CD: "The Mix-Up" by Beastie Boys; Capitol Records

Release: June 26

Style: Instrumental

My view: After mixed reviews of their last CD "To the 5 Boroughs," the Beastie Boys could have tried to reinvent the wheel with their follow-up, attempted something so incredibly out there that the new sound would be deemed unrecognizable.

Thankfully, the New York City natives took another road and simplified their next studio attempt so much as to not include words. The result is "The Mix-Up," the Beasties' first instrumental album of their career. It is 12 tracks of stripped-down, funky beats lacking the clever and crafty wordplay fans expect from the likes of MCA, Mike D and King Adrock.

There are a few songs that break away from rap and barrel right into jazz land. The two best by far are track six, "Freaky Hijiki" and track 10, "Dramastically Different." The Beasties bring the jazz hard and unapologetically here. If you didn't know better, you could easily mistake these songs as work by Medeski, Martin & Wood, especially considering the funk-laced backbeat and instruments and left-of-center song titles.

Opening track "B For My Name" is an accessible tune consisting completely of drums and an electronic beat-making machine. The genius of this song is it sounds like anyone with the same tools and a recording studio could make it, but never lets the listener forget how trained the veteran creators are.

Remaining songs on the CD explore the catalog of influences the Beasties have harnessed over the years. "Suco De Tangerina" is a solid, heady track with a zest of Latin throughout. Punk is conspicuously absent here.

The best thing about "The Mix-Up" is there's no great expectations, no pomp and circumstance, no delusions of grandeur to be found anywhere on this album. It's quite possible these tracks would never have seen the light of day if it weren't for the equal amount of praise and criticism for "Boroughs," which seemed to knock the chip off the Beasties' shoulders.

During its 14 tracks and 42-minute running time, "The Mix-Up" never strays from its simplicity. This grounded approach feels similar to the one taken on "To the 5 Boroughs," a straight hip-hop album with earnest lyrics and no frills or crazy antics that are found on "Ill Communication" or "Paul's Boutique."

Gone are the days when they had to prove themselves each time they released a CD. It seems they are more than willing to let the Akons and T. Pains of the rap game have the spotlight, despite having exponentially better lyrics and beats. Money and fame don't seem to be the raison d'etre for the Beasties anymore; they just want to make music. And that's something they've always done well.

Jeremy Castillo, who received an associate of arts degree from Windward Community College, is a student at the University of Idaho.