Out of all my friends, I am the one who gets records as presents for just about any occasion. I make no secret of the fact that I am somewhat of an audiophile, and have tried my hardest to put together a somewhat acceptable stereo system with secondhand parts.

Collecting vinyl records to me is a hobby, but also kind of pursuit of “the perfect sound,” so to speak. I would love to have a top of the line sound system, because the clarity, I’m sure, would be 10 times as much as the rig I’ve put together.

That said, I received Electric Guest’s solo album Mondo from a friend for Christmas, and I was ecstatic. I’m not exactly sure what to classify their music as; possibly funk? What I do know is that this is one of the only albums I’ve run across where I can safely say there is not a single bad song recorded. Every song has its own unique, funky little rhythm, and the falsetto that lead singer Asa Taccone utilizes is mesmerizing, to say the least.

My personal favorite from the album is “This Head I Hold,” which has such a great lead-in to the song. Unfortunately, according to a Google search, the duo of Taccone and Matthew Compton have not put out any other feature LP’s. The only other albums are an EP, a track by track of Mondo, and several others.

Both sides of the record are great, but I would have to say I favor side one just slightly more for its upbeat tempo, as opposed to the more atmospheric vibes side two gives out.

Regardless, the vinyl is a treasure, and if you’re an individual who happens to give a damn about sound quality, you should be very grateful for the sound this record produces. Maybe Electric Guest will never tour or put out another record, but what they left us with will surely do for the time being.