A side of the Beasties you may not know
jokamachi | california | 03/09/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There's no need to introduce these guys; every middle-class kid from the suburbs knows the Beastie Boys to some extent (and sadly, so do their mild-mannered neighbors), but it would seem that, since their inception, Adam and the boys have been doing something other than just drinking brassmonkey.
What the rest of us don't know is that, in addition to their role as rap idols, the Beasties are minor funk-masters in their own right. When they're not hurling nasally rap in your general direction, they're moonlighting as the house band for every 70's cop-show out there.
Fortunately, every track on this album is an instrumental and speaks to some kind of funky influence (think Medeski, Martin, and Wood lite), but the music is also extremely versatile. You could play it in any number of situations and feel satisfied. The boys have worn more than one hat over the years and I can't wait for the next album of this kind.
"
Um, YEAH! Jusbuyit!
David Coyne | 06/16/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ready for the real power minus the juvenile distraction of the vocals? Here ya go. This and the newer album, "The Mix Up", are great repeat listening fare. Money Mark plays a more central role in this music than on the other studio albums and proportionately-larger influence feels really good...
"Who knew?" will be the reaction of many after first hearing these guys play. The music is kinda-jazz; a little too deliberately funky and poppy to be taken as serious Jazz, but more listenable due to such supposed deficiency. Two thumbs up."