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Girl Talk
By Brady | August 24, 2008
If Greg Gillis insists on dodging the title of “DJ,” he should likewise be spared the abominable title of “mash up artist”. Girl Talk (Gillis’ moniker) is pop art experimentation at heart, even if Feed the Animals suggests otherwise. Yeah, Girl Talk uses a computer and a mixer and nods his head to the beat during live performances. He plays the Top 40 hits that folks love to dance to. Believe me, I’m shaking my booty just thinking about this record. But even Feed the Animals, undoubtedly Gillis’ most club-friendly release to date, is more original than the tired circle of DJ’s and “mash up artists” Girl Talk is unfairly pooled with. If the doomed mash up genre ever had a future, it lies in the patient, intentional hands of Gillis. (Danger Mouse is on to bigger game) In truth, Gillis is Andy Warhol. He’s a pop purveyor who collects widely accepted images, phrases, and sounds and explores their potential in another context, sometimes with hilarious results. But where Girl Talk’s contemporaries recombine songs just for the novelty of it, Gillis creates subtle polyrhythms, unexpected mood changes, and moments of sheer beauty. Sometimes the experiments fall flat on their face, especially as the momentum grinds to painful stop as the album closes with the unfortunate union of Journey’s “Faithfully” and Huey’s “Pop, Lock & Drop It”. But almost without fail, Girl Talk produces sincere, enjoyable art, and that’s a lot to ask of a summer dance record like this. Feed the Animals is the perfect reflection of a generation almost devoid of attention span. But we do love to dance.
[ED.]-Although he may have different motivations, what with his albums being “a lawsuit waiting to happen,” I felt it important to point out that he has also chosen to go with the whole “pay what you want” tactic to get his album out. I also felt it important to make the readers aware that as creative and entertaining as this music is, due to the explicit nature of the lyrics, a fair amount of Girl Talk’s songs are not suitable for children, or anyone in some cases.
Topic: music blogging |
Tags: girl talk
August 26th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Great post! Brady what else do you write for?
August 26th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Excellent!
August 26th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Actually nothing Joe, this is my first published piece! It’s a trip