music
jun 20
2008

Why I Should Shut Up About The New Girl Talk

Day two of the new Girl Talk record, and it isn't old yet. That is the worry, right? That the gimmick will wear thin. So far, we're good though. It's really quite amazing -- why does this record sound even better than the last one? And what the hell does "better" mean in this context? Is it the track list? The mixing? It's like we need a whole new vocabulary. On this occasion, I'm yanking out this thing I wrote a couple years ago: 11 Reasons Why I Won't Shut Up About The New Girl Talk Album. It's more true than ever, and I am now going to attempt shutting up about this one.

8 comments

I agree about it sounding "cleaner" or something. I think Girl Talk's production techniques have evolved somehow, because it does sound better... I wish I could say how.

posted by Randall at 12:53 PM on June 20, 2008

I really like it. Generally, I'm not a big fan of mixes with this much 80s music but the quality level is so high, it doesn't really bug me.

posted by Gavin at 1:34 PM on June 20, 2008

now that I've been to the GT live show, I can't get excited about the recorded tracks. eat ur Wheaties and go dance your pants off at his closest live show

posted by Rich at 1:49 PM on June 20, 2008

yeah. I don't think you can really call this a "mix". it's something else entirely. I don't know how he split this into tracks or why I didn't download the seamless version instead, but it's just an amazing pop-sugar buzz to listen to this.

Some of the layovers are just devastatingly good. I mean from the second minute of "no pause" you have enough commentary to satisfy most doctoral dissertation requirements.

Or maybe I'm just filling in the blanks.

posted by josh at 5:34 PM on June 20, 2008

I'm tempted to wax all philosophical about this, but instead I'll just say that something about Girl talk just feels right - like it fits somehow. You know?

(Is that a stupid thing to say?)

posted by Nav at 6:35 PM on June 20, 2008

Because there is no "gimmick" to wear thin -- what makes this work is what makes any music work -- hard work and constant innovation ("musical ideas" as my dad would call it).

Thumbs up on the way the download engine works -- I just paid 9.99, but you can download the single-track version without paying.

I'm not sure anything her lives up to the last record's high points (the "hold up/wait a minute" bit and the biggie/elton/nirvana bit), but it's plenty dope.

posted by alesh at 10:17 PM on June 20, 2008

Hey Rex, wanna put one of your faves from this album on your site's mini player? Give a bit of the flavor?

posted by Eric at 11:04 AM on June 21, 2008

I have had this on repeat for a week straight, so I'm in the mood to wax philosophical:

If pop music was a brand, this would be its jingle -- a commercial advertising all its best parts: the sex and money and cockiness mixed w/ some moments of love and sincerity and goosebumps to keep you interested and coming back.

K, sorry. I have to agree with Alesh though, nothing's as amazing as spots in the last album. But it also avoids some of its annoying blippy noise. If Girl Talk keeps moving away from his early albums' blippiness to this album's extended hooks, is that selling out? If its all hooks anyway, is it judged by how it fits together and creates something new?

posted by yep at 10:17 PM on June 24, 2008




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