The Mix-Up

I recently came upon one of the best albums I’ve heard in a long time. My sister, who I believe listens to odd but nevertheless good music, was playing a song called ‘Electric Worm’ and I asked her who it was by. ‘The Beastie Boys, of course’ she told me.
Since then I have tried to get my hands on some of the Beastie Boys’ albums and I’ve discovered a sound that is not only unique but well put together. I say ‘not only’ because I’ve heard unique music before which, however, is less diverse and repetitive.
But the Beastie Boys are neither or those things. Their instrumental album The Mix-Up has become one of my favorites.
I imagine, since the album sold 44,000 units in its first week, that an entirely instrumental album still satisfies the Beastie Boys’ audience. I also like to imagine that more people than just those who were already Beasties fans bought the album because even without the lyrics, they managed to produce a very good album.
I’ve heard friends of mine say before that they need good lyrics to like a song. I can’t even express how strongly I disagree with that statement, especially since there are albums like The Mix-Up out there that combine superior musicianship with excellent songwriting.
A good argument can be made against some instrumental albums, and that is that some songs have a tendency to become repetitive so that the listener ends up hearing 10 different variations of one song, leaving them in a state of complete bewilderment. If the listener has to sit there and wonder “I think I’ve heard a song like this before, but I’m not sure where,” then I’d say the album is a failure.
However, The Mix-Up avoids repetition in any form. They utilize increasingly unique instruments to create their songs: I believe at one point what sounds like a coach’s whistle is used to maintain the rhythm.
Overall, the album is definitely worth the asking price. Even if you don’t think you can handle songs without lyrics, I urge you to pick up on The Mix-Up.