Mashups have always been fun. Typically, it involves someone taking two tracks and putting them together…and calling it art. Some people, like Greg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) like to take this a step further. On last year’s unbelievably fun ride Feed The Animals, Gillis managed to cover almost thirty years in only fourteen tracks. And while Gillis has become the most popular ‘supreme mashup’ artist (I just made that term up right now), he has some stiff competition in Ethan Ward (aka E-603). Ward realized sleeper surprise Something For Everyone last year, and is back with his follow-up Torn Up – an album that feels a lot like Feed the Animals…only a year later.
The similarities are easy to make between the two not because of the styles (actually, their styles couldn’t be more different – Gillis is clearly a pop kid, while Ward likes to dig deep into different cultures), but because of the prominent samples both artists tend to use. Of course, the usual hip-hop/rap/pop selections are there, which is where the similarities occur. Artists like Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, and Soulja Boy are featured in full form on each release. It is obvious that these artists are necessary for the listener to really connect, but because of Torn Up being released over a half year after Feed The Animals, you expect some of the samples to lead to something specific. Instead, they go somewhere else, which sometimes leaves Torn Up feeling a little flat.
But what E-603 lacks in timing (in terms of the album’s release), he makes up for with a greater variation in style. He is willing to take risks, and it pays off more often than not. There are more than a few instances on Torn Up where he surprises you with something from Disturbed, Sum 41, Blink 182, Limp Bizkit, or Nirvana, among others. Additionally, he likes to experiment with a lot of smaller indie bands (Math the Band, We Are Scientists, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and tends to sample mainly from the last ten years, while Girl Talk likes to pull samples out of the vault.
Despite the similarities, and despite the differences, Torn Up is a solid release that helps set E-603 up for the same level of stardom that Girl Talk has received. And while it is more current than Feed The Animals, Torn Up doesn’t have as many parts that make you smile because of the brilliance (although Ward’s mix of “Poker Face” and “Kids” is brilliant, much like the Weezer cover).
(7.7/10)
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