Party album of the CENTURY

[sanakan]

Originally Posted by holden

Calling something the whatever album of the CENTURY is bound for some backlash anyway, imho...better let the music defend, and this does not.

but most of all: don't call it only 6 years after the century started...!

[dubman]

Originally Posted by holden

Exactly what i wrote. What exactly makes something a party album? An album that you'd play straight through? A compilation disc? A dj mix?

if you don't know it when you hear it, then what's the point in saying? it's like asking mr. kirby from 'all that heaven allows' how to lead a satisfying life.

and anyway it's called 'hype' you eunuchs. it's an invaluable and inseprable aspect of music.

i'd rather read that, being suitable to what is being plugged, rather than "i say, this is quite a cracker"

[Tyler]

Yeah, lay off A.B. for hyping it up. I much prefer wild enthusiasm to world-weary measured cynicism, and you should too. Too bad he's enthusiastic about a pretty crappy album, but hey you can't win em all.

[Animal Boything]

dubman: As I said before, the sample tracks don't really do it justice. Clipping parts from the middle removes the context, and this album is pure context.

My brother interviewed this guy once (which is as far as my connection to him goes). I decided to post the interview here because he actually addresses Tyler's points very directly, and it also goes a long way to sort of explain what's going on, because this is awfully strange music.

This will be posted in two parts, because it's long. I'd link it, but it's not online.

