Music review: Beastie Boys show their funky, instrumental side on CD ‘The Mix-UpÂ’
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/06/2007 (6740 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
(AP) – The Beastie Boys are musically all grown up.
It was a big deal when the New York trio played their own instruments on’92’s “Check Your Head,” rather than relying on the hip-hop, rock and soul samples that made up their first two records.
The Boys have come so far that on “The Mix-Up,” their seventh studio effort, they leave samples – and words – behind. Instead, Adam Horovitz (guitar), Adam Yauch (bass) and Michael Diamond (drums), along with percussionist Alfredo Ortiz and “Keyboard Money Mark” Nishita, groove through a dozen funky instrumental tracks reminiscent of those on “Check Your Head” and “Ill Communication.”
Their instrumental style is a hybrid of jazz, funk and rock, heavy on bongos, organ and wah-wah guitar. There’s the spacey, almost ambient “The Gala Event,” with its haunting piano refrain, and the rocking “The Cousin of Death,” all drums and distortion. A wah-wah riff tops a walking bass line on “Electric Worm.” Organs dominate several tracks, including the conga-laced “The Melee” and opening track “B For My Name,” which sounds like it could be background music for a ’70s drama.
The album has a loping, groovy vibe, but like a just-for-fun jam session, it doesn’t really go anywhere. It meanders around then blends into the background. There’s no question Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D. have grown musically, but they’re at their best when they use words too. Their crafty, smart-and-silly lyrics are a big part of their charm, and a few rhymes might have made “The Mix-Up” more than background noise.
CHECK THIS SINGLE OUT: The Beasties mix a surf rhythm with organs and bongos on “The Rat Cage.”
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Beastie Boys
“The Mix-Up” (Capitol)