It’s 2006, and “The Grey Album” is a distant memory.

The imaginative, but illegal, combination of The Beatles’ “White Album” and Jay-Z’s “Black Album” landed DJ Danger Mouse a court order, a lawsuit from Sony and truckloads of publicity.

In similar fashion, Greg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) has made a name for himself ignoring U.S. copyright laws. Girl Talk’s label, Illegal Art, isn’t concerned with litigation. Like Gillis, they just want to party.

On “Night Ripper,” Gillis zips, splits, splices and cuts 150 unclear samples, dropping more names than Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” The pervasive theme of “Night Ripper” is pop excess.

Gillis moves from Jeezy to Peter Frampton back to Ying Yang twins at a zippity do da pace. Samples longer than seven seconds are rare, and transitions between cuts are anything but logical in sequence.

Gillis occasionally slows the pace to direct attention to a standout rapper. These moments are the most rewarding of the album. Slim Thug sounds great with Oasis. The Biggie Smalls-Elton John combination is sublime.

For all of its successes, there are bound to be some missteps on “Night Ripper.” Gillis often plants the seeds of his own demise. The rapid change of pace leads to clumsy transitions and amalgamations. Gillis accelerates vocal tracks to match the beat, resulting in a clunky Alvin and the Chipmunks effect.

In other instances, Gillis forces inappropriate samples into the mix. Neutral Milk Hotel doesn’t require a mix tape treatment.

“Night Ripper” is a product of the current social climate of pop music. The sales of quick music bites (i.e. ringtones) are rising at an alarming rate, while sales of full-length CDs are dropping. Top 40 artists wash away in a couple of weeks like they never existed. The rising tide of iPod culture trumps the value of songs in their entirety – with convenience comes commoditization.

Simply put, “Night Ripper” is a sign of the times.

Greg Gillis deserves a sip of Cristal poured out in his name. Let’s indulge in the frivolous pursuit of pop while we still can. Don’t wait for the last 30 seconds when you know the chorus is the best part. Don’t sit when you can dance.

Cody Gaspard can be reached at [email protected].