If you hadn’t noticed, the Beastie Boys are back in full effect & they’ve got a new record about to drop called … uh wait, what’s it called again? Oh yeah — HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART TWO. Leave it to them to find a unique way to have a listening party for their album & none is more unique than playing the album out of a TDK Life on Record 3-Speaker Boombox Audio System placed at center court, Madison Square Garden at 10:35am EST this morning.
As a longtime fan of the Beasties, almost as far back as my first memories, I’ve been pretty excited about everything I’d been hearing and seeing up to this point. The album does more than simply not disappoint; it highlights both the B-Boys lyrical prowess and shows the progress of their musicianship. Unleashing musical styles from every incarnation — rock, punk, reggae, funk, psychedelic, soul, disco, electro — Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 isn’t simply a trip down memory lane, it’s an exploration of soundsystem dynamics and the inclusiveness of hip-hop that the Beastie Boys themselves helped to shape. On first listen, HSCP2 is the completely satisfying kind of Beastie Boys album I’ve been looking forward to hearing again for a while.
What I find most impressive: the progression of the tracks from beginning to end reveals an even edgier funk/punk philosophy that is as true to their roots as anything they’ve ever released. This morning’s livestream event gives everyone a first listen right on the home court of the New York Knicks as, what, a dis? No probably more like a swift kick in the ass telling them not to go out like punks against the Celtics.
But anyways you came to hear the album, right? There are some amazing pre-order deals going on over at the Beastie Boys website worth exploring.
LIKE WHOA: Now you can listen to the full-album stream here –
::: TRACKLIST :::
01 Make Some Noise
02 Nonstop Disco Powerpack
03 OK
04 Too Many Rappers [new reactionaries version] (feat NAS)
05 Say It
06 The Bill Harper Collection
07 Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win (feat Santigold)
08 Long Burn The Fire
09 Funky Donkey
10 The Larry Routine
11 Tadlock’s Glasses
12 Lee Majors Come Again
13 Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
14 Here’s A Little Something For Ya
15 Crazy Ass Shit
16 The Lisa Lisa/Full Force Routine
