DRGN King | Photo by Kate Bracaglia

Philly’s DRGN King just wrapped up a spring tour, and it left frontman Dominic Angelella sonically inspired. This morning we bring you the premiere of a tour mixtape he compiled, which ranges from folks they shared stages with to hearty van jams. From Dominic:

“Last month, my band Drgn King went on our first tour ever. This isn’t such a momentous occasion for most people but it was very exciting for us. We met some great bands on the way, saw people we knew play mind-blowing music, and listened to a lot of bizarre records in the minivan. This mix focuses on friends of ours we listened to/hung out with/drank with on the trip. hopefully you all enjoy this as much as we do. Hidden somewhere in the mix there’s a Drgn King song that didn’t make Paragraph Nights. It was too quiet.”

Minivan Problems: A Spring Mix by Drgn King

1. “The Sykesville Strawberry Festival” by Boat Water (from Home is a Place To Give)
2. “20 Different Days” by Eros and The Eschaton (from their Bandcamp)
3. “Cocaine and Guns A$AP” by Ape School (from Junior Violence)
4. “Dedicated” by Grande Marshall feat. Saudi Money (from #MUGGAMAN)
5. “Pusher” by Walking Shapes (from Soundcloud)
6. “Sparks” by Dangerous Ponies (from Tenderheart)
7. “Eldersburg Fun Arcade Near The Fashion Bug” by Boat Water (from Home is a Place To Give)
8. “Pretty Lil’ Preacher” by Drgn King (scrapped from Paragraph Nights)
9. “The Iceman” by Norwegian Arms (ripped from Youtube)
10. “Accessory” by Neighbors (from I Love Neighbors)
11. “TLW are Deaf” by Trans Upper Egypt (from North African Bezerk)
12. “Erica Western Teleport” by Emperor X (from Erica Western Teleport)
13. “Sleep It Off” by Asaad feat. Drgn King (from Dirty Middle Class)

But if you’re like me, you find best-of lists a little boring. I mean, they’re kind of a necessary evil, in terms of the cultural community putting the past 12 months into context. That said, after the fifty-billionth iteration they can almost become a chore to read and to put together. So for The Key’s year-in-review, we asked our trusted sources – our writers and photographers, XPN’s on-air staff, fellow bloggers in the Philly scene and even a few musicians – to send us their Top Five Whatevers. Could be the traditional music route – albums, songs, concerts of the year – or it could be only loosely connected.

We’ll be sharing these recaps every day through to the end of the year. Today, I’ll get things started with my top five Philly music discoveries of 2012. Coming across an exciting emerging musician I’ve never heard before is easily a highlight of my job, and there was no shortage of that this year. (See the incomplete honorable mention section.) With this list, though, I tried to focus on the less-discussed acts, the ones you won’t find on a show every weekend. Some artists hit the ground running this year, and that’s great – these artists are ones that are worth your time to seek out.

1. Radiator Hospital – I first caught this new-to-town, midwestern-bred act opening for Ted Leo at a West Philly basement show last month. Singer-songwriter Sam Cook-Parrot has an extensive discography, a lively homemade vibe along the lines of Half Japanese and Daniel Johnston, and an infectious and instantly likeable delivery. Bonus points for his Jarmels cover. Listen to “…You Call That A Kiss?!” below.

2. Family Vacation – This group of Temple students contacted me out of the blue this fall. They had not even played their first legit show and I was nonetheless floored. Jangley indie pop nicely informed by Youth Lagoon  and My Morning Jacket, lots of chemistry and a free EP to boot. Listen to “Winter’s Wind” below.

3. Citizen Xavier – This emerging Philly rapper has great taste, from rapping over a Teddy Pendergrass hook to his uber-nerdy Goonies-referencing video and song, “Reel Characters.” Even if he didn’t sample and namecheck great bits of music and film, his Erik B & Rakim big-beat stylings are a winner. Watch the video for “Left / Right” below.

4. The Sun Flights – A back-to-basics acoustic duo that doesn’t get lost in the typical folky trappings. There are no overlong songs, no overly dramatic presentations, no kind of heady musicological focus that might alienate a general audience. At the same time, they write songs that people who are into all of those things would still enjoy. The perfect balance of haunting new-folk mystique and accessible pop. Listen to “I Am A Robot” below.

5. Asaad – I’ve seen this rapper’s name pop up now and again for a while, going back to his guest spot on a Dragon King song in early 2011. So maybe not “new” exactly, but he had a tremendous year, from #DIRTYMIDDLECLASS to New Black History Month to #TROY, mixing thoughtful, quasi-philosophical verses with raw, nasty, provocative ones. The beats and sounds he raps over are equally exciting, and unpredictable. Watch a video for “Jumanji Flow” below.

(Incomplete) Honorable Mentions: Rock School-founded psych four-piece Keepers, impressive impassioned post-punk outfit The Downtown Club, soulful singer-songwriter Daniela Romeo, hard-hitting thrashers Ruby the Hatchet.

“They love black but don’t wanna be black.”

The words come straight from the sage’s mouth, ASAAD is what Philadelphia underground hip-hop is all about. It’s hard to label the MC as underground, because it’s only a matter of time before he blows up – and his new album, #Troy, illustrates that the artist is definitely growing up. His profound mantra perpetuating the idea of “New Black” seeps through every syllable and although his imagery is metaphorical the meaning is very literal. He is offering up the mentality of re-writing black history with beats and rhymes, but presenting it like an anecdote of modern life from a tortured mind. Articulate, intricate and a little insane, ASAAD weaves cultural references to Wu-Tang, Balthazar and the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. In early 2012 ASAAD released a documentary called New Black History that shows the Philadelphia native sharing his philosophies.The footage shows interviews of him representing Philly and is inter cut with him dropping knowledge on New York City. You’ll be intrigued by the mystery but can find all the answers in his raps; advocating the greater good and claiming that he’s bringing hip-hop back….and he is.

This documentary can be found here. His latest effort, #Troy, can be streamed on his bandcamp located here. Below is the video for his 2012 single “Jumanji Flow.”