JayeL Audio

Here it is, the conclusion of my top tracks of 2012. The accompanying mixtape will be out tomorrow. Leave your list in the comments and let me know what I missed.

10. Electric Guest-This Head I Hold
Newcomers Asa Taccone and Matt Compton get together with Danger Mouse and create a soulful yet funky number. If I was ranking songs I played most in 2012, “This Head I Hold” would be near the top.

9. Punch Brothers-This Girl
If 2011 was the return of the banjo, I think 2012 might claim the mandolin. While “This Girl” seems like a light affair, it is a sly exercise in wit as a sinner asks God to set him up with a church-going woman.

8. Jack White-Love Interruption
I’m always a sucker for boy/girl duets and Jack White’s detail of different kinds of love that disrupt life is nearly perfect. The stop and go pace of the guitar excellently amplifies the track’s message.

7. First Aid Kit-Emmylou
As I said on AMG, a slide guitar-filled love song that doubles as an ode to singer songwriters of the past, name-checking Johnny Cash, June Carter, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris along the way. Much like the duo’s heroes, the Soderberg’s honeyed tones coat the song’s sadness with enchanting vocals.

6. Twin Shadow-Five Seconds
It’s not like New Wave needed a renaissance, but if it did Twin Shadow and Toro y Moi would be leading it. “Five Seconds” sounds like the mid-1980’s in the best way possible.

5. Usher-Climax
While Usher’s latest album wasn’t a comlpete departure from stale ’00s R&b, “Climax” showed Mr. Raymond isn’t afraid to step out of his comfort zone. Aided by production from Diplo and Ariel Rechtshaid, Usher metaphorically details a failing relationship to an act of love-making.

4. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis-Thrift Shop
From the funky horns, to the Nate Dogg-ish guest singer, to the bizarre subject matter of finding fresh attire in your local Goodwill, there wasn’t a bigger surprise than “Thrift Shop” in 2012. That R.Kelly line continues to make me chuckle.

3. The Lumineers-Ho Hey
While you might have tired of hearing “Ho Hey” any time you turn on the TV, there is a reason music supervisors select it so often: it’s catchy and perfectly balances pop with folk for a golden result.

2. Frank Ocean-Pyramids
To quote a recent drunken tweet: “that’s why I love Pyramids, because no one makes 8 min songs anymore”. That and no one was a better narrator than Frank Ocean as he takes us from Egypt to the strip club.

1. Jessie Ware-Wildest Moments
This Brit songstress had many charming offerings and covers in 2012, but “Wildest Moments” was her pop star moment. Bet there will be many more ahead. Also catch the remix from always superb Star Slinger.

An overstuffed mix of the latest indie cuts just in time for Thanksgiving. Previous mixtape mainstays include Local Natives, who return with “Breakers” and prep the follow-up to one of my favorite albums of the past 10 years. Elsewhere, K-Os continues to show why he is one of hip-hop’s most diverse acts on “The Dog Is Mine” and Solange shows why she is more than just Beyonce’s little sis on “Losing You”. Elsewhere, indie rock act The Zolas and glitchy-sample based producer Flume make impressive breakthroughs with two tracks each, while Macklemore & Ryan Lewis offer up another gem off The Heist. Since I’ve wore out “The Dog Is Mine”, Rudimental’s “Not Giving In” is my front runner for favorite track of the moment. Take a listen and let me know yours at the blog.

JayeL Audio 11-18-12: DOWNLOAD (.zip) or Stream via 8tracks
1. Young Buffalo – Nature Boy
2. Flume – Sleepless
3. Local Natives – Breakers
4. K-Os – The Dog Is Mine
5. The Zolas – Knot In My Heart
6. Calvin Harris – I Need Your Love ft Ellie Goulding
7. The 1975 – Sex
8. Strange Talk – Cast Away
9. Ra Ra Riot – Beta Love
10. Electric Guest – Holiday
11. The Stone Foxes – Everybody Knows
12. The Giving Tree Band – Cold Cold Rain
13. Frank + Derol – Barely Love You Too
14. Miner – Hey Love
15. Rudimental – Not Giving In ft John Newman & Alex Clare
16. HAIM – Don’t Save Me
17. Solange – Losing You
18. Clubfeet – Heartbreak ft Chela
19. The Zolas – Observatory
20. Red Clover Ghost – The Dark Haired Queen
21. Dan Croll – From Nowhere
22. Gary Clark Jr. – The Life
23. Flume – Holdin On
24. Holy Ghost! – It Gets Dark
25. ZZ Ward – Cryin’ Wolf ft Kendrick Lamar
26. Alt-J – Buffalo ft Mountain Man
27. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Starting Over ft Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses

JayeL Audio 11-18-12 from jayelaudio on 8tracks Radio.

The combination of blue-eyed soul and Danger Mouse funk of Electric Guest easily won my attention with the indie flavored pop sensibilities of the duo’s debut Mondo. If you didn’t hear the band’s work on my mixtapes you definitely heard their hits on a number of tv shows in the past year. When they haven’t been touring the countryside, Electric Guest somehow had time to put together an EP due on October 22nd titled, Holiday. The title track utilizes Asa Taccones’ smoky vocals while the instrumental breezes by like a California afternoon. Stream “Holiday” below, pick-up Mondo and pre-order Holiday EP. Do it.

At some point during November, I happened to stumble along LA duo Electric Guest‘s hypnotic, reverb-filled “American Daydream” (free DL) and folk strummer “Troubleman” (check the breakdown at the 4 minute mark). Then I found out their debut is going going to be produced by Danger Mouse, look out. The guys’ latest cut “This Head I Hold” sounds even more diverse with funk drenched vocals and throwback Motown-like production.

While these fellas only have a few LA shows lined up, something tells me they are bound to be everywhere in 2012 once people give them a chance. Being named one of MTV’s artists to watch in 2012 certainly helps.
American Daydream by ElectricGuest
Troubleman by ElectricGuest
February 6, 2012-The Echo-Los Angeles, CA
February 13, 2012-The Echo-Los Angeles, CA
February 20, 2012-The Echo-Los Angeles, CA
February 27, 2012-The Echo-Los Angeles, CA
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