Beastie Boys: The Mix-Up
Friday, 29 Jun 2007 12:39
Beastie Boys go instrumental
Capitol Records, out June 25.
In a nutshell…
Wordless. Samples-less. Scratch-less.
What's it all about?
The twelve songs on The Mix-Up mesh into one giant instrumental soundtrack of polyphonic beats and tunes in typical Beastie Boys fashion. With an assortment of cow bells, tambourines and whistles, along with the traditional guitar, drum, bass and keyboard, Beastie Boys have managed to make a soundtrack of funky house and electro sure to satisfy the Super Mario Brothers generation.
Who's it by
New York's favourite borough boys are back, with a follow-up to 2004’s To The 5 Boroughs. But this time, it’s without the quipping lyrics. That’s right kids; it seems they’ve finally made a full instrumental album after their last foray into the instrumental-unknown way back in 1996 for The In Sound From Way Out. It features Diamond, Horovitz and Yaunch on drums, bass and guitar, with the help from keyboardist Money Mark and percussionist Alfredo Ortiz.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Strictly for fans, though they could score with the electro/house crowd. As for Beastie Boys at the Grammys? If there’s any justice in this world…
What the others say
“Our first impression: Manage your expectations” – Rolling Stone
“Here, the Beasties get half the equation right; as the tepid reaction to To the 5 Boroughs illustrated, not too many people want to hear them rap any more. The other half of the concept is somewhat questionable though, i.e. do we really want to hear what the Beastie Boys sound like as a band?”– pitchforkmedia.com
So is it any good?
Nothing by the Beastie Boys can be bad but honestly, it didn’t blow my safety suit off. Straight up, it’s hard to tell whether this album was warranted. What we’ve been given is a "sample-less, scratch-less and wordless" compilation that ends up sounding a bit hollow. There’s just not enough of that real, raw energy the Beastie Boys usually bring, despite the clapping and cries of "Yeah" in the background of some of the tracks.
What we’re left with is a great after-party soundtrack - something to put on after a night out, when going to sleep is not an option. It's music to set the scene: an accompaniment of noise that doubles as a make-out soundtrack for the Nu-Rave crowd. Then again, maybe it gets better after a few drinks?
5/10
Louise Cadell
Agree with this review? Have a different opinion? Let us know your thoughts (without being too abusive to our poor reviewers please) and we'll post the best ones on the site.