The mash-up phenomenon -- in which lyrics and music from two different artists hook up for absurd one-song stands -- has been raging for the past few years, but the Evolution Control Committee started it with 1993's "Rebel without a Pause (Whipped Cream Mix)." On that platter, these Ohio pranksters spliced a rap from Public Enemy's Chuck D to a cheesy Herb Alpert tune. Cue cheap yuks. It's doubtful ECC's members thought their audio tomfoolery would spawn a worldwide craze. But their most infamous prank -- "Rocked by Rape," in which Dan Rather utters a litany of calamity to AC/DC's metal classic "Back in Black" -- launched ECC into mass consciousness (and into trouble with CBS lawyers). Unfortunately, the bulk of Plagiarhythm Nation sounds better in theory (and on pot) than on disc. Most of these 29 tracks are merely silly. But sometimes ECC's wacky juxtaposition of words and sounds is so illogical that it makes a higher kind of sense (e.g., "I Don't Care," a hilarious collage of fourteen pop artists singing the title phrase).
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