn a guest spot on the final Beastie Boys album. Her follow-up, Master of My Make-Believe, presented an equally diverse collection. Problem was, in the intervening four years the rest of the world had learned Santigold’s genre-defying tricks and Santigold seemingly hadn’t learned a thing.

Another four years have gone by and maybe the lesson is that Santigold isn’t meant to push things forward. Her talent has more to do with repurposing the past in a way that feels 12 months ahead of the curve. And so 99¢ (Atlantic Records), 12 contrasting tracks built from the hits of yesteryear and just yesterday. Lead track “Can’t Get Enough of Myself” features an up-tempo shuffle unheard in any hit single since 1987. That makes it sounds pretty fresh, actually. “Banshee,” “Rendezous Girl,” and “Who I Thought You Were” also find inspiration in MTV’s mid-80s glory days, taking on shades of Cyndi Lauper, Springsteen, and “Maneater.” Other tracks hearken back to Santigold’s own work; “Big Boss Big Time Business” is more of the spare, dancehall-tinged braggadocio that she’s been doing well since the beginning and “Walking In a Circle,” “Outside the War,” and “Before the Fire” showcase her skillfully dark atmospherics. She’s been tending this store for years, but it’s difficult not to notice how FKA Twigs and Zola Jesus have moved in and set up shop on the same corner. Overall, it’s an inoffensive record of perfectly capable indie-ish pop music. Better than average, even. Poor Santi, though, she set the bar so incredibly high eight years ago that it’s difficult not to hear this as another disappointment.