Girl Talk: The Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers Of The Modern Age?

ARTIST: Girl Talk ALBUM: Feed The Animals WEB DEBUT: June 19, 2008

ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: A near-hour of clips from hits songs merged with clips of hit songs that adds up to a huge medley of… what, exactly? Unlike the best 1% of mash-ups (the ones that aren’t ruined by grating off-key moments left by their lazy creators), there aren’t any new songs or even a consistent groove created here. (Not that a steady beat makes Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers’ similar, if less dense, work enjoyable.) Greg Gillis isn’t proving he can take 40 songs and turn them into one; he’s proving he can take 40 songs and turn them into 20 by playing each for 20 seconds.

Feed The Animals would be a lot more engaging if it didn’t try to cram so much in; it’s possible I’d love a track that puts a popular rap over a rock chestnut, like when T-Pain sings about boots with the fur over the Velvets’ “Sunday Morning.” But in this obese context, Gillis’ trickery barely gets an eyebrow raise. I can see how people could be amused or impressed by his craft, but I can’t imagine this album will hold anyone’s attention for the entire running time, when it has even less of an attention span than any of us. I planned on comparing it negatively to Osymyso’s “Intro-Introspection,” praising the song for its thematic unity, but listening to it after Girl Talk’s Casey Kasem casserole made it sound just as unengaging and relatively slower. So thanks for ruining that for me too, Girl Talk.

WHERE YOU CAN GET IT: Illegal Art.

I have opted to pay $0.00 because:

• I may donate later • I can’t afford to pay • I don’t really like Girl Talk • I don’t believe in paying for music • I have already purchased this album • I don’t value music made from sampling • I am part of the press, radio, or music industry • Other reasons

Hey, I value music made from sampling, Girl Talk. If you make some, let me know.