Ice Skating in Heaven: A Few Words with Girl Talk

It’s a shame that the term “dream pop” is reserved for a dreary mode of indie rock characterized by whispery vocals and ethereal guitar textures. My dreams aren’t like that. My dreams are jumbled, absurdist collages of my psyche; if a pop song were to sound like a dream, it would have to sound like a hallucinating brain coughing up subconscious waste. Unless the stuff called “dream pop” is just supposed to put us to sleep, it’s an irritating misnomer. Mankind could do so much more with that name; shouldn’t there be pop music that accurately suggests the surrealism and inverted logic of dreams?
My dreams sound like Girl Talk. Born Gregg Gillis, Philly resident Girl Talk crafts electronic tracks that sound like the malfunctioning subconscious minds of the deeply pop-obsessed. Imagine Rick Dees having a delirious fever-dream after a stressful Weekly Top 40 taping, or Carson Daly on his deathbed with years of Total Request Live flashing before his eyes. A three-minute Girl Talk track pours out enough pop samples to fill up a full hour of pop radio, all maniacally squashed together into a perfectly-aligned menagerie of sound. To describe a Girl Talk song in writing would be close to impossible; even to catalogue all the samples used in any one track would be daunting. Recognizing fifty percent of the snippets of sound which get mashed up in the average Girl Talk joint would qualify one as a true pop expert.
For example, a recent internet release called “Pure Magic” (due to appear later this year on a 7” single released by 333 Recordings) is a frenetic hurricane of recent pop-rap tracks. Within the first minute, I can recognize tiny glimpses of hits by Kanye West, Lil’ Scrappy, Cam’ron, Digital Underground, Jay-Z, Juvenile, Petey Pablo and Clipse. These are only the bits I can recognize, mind you; plenty more half-second samples of pop songs slip by me, familiar, but too brief and obscured to place. It’s like a lightning round of Name That Tune in which we’re expected to pick out songs based on a single word (Jay-Z shouting “Hov’!” or Baby yelling “ey!”) or a fraction of a riff (a few notes of the liquid bassline from “The Humpty Dance”). While few among us could catch every reference and name every song, anyone who keeps up with pop music will find every second of it eerily familiar.
The breath of material he plunders is immense; guitar solos from Manfred Mann’s Earth Band nestle alongside Lil’ Jon lyrics and Coldplay piano melodies. Girl Talk’s biography on his website contains a list of his favorite artists, which range from The Lovin’ Spoonful to 2 Live Crew. How did this madman come to cultivate such a broad taste?
“I think I’m a pretty normal guy when it comes to listening to music,” Gillis tells me. “Most people enjoy a wide range of music; it’s typically only the underground types that confine themselves to strict genres and styles. I think the diverse sampling in my music gears it to a more general crowd. I’d hope that people who don’t know anything about weird electronic music could be blasting my songs in their car Friday night on their way to a party. Once you get deep enough into any particular underground scene, you can’t like or make music far from that style without people saying you’re into it for ironic or kitsch or novelty reasons. Fuck that.”
Early on, Girl Talk has brought up the I-word. It’s easy to assume that there’s a large element of ironic detachment involved in his music, since the general view among hipsters is that it’s impossible to properly enjoy mainstream proletarian music without a layer of irony insulating them from the common man. Girl Talk seems to be hip to just about everything under the sun, but he insists upon operating without the safety net of irony.
“Just because I understand why people would be really into Venetian Snares doesn’t mean that my love for Hall and Oates is an ironic thing. People oftentimes assume that if you’re not into a sort of underground music, it’s because you’re unexposed to it or don’t get it. I ‘get it’ when it comes to the appeal for experimental electronics, but I just like Top 40 better. It's totally un-ironic. I seriously don’t listen to much current underground music. When I get in my car, I turn the radio to the light rock radio station or I throw in my Nirvana cassette or whatever. I listen to ninety percent pop music.”
Accordingly, all manner of pop songs come under his knife. One of the unique joys of his music is hearing two songs that have no business within a mile of each other momentarily colliding. A track on his second LP begins with the piano intro to Richard Marx’s dorky pop hit “Right Here Waiting” overlaid with the lyrics to Khia’s raunchy “My Neck, My Back”: “all you ladies pop your pussy like this / shake your body don’t stop don’t miss.” Another track finds the chorus of Superdrag’s indie hit “Sucked Out” slapped on top of the notorious stadium-rock riff of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer.” The juxtapositions are often hilarious, mostly because the songs involved fit together like puzzle pieces, as if they were always meant to be combined. I asked Mr. Gillis if the primary concern of these combinations was humor value or perfect musical counterpoint:
“It’s always based primarily on what I think sounds the best together. There’s definitely a humorous aspect to some of the juxtapositions, but I’m not trying to make goofball music. It’s kind of like Mobb Deep rapping over Thomas Dolby or Diddy rapping over the Police. That initially has some novelty and comedy value but people get over it and just get into the song itself. I like that Bon Jovi riff and that Superdrag chorus, and when I put them together, I think it sounds great. It’s funny, but I hope people can get over that and just be into it on a musical level.”
The earnestness of Gregg Gillis’s love of pop music is disarming. While he samples samples and makes dance tracks out of dance tracks, he prefers not to consider the avant-garde levels on which he operates. “I try not to think about the mind-blowing-ness of my music. Usually when I’m in a deep mood, I’ll keep my mind off of it by watching ‘Son of Mask.’” While his bizarre combinations bridge the gaps between far-flung pop styles, he’s not attempting any grand statements about our culture. “I don't try to make any statements in my music. The placements of the samples are all chosen specifically for musical reasons only. I don’t want people to think, I want people to sweat and cum and ice skate in heaven.”

[Animal Boything]

