The Mix-Up features a sticker on its digi-pack casing: “Their first-ever full album of all-new instrumental material”. What it should have read is similar, but a lot clearer: “If you’re one of the weirdoes who reckons The In Sound From The Way Out! is the Beasties’ best LP, this is for you”.
Beastie Boys are a rap group, but this is not a rap album; the trio’s past forays into instrumental territories – most prominent on the albums Check Your Head and Ill Communication, and collected on the aforementioned compilation of 1996 – were of debateable quality, and this dub-heavy instru-funk offering is unlikely to change the opinions of those reaching for their skip buttons whenever ‘Sabrosa’ trickles onto the home stereo. It is what it is: an album of instrumental music from three men not known for their instrumental records, particularly. It’s nothing other than black and white: there are no depths here, nothing but a wash of background noise to complement some late-night doobie toking.
There really is little else that needs adding; there are no layers to peel, no undertones worth a considered second listen. The Mix-Up isn’t bad, but nor is it really good; it doesn’t split opinion because there’s really not all that much to it. It’s purely incidental material that goes nowhere for a dozen tracks and ends with just as much fuss as it began, i.e. none. If you’re a fan of the band you’ll buy it because it’s Beasties branded, but consumers wanting rapping from their rappers are advised to save their pennies for a proper B-Boys LP, as and when (and if!) one surfaces.
yeah, but the thing is
the Beastie Boys are terrible rappers, or at least deeply annoying rappers. And they've been like that for ages. Maybe even they've realised it now
I honestly find it very difficult to listen to their songs involving rapping nowadays. Give me In 3's or a rappingless vocal track like Namaste and i'll be far happier. And those ones are from perhaps their best album. Don't get me started on the lameass shit on Hello Nasty or 5 Boroughs.
Frankly, i was thus quite intrigued by this release and am pretty wary of your review score (since you actually *want* to hear them rapping, so what do you know?) I'm still vaguely intrigued, since this seems like the only Beastie Boys album i could comfortably sit through nowadays
^ twat
suck my balls
no
it wasn't a request
what was it then?
an order
:D
here here
i listened to the whole thing online today, on the brookynvegan site. it's good - much better for not having the vocals, in my opinion (each to their own).
seriously - i do not hate EVERYTHING. i like this!!
would you say
this release is VERY DIFFERENT from past releases AlbinoPeni5?
Hmm
I would - and it is... in a sense. Would you?
:(
I'm intrigued - and am going to see them at Brixton later this year. Whooo hooo me.
yeah, me too
i worry that this'll mean more instrumental stuff during the set, but they will no doubt play enough awesome classics to make it a sweet night.
i thought the roundhouse was the instrumental show
and brixton was greatest hits
I really like
the in sound from way out.
watched them live they are annoying when they rap
and it was ok when they play instrumental.
The Last Word
Anyone who claims the Beastie Boys are "deeply annoying" rappers obviously doesn't know much about rap music.
oh yeah, obviously
fuckwit
An icarian level of philosophical debate, indeed
Well, that's got me writhing in the grip of reason, hasn't it. Your erudition does you credit, sir, along with your eagerness to expose yourself as the very article you purport others to be.
well..
since your statement is so clearly incorrect i thought a sarcastic comment and insult would suffice
how exactly does finding the Beastie Boys deeply annoying mean i know nothing about rap? its almost completely removed from any notion of knowledge or understanding of hip hop. Sure, they do some things right and have some technical skill, but it doesn't mean they're not highly annoying in terms of their lyrics and delivery and in terms of charisma/personality. At least in my view
But of course, people having views on music is BAD, if they don't like something they must know nothing about that style of music
fuckwit
Oh no! He called me a bad name! Again!
Since my statement is so "clearly incorrect" you thought you would do nothing to disprove it and instead resort to surreptiously (Yet falsely) crediting me with sweepingly irrelevant generalisations, "people having views on music is BAD" that I have never given credence to and yet more puerile, ad hominem namecalling.
Here's a moment of clarity that may go some way towards piercing the copulation obsessed murk of your none-too-savoury thought processes. Finish, if you will, the following sentence, preferably without the compound expletive of which you seem so tediously fond - "The Beastie Boys are highly annoying in terms of their lyrics and delivery because . . ."
Once you've shown sufficient congnisance of the subject matter to frame an argument in a way that has some empirical meaning then, perhaps, we'll talk.
>>
'But of course, people having views on music is BAD, if they don't like something they must know nothing about that style of music
fuckwit'
Look, sarcasm followed by an insult. A little reference to something i mentioned previously in my post, and certainly something i'd expect a person of your massive intellect to notice. But fairly irrelevant to my concerns stated, though its what you've chosen to centre almost your entire responding post on. You've completely failed to answer my question regarding exactly how my finding them irritating bears any significance on how much i know about hip hop. In fact, all you've done in your post is danced around trying to take the intellectual high ground.
Oh look, a point! You want to know precisely why i find them 'highly annoying in terms of their lyrics and delivery'? Well why didn't you just say so man? I often find their lyrics to be very clumsy, cramming in words and phrases which sound completely out of place and very silly. Plus they often subscribe to the Beck tactic of throwing together a load of non-sequiter phrases which are supposed to make them seem interesting and abstract but often just look unnecessary and yes, clumsy. And when they're trying to put forth 'a message' they have the lightness of touch of a rapist, making themselves look really quite foolish.
In terms of delivery they aren't the worst rappers ever and have a perfectly good flow. But i find their tone to be particularly unenjoyable, overly whiny and nasal and unpleasant to listen to. They're also fairly one sided in terms of rap delivery, often sticking to the same meteric system and often overusing various tactics such as the simultaneous group shout for the last word of each line. And they often place a lot of emphasis on the most clumsy and embarrasing of their lyrics, which is certainly detrimental to any of the better lyrical touches which sandwich them.
Now, you may not agree with the points i've made, but frankly it doesn't matter. This is my opinion on them and it goes some way to describing why i find them irritating. I've also said that i can see positives in their rapping but as a whole its not something i enjoy.
Finallyu, i'm really not sure why you're trying to to bring 'empirical meaning' into the appreciation of art, since its entirely debateable that all forms of artistic critical analysis are subjective and indefinite. But thats a completely different debate, and not one i'm prepared to get into with a person as patronising and infuriating as yourself. Plus i've got a job which i'm supposed to be doing now
Good day sir
Getting in a stew
"The Beastie Boys are terrible rappers"
"they [The Beastie Boys]aren't the worst rappers ever.
That's quite a stew of contradiction you've managed to immire yourself in, isn't it?
quoting things out of context/arguing over semantics:
the last refuge of a man unwilling to admit defeat
I said 'The Beastie Boys are terrible rappers, or at least deeply annoying rappers'. Not only have i made a concession there, but me calling them terrible rappers in this case refers to the entire package of their vocal qualities (specifically rapping rather than singing or whatever), which encompasses their delivery, flow, lyrical content, personality, charisma and anything else which you might want to class as their 'rapping'. And overall i think they are 'terrible, or at least deeply annoying'
The second quote was clearly talking about the delivery aspect of their rapping, and specifically their flow (this was implied at least). And of course this is just a small part of their entire package.
I really think you should drop it now
oh for gods sake
get a room you two. yes these days mike d sounds ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED and all that but i found this a bit dull.
just protecting my honour
...
well...
... i thought this album was kinda neat really.