Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
Illegal Art
By Jonathon Valenzuela
Girl Talk presents an interesting challenge to any music reviewer. There are so many avenues of inquiry to pursue, from the post-modern aspect of sample juxtaposition, to the legal ramifications of borrowing indiscriminately from all of music culture, to the unexpected musicality of his songs. Of course, most of these topics were dealt with in the press two albums back, so the job in this instance is to see where Girl Talk has gone since then. Unfortunately, the answer is nowhere.
For those who haven't heard of him, Greg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) shot to fame with the release of Night Ripper in 2006, an eclectic mix album that married hip-hop with all manner of other genres at such a blistering pace that spotting samples almost felt like a test of one's music knowledge. The result was a breathtakingly original party album, full of super-charged fun.
On Feed The Animals, Gillis has done the exact same thing. The samples have changed, but the technique has not varied in any way, shape or form, and this is the most frustrating thing about the album. Some interesting blends occur, such as Lil Mama with Metallica, Radiohead with Jay-Z and Yo Majesty with Stardust, to name but a few. The musicality still exists; Gillis has a very fine knowledge of how a pop song is supposed to work, placing crescendos and breakdowns where they are most effective. The list of borrowed music is beyond impressive, considering Girl Talk would have had to have known all of the songs intimately to sample as he does.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this album. If you want a good CD to put on as a party approaches its peak, or something to keep the heart rate up at the gym, this is your best bet. However, if you were looking for the next step from an artist who, until recently, lived at the forefront of dance music and legal confusion, you will be disappointed. Gillis has taken no risks on Feed The Animals, and for a man as talented as he is that is a crime in itself.
Feed The Animals is available for download from illegalart.net. It is possible to get the album for free, provided you choose from a list of reasons as to why you don't want to pay. The mp3s are high quality, a marked difference from the Radiohead model of distribution and one area on this album where Girl Talk remains avant garde.