The Postal Service – Give Up

I feel a bit biased putting this up. Mostly because I went to college with Jimmy. 

Not to say Jimmy and I hung out exclusively or anything, but he was around the radio station group enough that I knew him. (go KXLU!)

Come to think of it, he probably wouldn’t remember me at all…even if you asked him at gunpoint.  And I never even knew he made music until this album came out and Farmer Dave said “That’s Jimmy Tamborello’s band…” in that dry monotone voice of his.

Regardless, The Postal Service “Give Up” definitely deserves a place on this blog no matter what my connection to the members are.  Even if I never knew any of them.

Turns out that while in collage, Jimmy started producing electronic music and soon was releasing stuff under the name Dntl.  In 2001 he was collaborating on a track called ‘(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan’ with Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie.  Since Ben was in Seattle and Jimmy in LA, they would work on the track individually then mail it to the other guy.  The single was so well received that it spawned a remix EP, and Ben and Jimmy decided to do a whole album that way, under the moniker of The Postal Service.

Jimmy wrote and produced the instrumentals in LA, then mailed them to Ben to add his vocals and edit in any way he saw fit. They brought in some nice guests like Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley, Jen Wood, and additional production from Death Cab’s Chris Walla who also added keyboard and piano.

I’m a huge fan of ‘We’ll Become Silhouettes’ and ‘Clark Gable,’ but the group will mostly be recognized for the ubiquitous ‘Such Great Heights’ which many will know from Garden State and the UPS commercials.

If you are familiar with Death Cab for Cutie, then I’ll have to let you know that this is much happier music then Ben usually does for them.  Full of amazing synth pop and great writing all around, the album goes down with a spoonful of sugar, but avoids being to sweet. Now that I think about it…I don’t even think synth pop is a good label. Nor electronic, or indie rock.

In fact,  I don’t think this music needs a label…

Unless that label is “Good Music.”

Girl Talk – The Night Ripper

Just so you know, I hate sampling laws.

I’m not saying I believe the artists samples shouldn’t get paid, but far too many are simply afraid that they will lose control of their music.  I remember reading a post by DJ Z-Trip where he detailed his attempts at clearing some samples to put on his new record.  He offered the original artists all the royalties from the song just so he could use a piece and was refused, much to his mounting frustration.  Others have tried the same thing and failed many time over the years.  One artist whose work was remixed by Fatboy Slim coldly declared that “all he does is steal bits of records he finds at garage sales.”

This is true.  He does. 

But how many of the general public would even be familiar with some obscure original work, if not for someone bringing it to the limelight and making it ”new” again?  Most of sampling’s enemies are really missing the point that this is a chance for their music to find a new life, or to live again…albeit not in the manner they might have chosen.  Right in the middle of this argument is an artist named Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk.

Instead of fighting for clearance, he just made a massive album of samples and released it for free on the internet.  That album, ”The Night Ripper,” was released on the Illegal Art label in 2006.  Just to give you an idea of how much sampling took place, here’s a list of his thank yous’. 

“2 Live Crew, 2PAC, 50 Cent, 69 Boyz, Abba, Paula Abdul, Aerosmith, Amerie, Annie, Arrested Development, David Banner, Rob Base, Bel Biv Devoe, George Benson, Better Than Ezra, Beyoncé, Black Box, The Black Crowes, Black Eyed Peas, Black Rob, Black Sheep, Boredoms, Boston, Bow Wow, Boyz II Men, The Breeders, Chris Brown, James Brown, Bun B, Busta Rhymes, Calloway, Candyman, Mariah Carey, Cassidy, Chicago, Ciara, Clipse, Phil Collins, Nikka Costa, Crime Mob, D12, D4L, DJ Assault, DJ EZ Rock, Dem Franchise Boyz, Digable Planets, Diplomats, Dinosaur Jr, Dr Dre, Jermaine Dupree, Elastica, Missy Elliot, Eminem, The Emotions, En Vogue, Fabolous, Fall Out Boy, Fatman Scoop, The Five Stairsteps, Fleetwood Mac, Folk Implosion, Foo Fighters, G-Unit, The Game, Garbage, Genesis, Andrew Gold, Al Green, Peter Gunz, Hall and Oates, Sophie B. Hawkins, Honey Drippers, Hum, Donnie Iris, J-Kwon, JJ Fad, Jay-Z, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Public, Elton John, Mike Jones, Junior Mafia, KRS ONE, Kansas, Kelis, Alicia Keys, LCD Soundsystem, LL Cool J, Lady Sovereign, Laid Back, Lil John, Lil Wayne, Lil Webbie, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Lord Tariq, Ludacris, M.A.R.R.S., M.I.A., Madonna, Main Ingredient, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Marky Mark, Paul Mccartney, Michael Mcdonald, George Michael, Mobb Deep, Mark Morrison, ‘NSYNC, Nas, Nate Dogg, Naughty by Nature, Nelly, Neutral Milk Hotel, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Noreaga, Notorious B.I.G., Oasis, P. Diddy, Pavement, Phantom Planet, The Pharcyde, Pharrell, Pilot, The Pixies, Positive K, Public Enemy, Punjabi MC’s, Purple Ribbon All-Stars, The Rentals, Smokey Robinson, S.W.V., Salt N Pepa, Juelz Santana, Seals and Croft, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Slim Thug, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Britney Spears, Billy Squier, Gwen Stefani, T.L.C., James Taylor, Tears For Fears, Technotronic, Three 6 Mafia, Timbaland, Trillville, Trina, The Verve, The Waitresses, Paul Wall, Warren G, Weezer, Kanye West, Whispers, Wings, Steve Winwood, Stevie Wonder, Wreckx-N-Effect, X-Ray Spex, Ying Yang Twins, Young Gunz, Young Jeezy.” (thanks wikipedia!)

Gregg is something like a molecular biologist or something for his day job, and kind of does this stuff on the side.  Some of the electronic noises are of his own making, and all of the style that goes into producing the tracks is completely his.  Anyone can grab Pro Tools and shove two songs together, but not everyone can do it well. 

“The Night Ripper” does it well. 

His album is now being ’sold’ over the internet, but can still be downloaded from various areas. He’s not looking to make a killing off his CD, he just wants you to come see his shows.  Maybe one day all music will be treated as such, but until then, check this out!