Most Prolific Artists of the Decade: #11-20

Our latest list-- the Most Prolific Artists of the Decade-- looks to chronicle the most important (for better or for worse) artists of the decade. For one reason or another, be it their positive (or negative) cultural significance, landmark moments for music, staying power or otherwise, these artists mattered a great deal this decade.

In no way is this a list of our favorites of the decade. On the contrary, many of our favorites are not present, while others whom we're actually not fans of, have made the list. So without further ado, check out our the fourth part of our Most Prolific Artists list below. Next to each artist's name, you'll see a basic numeric list of all primary recordings this decade. For many of these, their impact should probably be self-explanatory. Enjoy, and if you haven't yet read our list of the Best Songs of 2009, or Best Albums of the Decade, read up on those too.

20. Danger Mouse -- 4 LPs (as artist by name; Most recent: Dark Night of the Soul), Gnarls Barkley -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2008's The Odd Couple), Danger Doom -- 2 LPs

19. Usher -- 3 LPs (Most recent: 2008's Here I Stand)

18. Timbaland -- 2 LPs (as artist by name; Most recent: 2009's Timbaland Presents Shock Value II)

17. Modest Mouse -- 3 LPs (Most recent: 2007's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank)/2 EPs

16. Beyonce -- 3 LPs (Most recent: 2008's I Am... Sasha Fierce)/3 EPs, Destiny's Child -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2004's Destiny Fulfilled)/1 EP

15. Wu-Tang Clan -- 3 LPs (Most recent: 2007's 8 Diagrams), RZA (3 LPs), GZA (4 LPs), Method Man (3 LPs), Raekwon (2 LPs), Ghostface Killah (7 LPs), Inspectah Deck (4 LPs), Masta Killa (2 LPs), U-God (2 LPs)

14. Coldplay -- 4 LPs (Most recent: 2008's Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends)/3 EPs

13. Eminem -- 4 LPs (Most recent: 2009's Relapse), D12 -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2004's D12 World)

12. Ben Gibbard -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2009's One Fast Move or I'm Gone), Death Cab for Cutie -- 5 LPs (Most recent: 2008's Narrow Stairs)/5 EPs, The Postal Service (1 LP), All-Time Quarterback (1 LP)

11. Girl Talk -- 4 LPs (Most recent: 2008's Feed the Animals)/2 EPs

[Previously on Animal Noises: Most Prolific Artists of the Decade: #21-30]

Best of 2008: #23, Girl Talk

Rank: #23

Album: Feed the Animals

Artist: Girl Talk

Label: Illegal Art

Continuing our list, number 23 is the oft-talked about Girl Talk, (a.k.a.- Greg Gillis) and his new record, Feed the Animals.  I'll admit, I didn't see the initial appeal of the album- a lengthy collection of mixes, released free online (a la Radiohead's In Rainbows).  Upon completing the album for the first time though, way back during the summer, it was apparent to me.  This album has more energy than just about anything you'll listen to- this year or any other.  It's definitely your type of record if you're one of those people who rarely listens to songs all the way through.  Gillis' music ADD here is what drives you through the 14-track tribute to musical expression.

In my opinion, the best part of Feed the Animals has got to be the large varieties of music sampled.  I don't have the time to amass a final count, but the wikipedia listing on the album looks to be somewhere in the hundreds.  The opener, "Play Your Part (Pt. 1)" , alone takes from 25 different tracks, spanning from Ludacris to Twisted Sister to Rage Against the Machine.  With so much music to comprehend per track, I wouldn't recommend listening to it while doing work or trying to relax.  However, if you're looking for something fun to dance to, or just hang out and have a good time with- this is, without a doubt, your record of choice.  Ask my former colleague Heath, who's probably listened to this album around 50 times (haha).  Though I don't feel you'll need a comparison to want to check this out, see The Hood Internet, The Kleptones, and DJ Danger Mouse.

Best Track: "What It's All About"

Guilty as charged

Artist: Beck
Album: Modern Guilt
Release date: July 8
Label: Interscope Records

I need to stop expecting Beck to make a record as good as Sea Change. The dark, mellow Sea Change was one of the, if not the, best albums of 2002. So to expect Mr. Hansen to match that is unfair.

But with his new, minimalist homage to psychedelic records of the 1960s, he comes oh so close. Produced by Danger Mouse, Modern Guilt is a quick (33 minutes), fun and, most importantly, great album from Beck.

The album’s cover says a lot about the way this record sounds and the way Beck wants it to be perceived. Nothing but skinny jeans and pointy boots. Minimalist, just like the 10 sometimes-folksy, sometimes-downtrodden, sometimes-trippy songs on Modern Guilt.

The first half of the album is a masterpiece. When I got to the toe-tapping, too-catchy title track, I thought he had done it. I thought he had surpassed himself. “Modern Guilt” is far and away the standout track on this album. Like all of Sea Change, this song gives us an afraid, hurt and exposed Beck: “I feel uptight when I walk in the city/I feel so cold when I'm at home/Feels like everything's starting to hit me/I lost my bet ten minutes ago.”

The songs that precede “Modern Guilt” are up to snuff with some of Beck’s best stuff, too. “Gamma Ray” is a bouncy track with a thumping guitar about the end of the world: “Trying to hold, hold out for now/With these ice caps melting down.”

“Chemtrails” is an airy ballad about, again, poor Beck feeling all alone and wondering about the afterlife: “So many people/So many people/Where do they go?”

But after the greatness of “Modern Guilt,” it’s hard to really get into the rest of the album. They’re not bad songs by any stretch of the imagination. “Walls” – a poppy ditty about hunger for war – is some of Beck’s best songwriting on the entire album: “You got warheads stacked in the kitchen/You treat distraction like an ancient religion.”

But the back half of this album was just a let down after the perfect opening four songs. It’s still by far his best work since Sea Change, but it ends up being half perfection, the rest just great.

Score: 8.0/10
Stand-out tracks: Modern Guilt, Gamma Ray, Chemtrails, Walls

***

Track of the week:
Girl Talk – Still Here



Pittsburgh-based DJ Gregg Gillis decided to go the pay-what-you-want Radiohead route with his latest collection of mashups, Feed the Animals. It is one of the best albums of the year so far, and this track is a perfect example of why.

Imagine this: BLACKStreet’s “No Diggity” mixed over the synths of Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights” then over the percussion-heavy intro of Radiohead’s “15 Step.” Then all of a sudden you segue into The Band’s classic “The Weight” mashed up with the shouting of Webbie’s “Independent” and Young Joc’s proclamation of “We’re Goin’ Down.”

And that’s just a minute-and-a-half section of this song. And if you get confused about what exactly it is you’re hearing, don’t worry, the music nerds at Wikipedia have you covered.

This is music ADD and it’s mind-blowing.

To hear the track, go here and pay what you want for Feed The Animals.