A great philosopher once said, “You spin me right round, baby right round like a record, baby right round.” A Girl Talk record does just that, it spins me. We here at Fresh Scouts first shed light on Gregg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) back in April of 2009, when we featured his album Feed the Animals. Since then we have been slapping each other in the face with glow sticks while we thrash out to the musical connect-the-dots of a Girl Talk album.
If you have a short attention span and you don’t fear mixing Jay-Z and Flock of Seagulls together, well…this is SO going to be your thing. Girl Talk is back at it again with his winning formula of digital sampling and mashups. His newest creation, All Day, is jammed packed with hip hops finest and pop music gems. Imagine sitting at a red light and four cars pull up around you with windows down blaring their music. Buckle yourself in for 71 minutes of seamless sampling.
Can it get any better? Uh, fo sho. Get your greedy little paws on All Day for FREE! Yeah, that’s the price that speaks a universal language. Mosey on over to Illegal Art to get the whole album for $0.00. Thanks be to Girl Talk and to all of the samples. And yes, thanks be to glow sticks.
Check out this artsy fan created video for “Oh No”
Robyn. Now that name rings a bell. Does the tune of that bell sound anything like a 90’s hit song called “Show Me Love” or how about “Do You Know (What It Takes)”? That’s weird, because Robyn would be the Swedish pop princess whose American musical career premiered in 1991 with those hit singles. Her spotlight dimmed for a short time (ok maybe a longish time) but was never extinguished. Lucky for us she’s continued to make music and adapt her style to a new generation with the 2010 releases of Body Talk Pt. 1 and Body Talk Pt. 2.
“But Freshscouts, I’ve grown up. Shouldn’t my music grow up too?” Lucky for you, Robyn is on the same page and has branched out lyrically and melodically throughout her nearly 30 years in the business. There’s even a parental advisory warning on the new albums. So, you know, it’s super rebellious now. Robyn turned her personal diary into electropop and R&B splendor with hits like “Dancing On My Own” and “Hang With Me.” She’s even laid down a track with THE Snoop Dogg. That’s fo’ shizzle.
The great thing about Robyn’s music is you can still break out some of those hip 90’s dance moves even if the music isn’t so much 90’s anymore. Don’t pretend like you haven’t been waiting for your chance to make the Tootsie Roll, Cabbage Patch, or Hammer Time publically appropriate again. Watch the video for “Hang With Me” and freshen up. Maybe combine the three. We don’t even give a care. But proceed with caution.
Buy Body Talk Pt. 2:
Maximum Balloon – “Tiger”
The video for “Tiger” reminds me a lot of a cake induced nightmare I had after one of my childhood birthday parties. Maximum Balloon is the brainchild of TV on the Radio’s Andrew Sitek. Sitek brings his creative indie flair to this track which also features Aku, the frontman for Dragons of Zynth. Meow, meow, and meow.
Buy the Single
KT Tunstall – “Fade Like A Shadow”
We have enjoyed KT’s music ever since her debut with Eye to the Telescope. This Scottish firecracker always brings the goodness. “Fade Like A Shadow” is the lead single off of her upcoming release, Tiger Suit. KT Tunstall’s career is certainly showing no signs of fading…like a shadow.
Buy the Single
Dirty Heads – “Lay Me Down”
Hold on to the last remaining days of summer with the music of Dirty Heads. These dudes are the embodiment of Southern California reggae rock. “Lay Me Down” definitely has a Sublime feel to it. Oh, that maybe due to the fact that Rome Ramirez of Sublime with Rome appears on the track. Chill yourself out with this summertime hit.
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BEAST, a project from Betty Bonifassi and Jean-Phi Goncalves, is one of the most refreshing and innovative music projects we have come across in long while. Mix together electronica, hip-hop, rock and jazz and you get BEAST. The duo jokingly coined their music “trip-rock” and the classifier has stuck. Really what we have here are two incredibly talented musicians with lengthy careers that came together in the spirit of creating something new. This natural creation is what makes the music so intense and exciting.
We had an opportunity to sit down with Betty Bonifassi and Jean-Phi Goncalves after a recent visit to the United States. We caught up with the pair after they had spent a long day of traveling in from Montreal and then sound checking for a show that night. After spending ten minutes with them we were hooked. It is clear that they are still getting used to the success and attention that their project has gained. Their single, “Mr. Hurricane”, was just recently nominated for a Grammy in the Best Short Music Video category along side of Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas and Depeche Mode. An upcoming SXSW performance along with a ton of touring is setting things up for much deserved global recognition.
We had a chance to watch BEAST perform live and it was an incredible experience. Bonifassi’s vocals burn with intensity. Goncalves’ instrumentation and production reminds us of a mad genius. At the end of the performance our hearts were racing and our eyes were as wide as saucers. Tank and I exchanged glances that simply said, “was that for real?”
KC’s Personal Picks: “Devil”, “Mr. Hurricane”, “Satan” and “Out of Control”
Check out our exclusive interview with BEAST
Listen to the album:
Buy the album:
Remixes. Some of us can’t get enough of them and some of us love to hate them, but one thing is true: if it’s done right a mash-up of music becomes something completely different and ear-catchingly awesome. You may have read our piece on Girl Talk a while back and, if you’re like us, fell in love with the complete disregard for song integrity (or even copyright laws.) Well, somewhere between that and a more subtle remix closer to that of the hit 90′s jam “One Sweet Day” comes the beginnings of the electrifyingly electronic Dan Black.
Completely disregarding what purists would call “butchering the song”, his remix of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella” caused the web to stir in 2008. The signature beat mixed with the mild melody of one of gangster rap’s most famous set of lyrics created a song that was closer to a popular dance hit than a hard-core rapper’s delight. Now I know a lot of you are saying, “How dare he. One of those songs is a legendary jam by a music icon that shouldn’t have been changed.” All I can say is that I’m sure Rihanna doesn’t mind.
Check out the original video for yourself:
Now, for all of you out there that think, “Hey this is catchy, but I would like it better if it were more original.” That’s exactly what Dan Black was thinking when he went on to create the single “Symphonies” (recently featured on our Weekly Jukebox) for his brand new 2010 release UN. It wasn’t until I heard the songs back to back that I realized that he had taken what was surely an experimental mix-up and turned it into a song that was all his own (still retaining a little of the Rihanna flavor, but who could blame him?)
After listening to the full album, I found other tracks equally as catchy as the first single including “U + Me =”, “Alone” and “Yours.” He even remixes his single (which if you’ll remember is already a remix of a remix) with Kid Cudi. Pop in this album if you’re looking for a party…or if you want the party to look for you.
lala
Buy the album:
If you like Dan Black, check out V.V. Brown!
