Silence of the Beastie Boys

It’s difficult to imagine a group replicating the career of The Beastie Boys. From drunken hip hop hooligans to socially conscious music mavericks, Adam Yauch, Adam Horovitz, and Michael Diamond have been in the spotlight for the last 21 years. Their sound has shifted and evolved and has been in a constant state of reinvention. While the Beastie Boys influences are myriad, their songs are always original.

It’s big news whenever The Beastie Boys go back into the studio. For me there are not many artists who create excitement when they release a new CD. But when I heard The Beasties were working on an all instrumental project, my enthusiasm was more restrained.

Although it is great that The Beastie Boys are playing instruments again. "Hello Nasty" and "To The Five Burroughs" were both excellent hip hop works, but neither reached the high water marks of "Check Your Head" and "Ill Communication". Those earlier CDs, which deftly combine old school rap with funky lounge riffs, both reside on my Top 10 all time list.

With “The Mix Up”, their new all instrumental release conjures up all the great vibes you experienced while jamming to their funk flavored tunes in the early 90’s. All the songs are smooth and will put you in carefree state of mind. Since I'm not a musician, I can't really get into details of specific guitar or bass or drum riffs, but I do know when their cumulative effect connects with you on a deeper level. And The Beasties achieve that with "The Mix Up". The music is polished, the arrangements are tight, and it creates a hipster atmosphere that no clothing store on Melrose or club in West Hollywood could duplicate.

But now onto the negative. As much as I think it's ironic and cool that a rap group could put out all instrumental CD, it really makes me wish "The Mix Up" was Disc one of a Double CD. Because The Beastie Boys are great rhymers and storytellers, and not getting their brilliant lyrics is a disappointment. No words wouldn't bother me that much if The Beastie Boys released something every year or two. But, including this new one, they've put out only 3 studio releases in 13 years. Also, the total running time of "The Mix Up" is only 42 minutes.

But, I have to judge this CD on its own, and “The Mix Up” is damn good. I've listened to it several times over the last few weeks and will continue to enjoy these funky grooves for years to come. It makes me hope The Beastie Boys creative juices are once again flowing and maybe their next work will come sooner and be more substantial.