Girl Talk

Girl Talk
Feed the Animals
(Illegal Art)

There’s a lot to be said culturally and intellectually about the music Greg Gillis makes under his Girl Talk moniker: Though the mashup has always been a novelty little brother to legit hip-hop and dance music trends like sampling, mixtaping and the DJ-as-rock-star, the breadth and depth of his 2006 full-length Night Ripper finally asserted the form as a viable, irresistible force unto itself. Fusing everything from crunk rap and ’90s alternative to indie darlings and classic rock, the record’s accessibility was perhaps a foregone conclusion, an ADD orgy of nearly 200 recent hits and sentimental favorites in just over 40 minutes. But what made Night Ripper so special was the almost accidental virtuosity, as Gillis’ ruthless re-contextualization often resulted in improbably poignant, perfect moments (Paul Wall/Phantom Planet, Biggie/Elton) that elevate their sources and achieve something far beyond novelty.

If there’s one thing its sequel Feed The Animals reminds us, though, it’s that all of Gillis’ technical accomplishments and work in pushing music forward are secondary at best — what’s important is that Girl Talk is here to rock the fucking party. The CD and LP versions won’t be out until this fall, but Illegal Art has been kind enough to issue Feed the Animals digitally just in time to be the soundtrack to Summer 2008, and its ubiquitousness seems assured.

From the opening Spencer Davis Group/Unicorns/UGK thump through its Journey-laced final descent, Feed the Animals does its best to turn Night Ripper’s 10 up past 11, to an occasional fault; Gillis’ double-plus pacing means the transcendent moments are fewer and farther between, and overall the record leaves less of an impression. Still, the few missteps (using the thrash section of “One” is cute and all, but it severs the flow) are outshined by the ample highlights, from Chuck D’s verse over the breakdown from “Magic Man” to Timbaland working overtime over a Tom Petty crescendo.

In the end it’s the good intentions that continue to shine through — with every “Hey!” and “Yeah!” Girl Talk reminds us that pop is a wider genre than most give it credit for, and the common ground is pleasure.