To the 5 Boroughs [VINYL]

Beastie Boys

To the 5 Boroughs, the Beastie Boys' first LP in six years, is a thunderous return to form. Dispensing with the electro experimentation of the more challenging Hello Nasty, the boys get back to basics, seeming to sense that the time is exactly right to launch the return of their old-skool sound. Lead single "Ch-Check It Out" blows open the doors, with its booming meaty beats and funky vibes, reminding us just how exciting the rap-rock genre was back in the day when these guys helped pioneer it, before all the whiney "Limp Linkins" came along and commodified it.

To the 5 Boroughs captures the sound of the Beasties in their prime, spitting invective (as on the Bush-baiting "That's It That's All") over urgent bass-driven cuts with fortysomething voices that are as fresh as ever. They may be less concerned now with the Party than with a picnic ("grilled cheese", "flapjacks", "matzoh", "cholla", "falafel", "gorgonzola", "spaghetti" and "chicken tikka" all get a shout), but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. With age has come Buddhist-influenced wisdom, and gone are the misogynistic tendencies of old; these days they're more likely to be rapping about "the beach" rather than a bitch. Though these Beasties bring a message of love ("we gotta keep the party goin' on; all lifestyles sizes, shapes and forms") they're tighter and truer than ever. --Paul Eisinger