To the 5 boroughs

Almost certainly voted “Most Unlikely to become Hip-Hop Superstars” in their middle-class New York high school yearbook, the three members of the Beastie Boys are all nearing the big-four-oh, but don’t seem to be slowing down in the least.

It’s been a long six years since their last release, ‘Hello Nasty’, and in a music world dominated by brooding, introspective rock and manufactured pop the Beastie Boys are certainly no longer setting the trends for popular music. Like many musicians approaching middle age at an alarming rate, the Beasties have turned to their musical roots for inspiration on ‘To The 5 Boroughs’.

If you haven’t heard the early BB albums like ‘Ill Communication’ and ‘Check Your Head’, this means you should expect a sonic jumble of old school rap and hard punk beats and guitars. Leaving behind the heavy reliance on samples and turntables of ‘Hello Nasty’, ‘To The 5 Boroughs’ feels more stripped down, with some great live drumming and programming providing much of the backing for the rapid-fire rapping. That said, veteran partner in crime and turntable supremo, Mix Master Mike, is back for another extended round of scratchin’ and beats…

Old-school punk riffs and solid basslines form the backbone of ‘To The 5 Boroughs’, but the flesh and bones comes, as usual, from the Beastie Boys’ trademark blend of bizarre lyrics, in-jokes and general verbal tomfoolery. Often witty, frequently unintelligible, but always entertaining, BB fans won’t be disappointed with the lyrical offering on this album.

When they first started out in the late eighties, all the Beastie Boys wanted to fight for was their right to party, but with age comes wisdom and nowadays the Beasties make no bones about their political views. Adam Yauch (aka MCA) was instrumental in founding the annual Free Tibet concert in New York, but in a US election year they’ve turned their attention to George ‘Dubya’ Bush.

‘It Takes Time To Build’ doesn’t beat around the bush (no pun intended) as to what they think of the 53rd president of the United States:

“We’ve got a president we didn’t elect
(but he does look hot in a flight suit)
The Kyoto Treaty he decided to neglect…”

“…Maybe it’s time that we impeach Tex
and the military muscle that he wants to flex
By the time Bush is done, what will be left?”

Although the Beastie’s are in good form on ‘To The 5 Boroughs’, it’s probably the least exciting musically of their recent albums. While there are few stand-out tracks (the first single, 'Ch-Check it Out', is definitely the most accessible track on the album), there are no disappointments, making ‘To The 5 Boroughs’ an enjoyable listen from start to finish.