Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two 2011Waiting for an album, especially if it's one that I'm dying to hear, is an absolutely excruciating experience. I've certainly sat in line at a few midnight releases with my tiny stack of cash burning flash in my pocket. When it's the new, and much talked up Beastie Boys album, the feeling is triple excruciating. The Boys, all due respect, put out an album (not counting their excellent instrumental records) about every fifty years it seems. Shall we take a look at the numbers for a second?
Beastie Boys years in operation (since 1979!)= 32ish
Beastie Boys albums (full length original, non instrumental)= 7
Now granted, Beastie Adam Yauch was dealing with cancer (recovering well it seems, hooray!) which delayed the release of this one, but seriously, LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS!!! That averages out to about two albums per decade, with the 2000's being the slowest time by far. Only the generally unappreciated "To the 5 Boroughs" in '04 kept the hope alive. Why mention all o this, belaboring the obvious? Well, this is just a lead up to the extra month the VV's waited to get our grimy hands on this vinyl beauty! Why an extra month? Well, for some stupid reason or another it took that much time after the digital and CD release on HSC Pt.2 for the vinyl to come to our humble Silver Spring record emporium (CD/Game Exchange, who were always nice about the delay, but didn't really have any answers for us other than, "we'll call you"). Thank goodness for Soundcloud for streaming the album while we patiently (four calls to the record store) waited for these pristine platters to arrive. Thanks to the music gods; it was worth the wait.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the Boys are back, and off the wall as ever. HSC Pt.2 has plenty of old school moments to savor; "Make Some Noise", "The Larry Routine", and "Say It" are all strong examples of that old rhyme, swagger, and humor. Still, it's important to note that this new music has a modern vibe, clean production, and some very tasty sound. Parts reminisce all the various gold standard albums... some Paul's Boutique on "Say It" for example. Yet the message has matured somewhat. Particularly impressive is the interplay of core Beastie values with just letting loose and being silly. It's a constantly spinning blend. Much of the musicality is a confident throwback to their later 80's/early 90's sounds with some tightly produced modern beats. Guest spots from Santigold and NAS are highlights, but the entire album delivers. It's not a lengthy affair either. Most of the tunes clock in at around three minutes and several amp up the pace considerably; the hardcoreish "Lee Majors Come Again" is a good example of this. I can't imagine what would have happened if the Boys stuck to their hardcore roots. It probably would have worked out pretty well. They lay it down and still trade off couplets with effortless agility. Weird thing is, every time I listen to the record I just want to hear it over again. It has a sound that's like a puzzle, it keeps constantly challenging me. I especially have enjoyed listening to it with the lyric sheet as I've been able to sift through all of the mouth watering musical nuggets with more precision. The lyrics are sharply arranged on the record sleeve inserts with a color coding system to help the uninitiated tell who is saying what (also with plenty of added hahaha commentary). That's how I can say with utter certainty that ADROCK, during the cooly minimal "Long Burn the Fire" spins without a hint of irony "See this rap thing is all about the bragadacia, I check my rearview MC's ain't gettin closer... I'm like a tailor cause I got the thing sewn up, or a proctologist I move asses". It's just that simple.
Packaging included crisp white vinyl, a free 45, digital download, an iron on shirt decal, and some pretty fun drawings/artwork. No complaints here at all. See if you get all that with the $8 digital download.