part two comin' atcha

One might recall that when the sampling techniques of hip hop exploded into the public consciousness in the nineties, there was an understandable backlash. Songs like P. Diddy’s aforementioned “I’ll Be Missing You,” which featured the instrumentation of The Police’s “I’ll Be Watching You” were upheld by legions of squares as empty pop gestures, devoid of creativity. Some felt that hip hop production was artistically bankrupt, and heavy sampling amounted to irreverently ripping off hit tunes for guaranteed cash. Girl Talk’s music takes sampling to its absurd extreme, but Gillis doesn’t consider his music irreverent.
“I’ve always considered my music a celebration of pop music, basically paying homage to my favorite songs. I am tearing apart songs bit by bit and putting them in weird new contexts though, so I can understand how some old people might think that’s disrespectful. It’s interesting to note that sampling backlash, though, because now there’s a heavy backlash in the indie electronic nerd scene against bootlegs, mash-ups, and pop remixes.”
This second wave of the sampling backlash comes in the wake of the immense press coverage of underground hip hop producer Danger Mouse’s Grey Album, an album-length mix of Jay-Z’s Black Album and The Beatles’ White Album. While the press latched onto the idea of a Beatles/Jay-Z mash-up as a novel concept, the electronic underground turned away in contempt: their game had become mainstream, and mainstream means played out.
“It’s really ridiculous to me,” says Gillis. “People just love to hate on anything gaining some popular momentum. They need to give it a rest; sampling pop to make new pop is going to exist forever.”
Despite the popular momentum and mainstream press coverage, Girl Talk and many other indie electronic artists are unable to even consider courting mainstream success with their music due to the expense and legal hassles of clearing hundreds of pop samples for re-use. Despite the time and talent Gillis puts into his work, it may remain in a legal grey area for the foreseeable future. In fact, “grey area” may be a little generous: if his releases catch the eyes of those he samples, Girl Talk may be in trouble. His solution is to fly under the radar.
“There are many people putting out illegal music on smaller independent labels right now, so I don’t think it’s really a legal threat at this level. I haven’t had any problems, personally, but I was on a compilation called “Ministry of Shit” (on Spasticated Records) that got in some trouble for the title and artwork of the album.” In case you were wondering, the album copped the title and logo from the Ministry of Sound series of electronic compilations, replacing the word “Sound.”
Will the music industry ever catch up? However illegal, Girl Talk’s music is undeniably compelling, and Gillis believes that his style could catch on in a big way: “As far as this style blowing up, I can definitely see it. Straightforward mash-ups really took off a couple years ago and were played on mainstream radio and in clubs all over Europe and in some places in the USA. I think that my attention deficit style is even more in line with what people want to hear. Everything is so crazy and rapid these days; they always cut off videos halfway through during Total Request Live, and they never play full songs at clubs. I guess the pace of some of my material is a little too extreme for dancing, but I think people could deal and step up their moves.”

- - -

Those who want to experience Girl Talk’s music need look no further than their monitor. Girl Talk operates a modest web site at www.girl-talk.net, which contains links to sites where his music can be purchased. He also has a profile on Myspace Music (http://www.myspace.com/girltalkmusic), where surfers can find free samples of his tracks and colorful concert photos. You’d be well advised to check these photos out: According to Gregg, “live shows usually involve me dressed up in some bright clothing and spazzing around and getting sweaty and getting all up in the audience. Occasionally, at more locally-based shows, I have a synchronized dance squad I work with.”
A final question: Has Girl Talk ever played Girl Talk, the teen-girl party game from which he takes his name? Has Girl Talk ever had to call a boy on the phone and sing him a song?
“There’s actually a few versions of the game. I think I own three of them. I’ve never really played them. I’ve worn the fake zits from one version though.”

[Rog]

Originally Posted by froopy seal

Wtf? I don't know that song (consciously) but could anybody please confirm it's weird?

its got a sample of an old western (theme music to the film 'The Big Country') in it with a sort of rap vocals.................

*YAWN*

[dubman]

GOOD.

i have friends who are like this guy, who would be considered all hipstered out simply for their strange attitudes towards media consumption. it's like if there's a disconnect between how you look or think and what media you're into, then it's supposed to be ironic, a term which both confuses and angers them. one of them: she dresses up a little odd, as white as white can get, and is super aggro, but her love for mac-dre is VERY real. cheap photo-shops, drunken freestyling, knitting, and violent bay-area rap arent some escapist uber-indie ideal to her, it's what she loves, and she can't stand it when douches with zero imagination accuse her of not being serious about it.

and it sounds like this guy is coming somewhat from that. so as TACKY as it is, it's good to know that there's the same kind of LOVE put into it.

and that "dream-pop" bit was dead on

also, he seems to be on the same label as the bran flakes. big plus!

edit: just remembered that this connected brother of yours is dr. thorpe! nice to see him write seriously (and well) about music, although his SA column (and front page adventures, these days) continue to endlessly entertain (old newspaper brawl being pretty memorable).
does he actually think underworld is washed up?

