Buy This EP: Electric Guest – S/T EP
Who says L.A. doesn’t have soul? The two-man troupe called Electric Guest beg to differ. Fronted by Asa Taccone and his infinite smooth moves and accompanied by Matthew Compton, Electric Guest is sure to be taking over a healthy share of the airwaves this Spring and Summer. On top of Taccone’s super smooth vocals, we get the pleasure of another brilliant Danger Mouse production. This is a fun, funky, soulful, and very danceable EP, serving as a teaser to their full length record Mondo, that drops on April 24th.
‘American Daydream’ kicks things off with a trip-hoppy, signature Danger Mouse groove with a group chorus to lead off the track that immediately sets the hook for the listener. The fuzzbox vocals play up the soul and Motown influence. ‘This Head I Hold’ is straight ’60s R&B in the best form – you can even hear a little bit of Smoky Robinson in Asa Taccone’s vocals that he unleashes with a bouncy cadence. No doubt, this is the source of the comparisons being drawn to Gnarls Barkley. ‘Troubleman’ takes us to a 8-minute voyage rooted in synth in the beginning, but switches gears at the midpoint to finish with a more deliberate, acoustic-driven and introspective feel. This is the gem of the EP that very well could be overlooked on sheer length alone. ‘Jenny’ rounds out the EP with a spacey synth melody over a ’60s R&B fuzz bass line before breaking into a slick, deeply percussive chorus.
This is a brilliant sampler from an up-and-coming duo sure to be seeing a whole lot of press on the heel’s of the release of Mondo. Don’t sell yourself short and wait for that though – check out the EP in the meantime and be sure to catch them on their tour in support of the full length release. Word on the street is that Asa Taccone really does have moves like Jagger and the live show is a sight to behold. We know we’re picking up our tickets for the May 2nd date at the Bowery Ballroom.
Check out the Tour Dates here.
4 Stars – Mick
Editor’s Note: Interestingly enough, Asa’s brother is none other than Jorma Taccone of The Lonely Island, who also shot the video for ‘American Daydream’.
Category: Music
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