The Band I Saw Last Night: Electric Guest

A few months back, a little-known LA band called Electric Guest released an advance single called "American Daydream" from a then-upcoming album called "Mondo" and I instantly became a huge fan of that particular track and have played it repeatedly at my Second Life shows. It's a great summery tune--light, quietly upbeat, featuring a trip-hop beat and a high-voiced singer whom I assumed--mistakenly--was a woman.

Now I know that the singer in question is one Asa Niccone, a mere slip of a young man who possesses a great voice that frequently slides into the falsetto range and who accompanies it with a sprite-like stage manner that's infectious. I feel qualified to offer these assessments because I saw this band perform last night in my city before a highly enthusiastic crowd.

The reason I went is because it was only yesterday morning when I first heard the album, which made a big impression on me. I then immediately sent an e-mail to a fellow music lover,  saying, "You gotta hear these guys," and about an hour later he responded by asking me if I was aware that Electric Guest was playing here in Boston THAT VERY NIGHT!

So I jumped into action, saw that tickets were still available here but that the Wednesday-night show in New York had already sold out! In other words: move quickly! So I did and ended up seeing an excellent show.

Electric Guest definitely rides a retro groove--in their case, soul, funk, and R&B--and it kinda reminds me a bit of Gnarls Barkley. They sounded great, but I couldn't help but wonder how genuinely "soulful" this music really is to them and whether it's really more of a derivative thing.  But that quibble aside, I highly recommend this album and I also strongly recommend  these guys as an excellent live show. But if they're coming to your town, act fast. Their reputation is growing, and their shows are selling out.

--MobyTen

Portugal. The Man

This band's imagery freaks me out. Probably because I'm a wus. I'm posting this video because the other two 'official' videos featured ... blood (albeit clay blood in the animated version). In this acoustic video, they are merely singing and playing their instruments :)

Wiki describes Portugal. The Man as 'psychedelic' rock and looking up the term produces the following, which seems quite accurate of Portugal. The Man's music (and official videos):

of or noting a mental state characterized by a profound sense of intensified sensory perception, sometimes accompanied by severe perceptual distortion and hallucinations and by extreme feelings of either euphoria or despair.