Quick, Before It Melts.

History has given us many examples of how to popular culture can become both the medium for mediocrity and the muse for masterpieces. After all, Andy Warhol co-opted what already existed and created a new aesthetic in art, why should music not be any different?

That's what Gregg Gillis, also known as Girl Talk, has done with his sampled remixes that take everything from 50 Cent to Twisted Sister and puts it through a digital meat grinder; what comes out on the other end is an extended send-up of some of the most recognizable moments in pop and rock over the last 20 years and contemporary hip-hop. It's quite intoxicating stuff to listen to, actually, especially for someone like me who doesn't really listen to a lot of hip-hop and rap; I love listening for the obscure samples, like The Go-Go's, Journey, The Cure, and Ace of Base, that give Girl Talk's record so much colour and life.

You've probably heard by now that Girl Talk and it's label, Illegal Art, are "pulling an In Rainbows" for Gillis's latest magnum opus, Feed The Animals, in that the consumer can decide what he or she is willing to pay for the album. Customers are greeted with a fill-in-the-blanks price text box, and the following information to help them choose what they'll pay:

"any price grants the download of the entire album as high-quality 320kbps mp3s
$5 or more adds the options of FLAC files, plus a one-file seamless mix of the album
$10 or more includes all of the above + a packaged CD (when it becomes available)"

In light of the Radiohead comparison, it's worth noting that around 10 minutes into the seamless mix (which is the track named "Still Here" if you're going by the divided album), a sample of "15 Step" from In Rainbows crops up, and a bit later on there's some "Paranoid Android" thrown into the mix, too; a sonic salute of sorts?