Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys
The Mix-Up
(EMI)
The Beastie Boys demonstrated their live instrumental chops on now-classic albums such as 1994’s Ill Communication. Thirteen years later the trio goes all instrumental on The Mix-Up. And do they ever mix it up. They come out of the gate with a STAX-soul-like track, “B For My Name,” and move quickly into spy soundtrack thriller “14th Street Break” and follow that up with the dub-tinged “Suco de Tangerina.” This is boss shit. But to be fair, the album often sounds like Money Mark, the longtime Beastie keyboard collaborator, particularly his 2001 album Change is Comin’. It’s fun, but overall, The Mix-Up basically sounds like part two.
Sean Flinn