Return of the Beasties: The Brouhaha

To The 5 Boroughs - Review

When he released his much anticipated reunion album with the E-Street Band in 2003, multi-platinum artist Bruce Springsteen introduced his fans to a dark and somber work that characterized his feelings regarding the attacks on the Twin Towers. His album, The Rising distinguished the artist’s newly revealed opinions on the heated controversies and social issues that marked the day. But he wasn’t the first, and surely not the last to express such views. Since then everyone from Bono to Sparta, Radiohead and the Flaming Lips have taken the time to address their concerns both publicly and musically regarding the world’s current state of affairs. Their opinions are ardent and their views nothing short of strong.
Now flash back six years to 1998. The Beastie Boys have just unleashed their latest studio masterpiece, Hello Nasty, a wild, frenzied marriage of rock, hip hop and rap. The beats are bombastic, and the rhymes silly. With videos for their devastatingly popular singles, Body Movin’ and Intergalactic, the Beasties prove to fans everywhere that they’re just out to have a good time.
But after Hello Nasty nothing happened. Six years dwindled by. The world changed. The kids who had listened to the Beasties in high school grew up, possibly got married, moved on and got jobs. Divisive social elements struck hard worldwide and still the Beastie Boys remained silent. Bruce Springsteen and a plethora of other artists released their so-called defining works on the events surrounding September 11th, 2001. But on June 15th, 2004 the Beasties kept quiet no more.

There had been talk for months on end of a new Beasties album, but to actually hold it in your hands is nothing short of surreal. Also surreal is the very serious, social conscious views expressed on this album. As previously noted, the Beasties were known by their strictly party attitude. They often had smart, witty concepts and rhymes, but to see them throw their lot in with such artists as Springsteen and others by commenting upon the tragedies of September 11th is unexpected.
If that weren’t enough of a shock to the system, listeners will also be taken back by the album’s sparse, nearly void sonic landscape. Hello Nasty was vivid, lush. Its beats, samples and loops oftentimes borderline overcrowded. But on To The 5 Boroughs the Beasties have room to spare in their empty, almost hollow sounding hip-hop elegies. Surely, both the politicking and emptiness are intentional and reflective of the album’s subject matter: the ultimate dirge to New York and current events.
Yet, despite being expressed with deep conviction and feeling, the political opinions and social views become tiresome. While it’s certainly nice to hear the views of a group of artists you love and respect it’s a little bewildering to hear them express basically the same thing as everyone else.
True, their slanders of Bush and his companions are delivered in the typical Beasties fashion, “Is the U.S. gonna keep breaking necks? Maybe its time we impeach Tex. By the time Bush is done, what will be left?”. It’s just a bit surprising to find out that such views could be expressed in the typical Beasties fashion.
Take it as you receive it I suppose, there may be some who will find their political focused rapping conducive and enjoyable. Personally, I’d much rather hear rhymes more consistent with the theme developed in the lead single, Ch-Check It Out.

But how are the songs themselves you ask? Well, after waiting six years for new Beasties material, anxiously hoping that their next album would be as good as Hello Nasty, if not better, I can sum up the music itself in one all-encompassing word: Great.
The sparseness is bound to turn some people off to the record, but others will see it for what it truly is, the defining element. Check Your Head had its musical diversity, Ill Communication its groves, and Hello Nasty its sheer complexity. But To The 5 Boroughs will thoroughly be defined by its sparseness. And all for the better I say.
The loops and samples exude a vicious edginess and mood unlike any other Beasties effort. The beats, although simplistic, are genuinely catchy and even a bit clever. And although I haven’t gotten the chance to listen to the album on a true sound-system, I’m sure that these songs, when properly backed up by lots of base, will absolutely blaze.
One song of note I’d like to mention is “An Open Letter to New York” which is without a doubt, the masterpiece of this album. Other reviews (the Pitchfork one for example) criticize this song for its general word-pictures of New York City, contending that a more defined, abstract view of the city was called for to express its beauty. I’d stand to object, for in this song, the rapping draws the listener to appreciate New York even if he or she has never been to the metropolis. It develops a common appreciation and understanding with its listeners; in other words, by using easily understood themes in expressing the majesty of New York, no one gets left out in enjoying this track.

After six years of heated anticipation, it’s nice to see the Beastie Boys back in business. Fans have been longing to be reintroduced to their geeky hip-hop saviors for years. But the album’s failing rests in the trio’s inability to completely deliver upon that longing. With much of the rapping the Beasties decided to toss out most of their slap-dash comic references in favor of a political slant. While the music is darkly refreshing, the views aren’t. It’s all been said before, just not rapped. But it never had to be. That’s the album’s failing, and yet at the same time, it’s not a devastating one. It’s still a fine Beastie Boys record, full of hot beats and choice samples. And I should say, it is nice to have the Beasties back. I’d rather hear their opinions than Bono’s.