Electric Guest – Mondo

Be My Guest

It’s always great to hear music that isn’t vying for your ears’ attention. This also means it’s not packing any heat (let alone participating) in this so called “loudness war.” In their debut album, Mondo, indie duo, Electric Guest, delivers somewhat large pop sing-a-longs without trying to overcrowd your head with a surplus of sounds.

Asa Taccone (the brother of Lonely Island comedian, Jorma Taccone) and Matthew Compton are more like I’m From Barcelona and the Polyphonic Spree than MGMT. Their songs harken back to early 2000s efforts of sunshine pop and jangly twee. Despite this, they maintain a soulful level of LA sensibility.

“Under a Gun” and “Awake” sound like a chilled out Jamiroquai – funky without trying to make you sweat profusely at “that cool club where you saw Zooey Deschanel at once.” The duo’s use of Mamas and Papas-style choruses with just a slight hint of reverb is such a delicate touch these days, where sounding like you’re singing in a bathroom is standard practice. Electric Guest guest understands the “wall of sound” doesn’t have to close off the rest of the album.

“Waves” is a mix of whispery/cute falsetto and tambourines. It can also be interpreted by the moment in your favorite indie romantic-comedy where the 20-something man-child finally gets the quirky cashier working at the Jamba Juice. The pinnacle of the album’s dosage of twee, this song showcases the duo’s pop sensibilities.

Mondo is just as silly and lighthearted as Architecture In Helsinki’s earlier work, yet a small cloud of moroseness surrounds these songs without any intention of dissipation. This album has the perfect formula to make LA kids happy, as well as the many car commercials this kind of indie pop usually ends up in. Even so, Electric Guest should be in pictures.