All Day

The mash-up is a controversial topic in some circles. Some would never want anything changed in their favorite artist's works, while others see nothing wrong with a little remixing. While both sides have valid points there isn't anything really wrong with mash-ups. It is a new way to experience songs that a listener has come to love. On top of that, if the mash-up artist is good, new combinations can occur that we never imagined. Enter the ring one Girl Talk with his new album All Day. This is the blueprint that all mash-up artists should look to for their remixes. Rarely is there anything less that perfection from Girl Talk and All Day is no exception.

Girl Talk is the alias used by Gregg Gillis. The mash-up king started making music in 2001 while he was a biomedical engineering major at Case Western Reserve University. He is considered by many to be a lawsuit waiting to happen for his sampling habits, Gillis claims fair use as his backup.

All Day takes pride in surprising its listeners with combinations they would have never thought of. Classic rock under rap, dance over hip hop, alternative behind r&b; there is nothing logical with the combinations, except that they work amazingly. There is nothing quite like hearing The Ramones backing Missy Eliot or ELO backing any rapper. That's right, ELO is in this album. If you don't get that reference it's okay, most won't.

It's not like each mix happens then the next mix instantly happens either. The entire album flows smoothly from one track to the next one. Girl Talk intended this album to be enjoyed front to back like one piece of music and that's what it sounds like. The album is divided into tracks for easier navigation, but don't think that if you listen to the beginning of a track you'll know everything that will happen on that track. There are multiple samplings by multiple artists for each song on the album. If you miss a minute on the album, you miss a ton.

The samples in this album, as mentioned earlier, span multiple genres. The artists represented include, in no real order: N.E.R.D, U2, MGMT, Drake, Willow Smith, T.I. Black Sabbath, Nikki Minaj, Radiohead, Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, B.oB., Devo, Grateful Dead, Iggy Pop, Ying Yang Twins, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Jackson 5, Nirvana, The Beastie Boys, Lady Gaga, and Lil Wayne, among so many more. There is no way to really explain the sense of awe that comes from hearing two songs combine to make something so much better.

So when it comes down to it is this album worth getting? Well it's free, so there really is nothing to lose. Besides the album is really amazing, a work of art though it maybe illegal.

Always Listening

Nick