AWmusic

When I downloaded Super Mash Bros’ debut Album off their website and imported it into iTunes, the genre box was already filled in as “Awesome.” As arrogant and self-indulgent as that may sound, they live up to it. Self-described as “Girl Talk’s hot cousin,” this L.A. duo mixes songs together so fluently and effectively that they often end up improving on the originals.

However, they make sure to forge an identity that differentiates themselves from Girl Talk. The most obvious differences between Super Mash Bros and Girl Talk’s Gregg Gillis are the complexity of the songs and the number of samples used. Gillis favors dozens of samples in each song, layering and fusing them together to create what feels like an entirely original track. Super Mash Bros, on the other hand, never use more than ten samples in any one song. There are rarely more than three samples playing on top of one another, and most of the time, all they do is layer an acapella version of one song onto an instrumental version of another song. While it may not create the same originality as Gillis’s songs, this return to simplicity keeps the tracks fluid and unhindered, and paves the way for some outstanding mixes.

The best moments in any mashup album are when two seemingly opposite tracks mesh perfectly. Super Mash Bros fill their album with more of these moments than I thought humanly possible. What can you do but smile when E-40’s hyphy anthem ‘Tell Me When To Go’ layers over Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ ‘Come on Eileen’? Or when Jay-Z drops ‘99 Problems’ over Vanessa Carlton’s ‘A Thousand Miles’? In ‘I Fucking Bleed Purple And Gold’, Super Mash Bros even manage to put Eminem over MGMT! I’ll stop now; I don’t want to ruin all the surprises. Suffice to say that Super Mash Bros know how to seamlessly match tracks from different artists, genres, and decades.

In an album with so many different samples, there are naturally bound to be some from songs you don’t like. Unbelievably, Super Mash Bros even seem to make these more bearable. Today, I found myself shamelessly humming along to a sample from a Spice Girls song backing ‘Lean Like A Cholo’…I can’t stand either of those songs. Either I’m seriously ill, or Super Mash Bros have found a way to make songs i detest catchy and fun. And when they match up ‘Crank Dat’ and ‘Sandstorm’, they even manage to make painfully overplayed songs sound fresh.

While they might not be as skilled at mixing multiple intricate samples as some other mash-up artists out there, Super Mash Bros keep the party going consistently through the whole album. The CD brings you back, tossing in songs you haven’t heard for years, and makes you smile, flawlessly meshing entirely contrasting songs.

You can find out more about Super Mash Bros by visiting their myspace or facebook, or by following them on Twitter. You can also download the whole album for free at their website.

Super Mash Bros – D.G.A.F.L.Y.F
Super Mash Bros – I Fucking Bleed Purple And Gold
Super Mash Bros – Future Dads (Platinum Edition)

And here’s the first single off their upcoming album, All About The Scrillions:
Super Mash Bros – Kisses & Thugs

Tags: album