[kid cue]

I'm not certain the Girl Talk interview does away with one's ability to read irony into his music. Regardless of whether or not the intent of his music, or his own appreciation of his source material, is ironic--his execution arguably exemplifies ironic kitsch, haphazardly (or intuitively, if you prefer, and as he claims) setting up juxtapositions and combinations with an effect that might be characterized as "detached amusement". Comparisons with mash-up culture at large are potentially misleading, since Girl Talk's roving, more-or-less linear pastiche of references more closely resembles a hyperactive DJ mix which avoids commitment or focus, rather than the single, potent welding of two or three songs in a 'proper' mash-up (which suggests an exploration of the potential in combining entire, complete pieces of music together)--the techniques may be identical, but have honestly been around since hip-hop. Painting his music as the newest manifestation of a nascent subculture is a bit of a red herring.

The overall effect, to me, is one of distancing--Girl Talk's musical choices may sound good and be real to him--but if your music simply amounts to a rapid succession of references (mash-ups included--combining this riff with that chorus simply references both at once), and you're not personally involved in any of the musical contexts or dialogues attached to your referents, then you're simply an observer, a consumer, playing connect-the-dots from outside the pop-cultural arena. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but the article and Girl Talk's quotes seemed to me to be making much more of something that's rather simple in reality.

[dubman]

the proper mash-up, containing two or three peices of music, is a limited process that holds up its value mainly in what it's doing but is sonically a novelty and consumer-oriented style of creation (not that there's anything wrong with that last phrase). hearing a lust for life/will smith clash is kind of thrilling at first, but once will smith gets into his second wind we become painfully aware that the creator merely put two and two together in a brief flash of great association, but imagination soon gave way to technique in an endeavour where the initial idea doesn't have the gas to last longer than that first minute or so.
i think girl talk takes that initial experience and augments it, gives it depth, by not only being oriented towards a culturally aware audience but directly engaging with it by moving at speeds that render many of its parts indecipherable, sometimes refusing a focused or deliberate style, forcing a majority of listeners to constantly feel a familiarity with what they're hearing without being able to place it (but also reaching checkpoints that are easily identifiable). in a sense this one-ups even sampling, since we now have the benefit of relevantrecontextualization, having source material for which we were around to for and know being mangled in this way. i think girl talk explicitly transcends being clever and connecting things by how its discordant nature connects nothing at all, but to me seems like a coherent and enthusiastic work.

[Animal Boything]

Well-put... two things to add. First, the beauty of this "attention deficit style" is that while the typical mash-up gets old as soon as you figure out what's going on, Girl Talk barely gives you TIME to figure out what's going on. He comes up with these amazing juxtapositions, but he only lets them last long enough to get the point across, then he mercilessly switches it up on you. People sometimes complain that he doesn't play enough of each song, but he's not mr. DJ here to play records for you, he's making his own music. Artists like The Avalanches and DJ Shadow are doing pretty much the same thing, you just don't normally catch as many of the references. Using immediately recognizable samples that recall whole songs is just part of his game, and it brings me to my other point.

In time, like anything of this nature, you get over the novelty of it, but that's when you realize that as music taken on its own terms, this album WORKS. At first hearing Biggie over Elton John is funny, even a little jarring, but after a few listens you're just in the groove, and that's when the real genius of Girl Talk hits. This music is "crazy" in concept, but in execution, all it is is flawless. He actually manages to keep the beat pumping for 40 minutes doing this shit. I dare any DJ to attempt it.

Dubman: Thanks for reading Dave's stuff. He has been very successful lately... he has a book deal based on his ongoing "Fashion SWAT" articles co-written with the wonderful Zack Parsons, and one of his "Your Band Sucks" articles was selected for inclusion in a reputable journal of the year's best music writing, apparently beating out such luminaries as Simon Reynolds.
And no, he actually digs Underworld almost as much as I do, that was just some harmless ribbing.

Also: Where's Tom? I think he'd like this album too.
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