Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Doo Wop Pop Rock - Electric Guest's "This Head I Hold"/MONDO Record

Electric Guest's debut record got the Danger Mouse treatment - and can't say that I'm disappointed about that.  Just about everything DM touches is dope - and Mondo and its lead single "This Head I Hold" are no exception to the rule.  With an album like this - they could be destined for greatness....

It's like Danger Mouse had a baby with Mark Ronson on the production end - because it sounds so freaking good.  From the catchy electro jams in "The Bait" to the funky grove of "Awake" to the nostalgic pop throwback sounds in "Waves" to the soft ballad feel of "Amber" - Electric Guest covers a lot of sonic territory and they do it really well.  They even manage to make synthesized syncopation sound indie cool in a cryptic way on "Holes."  At times it is hard to separate where the genius is coming in, because it's not all production.  I'm not calling the album a masterpiece (yet), but these guys deserve a thank you for delivering a solid product.

My sleeper track - "American Daydream."  It's beautiful.
 
"This Head I Hold" - the quasi doo-wop pop rock track is fun, nostalgic and simple.  The video isn't.  The video is actually a complex metaphor for the moral or ethical quandary a lot of artists find themselves in - take the life of a performer and its uncertainties and dark truths?  Or the path to something else?





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