The Beastie Boys have the number one record in America. Believe it or not despite my recent CD buying binge it's one I didn't buy -- and I own all five of their previous albums. Their hip-hop hi-jinks have always been a guilty pleasure for me. But for some reason, what I've heard of the new CD, From The Five Boroughs, just hasn't grabbed me. I've downloaded a few sample tracks but, while the rhyming is solid and the old attitude is there, they just aren't really jazzing me like "Intergalactic" or "Whatcha Want" did as singles. I guess I'm age-ist but I suddenly view the BB as a nostalgia act. The word is that this album is more "stripped-down" hip-hop and lacking the rich samples, jazzy breaks and free-form experimentation that made their last few albums such a joy for me. And while I'm as down with left-leaning politics as everyone, the Beasties have usually been pretty ham-fisted and lack subtlety when they start trying to get political, which seems to be a big theme with this record. ("I'm getting kinda tired of this situation/the U.S. attacking other nations" -- ehhhhh) I'll probably get "Boroughs" sooner or later in some form but for now it just isn't a priority.
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