Beastie Boys - To the 5 Buroughs

Sounds Like:Every single one of their previous albums.

See Also:Every single one of their previous albums.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Check it out. Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-What's it all about? Here's the thing: It's not exactly that I think the Beastie Boys are good or bad. I just think they're really strange.

But maybe that's the attraction. They were, after all, the first white rap group. "White people can rap," you ask? Maybe not. But they try. And apparently that's all that matters.

Overall, I like the Beastie Boys. They have a raw borderline junkie crazy sound to them.

To me they are like Tenacious D - you can't fully enjoy them unless you assume they are kidding on some level. And when you finally realize that they are making music with some self-awareness of how lame they are, the music is all the more fun to listen to. But if you never figure it out, you, like so many others, are left to wonder why they are selling so many goddamn records.

When I popped in their new album, I was transported to the days of Hello Nasty. Perhaps its because the music sounds exactly like their previous album. Or perhaps it's because the music has not grown with the times. Who knows.

Still, the music is fun. Lame, but fun. The one difference between this album and their previous is that one of the rappers (I can never tell them apart) sounds like he contracted the "old lady smoker voice." Kind of puts everything into perspective, doesn't it? This life is fleeting.

The song "If it Takes Time to Build" is really politically motivated. I had no idea that Jewish rappers could be such conservative Bush supporters. It was not at all what I expected. The line "We should impeach Tex ... " Oh. Never mind. I get it.

In the song "Shazam!" we are all given an opportunity to listen to the best lyrics ever written. Wait for it ... "I sneak a chicken tikka masala at a gala event. I represent. That's stupid, that's for sure. You be like 'oh yeah Adam, real mature.'" Just because two words rhyme, doesn't mean they should be thrown together. Not only do these rhymes suck, so does chicken marsala.

Overall, the lyrics don't make any goddamn sense. The beat is great, the vocals could be better, but the lyrics do not work for me. I need substance. I need greatness. I need some semblance of sanity. It's frustrating not understanding what the hell the group is talking about. Okay, it's not that bad all the time, but it's a lot of the time to be sure.

This is certainly an interesting time for music. There are so many new groups but they all sound similar to one another. The Beastie Boys aren't from this time, and they are unique in a sea of sameness. We should all appreciate them for that. I know I do.

The Beastie Boys are classic. Some are uncertain as to why. I'm not. They developed their own sound. And even if they haven't been able to grow away from it, it is still theirs and always will be.