Some artists make sure their albums are released in conjunction with a well-constructed tour plan, while others make marketing efforts their primary focus. But it takes a truly modern artist to release an album with a prepared legal defense.

Such is the case with Girl Talk, the nom de stage of Pittsburgh's Gregg Gills. Gills' work is largely sample-based, often incorporating dozens of popular song snippets in an effort to create a single new work -- the entire Top 40 squeezed into one track. It's certainly an approach that's open to (legal) interpretation.

You can catch Girl Talk's legendarily loony live show with Panacea at Toad's Place on Friday. The doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.-- Ryan Muldoon