Beastie Boys

Their last record was a little questionable, so it’s a bit of a curve ball that the Beastie Boys are dropping a live band instrumental effort when they should be making good on their hip-hop legacy. Past moments where the band returned to their early beginnings and picked up their instruments usually resulted in funk jazz and punk rock, and The Mix-Up sort of falls into the same category, but it’s executed in a much more interesting and detailed manner. The Boys sound much tighter and the song diversity makes for an interesting lesson, ranging from psychedelic dub moments to the usual jam sessions we’ve come to expect, but with a more raw and fuzzed out sound, one similar to the Meters or Kool and the Gang. Not everything works on The Mix-Up, such as the jazzy punk sound of "14th Street Break” or the similar vibe found on "The Rate Cage,” which sort of sounds like parakeets in a pet shop, at times. There are a number of nice break beats provided by Mike D and the overall program is probably one of the best the Beastie Boys have put together in this context. This is usually the kind of stuff that makes you take a washroom break at their live shows but you have to hand it to the Beastie Boys for being able to make such a strong attempt and successfully pull off a pretty dope funk record.