When I reviewed Beastie Boys’ To The 5 Boroughs, I lamented there seemed to be something missing, and noted that it could be the instrumentals. Well, after a slight 3 year gap, we have a new Beastie’s album that is entirely instrumental, and it indeed does fill a gap that is sorely missed.
The Beastie’s instrumentals have always been pretty unique in their sound, and this album is no different. Blending a mix of genres, the whole album is full of wonderful tunes that reflect all the Beastie’s influences. There are tracks like Kangaroo Rat which are clearly influenced by the 1970s funky police show sound tracks, whilst Freaky Hijiki, reflect a more psychedelic surfer laced guitar tracks. Dramastically Different has an almost Middle Eastern feel to it.
Suco De Tangerina, is a nod to the Latin guitarists, and The Gala Event, is a slower, deeper track that wouldn’t be amiss on a “trip hop” compilation from the 90s. Then there’s tracks like Off the Grid, which starts out slow and funky, then drops into a wall of noise that recalls their punk roots. The Rat Cage has a post-punk mentality, with its heavy driving bass making me recall the Pixies every time I hear it begin.
One of my favourite aspects of the album is the sense of fun injected into the record. The muted chatting between the songs, the whistling and cheering at the end of songs, and the hand claps to the beats and random blow whistle blasts give a real sense that this is just the boy’s jamming in a garage, rather than locked up in a studio doing take after take.
Some people might not like the laid back attitude of the songs, especially considering their previous hits, but I enjoy the languid beats and funky wah guitar sounds and groovy Rhodes keyboard sounds. This isn’t the sound of aging hiphop stars who refuse to go out ungracefully, nor a group catering to an audience that’s grown old with them, but a group of people who wanted to do something different and have fun doing it.