New Music Reviews: Beastie Boys-Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, Foo Fighters-Wasting Light
Instead of "Hot Sauce Committee Part Two"...why not Hello Nasty Part Two? And that's not a knock. It's just been seven years since I got excited about a Beastie Boys release and I wasn't treated that well that time around with "To The 5 Burroughs". It's not that "To The 5 Burroughs" was terrible by any means, but it was the first time I had to wake up the next morning, look into the mirror, and stare at the cold truth: "You and the three MC's are getting a bit older, aren't you?" And sometime that cold truth can take away the fun you had listening to a band you enjoyed growing up with. It wasn't that the sound structure in the songs had gone wrong. It just felt uncomfortable listening to a band I acquainted Shadrach, Flute Loops and the Negotiation Limmerick File busting out lyrics that were a bit political. And I agreed with the politics they were talking about in some songs but it just didn't feel right. And even when they were having fun bringing the shit like Miss Piggy or being internationally known like the Keebler elf, it was the first time the B-Boys felt like they were forcing something I just wasn't buying. And 2007's "Mix Up"? Not for me. The instrumentals via "Check Your Head" stand as my favorites and just added fuel that the boys were without anything new to say.
So that leaves us 13 years passed the release of "Hello Nasty", not my favorite Beastie Boys album but arguably their most fun. And what they've released with "Hot Sauce Committee Part Two" is maybe a shade short of that fun, but nonetheless, it shows the guys having a ball. When they're comfortable, the listener is comfortable. And I'll be damned if performing this feat in their mid 40's is something I never thought possible.
The greatest feat may be the songs, at their core, are some of the simplest in beats and loops that the guys have come up with. The organ on "Make Some Noise" is used to great effect as it's one of the most dance friendly songs the band has released since "Body Movin'". The instrumental "Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament" has a simple space aged groove that could work as a great opener to their shows. And the simple groove of "Nonstop Disco Powerpack" lets Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock explore and allows them to throw their rhymes into this huge space without sounding clunky. It flows naturally the way a Beastie Boys song should. Nothing is as true to their rejuvenated spirits as on the chorus of "Nonstop" they sing in unison "Now this is the way we run it down/We're gettin you high on the funky sound".
Places where things could fall off track like the collaboration with NAS or Santagold ("Too Many Rappers" and "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win") or another tip of their hat to their hardcore roots ("Lee Majors Comes Again") never become derailed because the is delivery is so carefree. "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" is via "Armageddon Time" by the Clash and "Lee Majors Comes Again" is a huge splash of vintage energy from start to finish.
The rhymes themselves are nothing new as they create the familiar hodgepodge from years past but if the new-found joy isn't apparent enough in the lyrics themselves, just look at the titles throwing homage to old cult favorites like Lee Majors or just having downright fun like "Funky Donkey" or "Here's A Little Something For Ya". "Hot Sauce Committee Part Two" could be called the comeback album of the year, but then again, the Beastie Boys don't really have anything to prove anymore. We finally get an album where they can lay back, play their strengths and create something enjoyable. And that's why it works, very favorably. Let's drink some Blue Nun and celebrate...like it was 1999.
Grade: A-
JHO Picks: Make Some Noise Nonstop Disco Powerpack Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win Lee Majors Come Again
I pretty much gave up on full length Foo Fighters albums years ago. While Dave Grohl and company have been consistently churning some of the most memorable mainstream rock singles in the past fifteen years, their album tracks, even in their early years, have been filler to the definition. So why give another album a go? Well, with each new chapter comes bigger expectations and different ways of selling them. The list of ingredients going into "Wasting Light" is as big as a summer Hollywood blockbuster. You've got Butch Vig back in control of the nobs (Something he is really good at). You've got the return of guitarist Pat Smear to lend a third guitar to the arsenal (Hey, who doesn't like Pat Smear?). You've got the back to basics promise of recording the album in a garage on analog equipment (To get back to the roots, everyone appreciates that). And guest appearances from Bob Mould (Yeah, young Dave's Husker hero who he's said "No Husker Du, no Foo Fighters") and Krist Novoselic (So they've thrown in the Nevermind card as well). Talk about a big time build up.
So what's most surprising to me is how "Wasting Light" still sounds like another Foo Fighters album. Several bright spots but a bit unforgettable as a whole. Vig's production works wonders and Grohl howls more passionately than he has in years, but in the end, the parts don't equal what the whole could be....or should be.
Among the bright spots (and trust me, there are more than I expected) is the soft/hard dynamics of "These Days" which has, hand down, the most ready for the arena chorus in the batch. The first two singles "Rope" and "Walk" stand out as, well, the first two singles, and they're both worthy contributions to their growing singles collection. "Dear Rosemary", the collaboration with Mould, has enough grit to rise to the top of the album's best songs and Grohl has obviously been hanging out with Josh Homme from his Them Crooked Vultures venture recently on "White Limo". He screams "Goooooo Limoh!" in the chorus and you're reminded of a top notch Queens Of The Stone Age song.
But I still can't get by the mid section of "Wasting Light" where the riffs are shorter in supply and the songs fall a bit short. "Miss Misery", "Back And Forth" and "A Matter Of Time" keep up the energy and of the album's brighter spots but they fail to garner and memorable staying power. The clunky "Arlandria" where Grohl screams "Fame, fame, go away, come again some other day" before diving into a generic chorus is my own personal worst moment on the album. It's smack dab in the middle of the album and leaves me scratching my head thinking..."You could do much better than this....You should do...."
Long time fans of the band will hail this as a return to form because, let's face it, it sounds really good on the surface thanks to the addition of Smear's extra guitar and Vig's production.. But in the end, it really is just another Foo Fighters album, one with a lot of promise and really good moments but short of being a classic. While this will undoubtedly fill arenas through the year, I'm starting to think that Grohl's career with the Foo Fighters is the equivalent of Dan Marino's tenure in the NFL. Lot's of great stats but no Super Bowl ring to crown the career achievements.
Grade: B
JHO Picks: Rope Dear Rosemary White Limo These Days
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