Girl Talk – All day (Illegal Art, 15/11/10)
Of all the reasons to recommend you getting hold of this album, one stands out above the rest: it’s free. Happily, its price tag is not a reflection on its quality. Its complimentary nature is simply a means of avoiding the mess of copyright infringement that Greg Gillis’ previous releases have been plagued by – a necessary step when you sample 370 songs in 71 minutes.
So yes, All Day is a mash-up album, shamelessly profiteering from the hard work of other musicians. But that’s not to say it’s void of artistic merit. The speed at which Gillis skips from sample to sample is truly impressive. Admittedly, this means sitting down and listening to it start to finish, proves more than a little irritating, but it does make for an interesting game of ‘guess that sample’. The album actually has pretty strong pop credentials, and flows beautifully from start to finish. Some of the most impossible change-ups are achieved on Get It Get It, which marries Lady Gaga to Rage Against The Machine, Depeche Mode to Daft Punk. The result isn’t consistently pleasurable, but is always surprising.
All Day is a useful edition to any party thrower’s back-catalogue, and will always be a preferable alternative to letting your friends indulge their questionable tastes via Spotify. So despite the fact that at times your listening experience will feel akin to being harassed by a small child with ADHD, it undeniably serves its purpose. And remember: it’s free!
