The Mix-Up
by Beastie Boys
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Jun 26, 2007
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Filter
    90
    You may say, with all its funky breaks and organ spells, that The Mix-Up is the last album you’d expect the Beastie Boys to make; but really, it could’ve been the first.
  2. Uncut
    80
    The Mix-Up is the best record collection ever thoroughly digested and re-imagined by a bunch of guys in love with sound.
  3. Vibe
    80
    Maybe The Mix-Up woks simply because it does nothing terribily wrong.
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  5. The A.V. Club
    75
    A satisfyingly uneven, agreeably overreaching hodgepodge of sounds and styles a la Hello Nasty or Ill Communication.
  6. AllMusic
    70
    The Mix Up is not a major statement, but that's the nice thing about the record: it's as personal and idiosyncratic as any old funky soul-jazz LP that you'd find deep in the crates of a second-hand record store.
  7. Stylus Magazine
    67
    The Mix-Up doesn’t present anything innovative, nor is it any sort of triumphant career coda; it just sounds good.
  8. Rolling Stone
    60
    The Beasties could have knocked out all twelve jams in a lazy weekend in 1992, 2007 or anywhere in between.
  9. Billboard
    60
    "The Mix-Up" is thematically sound and feels like a comprehensive piece instead of a self-indulgent scheme. [30 Jun 2007]
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  10. The New York Times
    60
    Low-fi, hazy and lightweight.
  11. PopMatters
    60
    There’s very little about The Mix-Up not to like, yet there’s also very little that will be remembered in five months.
  12. Hartford Courant
    60
    "The Mix-Up" is all about groove and texture, sometimes at the expense of hooks.
  13. Under The Radar
    60
    The Mix-Up may not be the cure for 2004's disappointing "To the 5 Boroughs," but it grooves nicely in the meantime. [Summer 2007, p.79]
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  14. Entertainment Weekly
    58
    Who'd have guessed that a Beastie Boys record could be too subtle?
  15. Blender
    50
    It's the sound of a group treading water. [Jul 2007, p.110]
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  16. Spin
    50
    It's slight and, even at its liveliest, inconsequential. [Jul 2007, p.92]
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  17. Drowned In Sound
    50
    It’s purely incidental material that goes nowhere for a dozen tracks and ends with just as much fuss as it began, i.e. none.
  18. Slant Magazine
    50
    For an album that truly has nothing to say and risks suggesting nothing more need be said, The Mix-Up sounds merely satisfactory now, but I can't wait until some turntablist uses it to drop the science.
  19. Village Voice
    50
    Tossed-off, underdone, monotonous, unfinished, and redundant maybe, but not bad.
  20. Pitchfork
    46
    There's a distinct lack of fun in the instrumental wankage of The Mix-Up, a bad sign for a band that has seen their results fade in direct proportion to how seriously they take themselves.
  21. New Musical Express (NME)
    40
    There's 100 reasons to worship the Beastie Boys. But, plugging in a wah-wah pedal and writing an album of indulgent jazz-funk instrumentals is certainly not one of them.
  22. Observer Music Monthly
    40
    For fans only.
  23. NOW Magazine
    40
    The Beasties have neither the musical chops nor the compositional skill... to hold listeners' interest for the length of an album.

Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Most Shared Album of 2007

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 36
  3. Negative: 6 out of 36
  1. RawS.
    Jun 26, 2007
    9
    Beasties do what they want and have it made. It's that easy. Their sound is a distinct funk. It's throwback, it's relaxed, Beasties do what they want and have it made. It's that easy. Their sound is a distinct funk. It's throwback, it's relaxed, it's artistic leisure. What do you mean, "what happened"? If you know the anything about the boys and their philosophy, such flagrants doth shant be uttered.… Full Review »
  2. PinHi
    Dec 6, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. A masterpiece that grooves, the planet, deep. If you can't find the groove, worry not, keep walking, one day you'll find yourself, grooving in The Mix-Up.… Full Review »
  3. mrgeebaby
    May 6, 2013
    9
    This album really surprised me thank you Beastie Boys!

    When Hip-Hop is really starting to decay and loose its relevance they drop a funky    This album really surprised me thank you Beastie Boys!

    When Hip-Hop is really starting to decay and loose its relevance they drop a funky ass instrumental to show today's 'artists' how its done.

    I was afraid about the direction the Beastie Boys would take in the current climate of Auto-Tune gangster mixed with R&B trash that dominates the market. Could they stoop as low as Eminem and hook up with Rhianna?!

    I feel stupid for even doubting them, they dropped me on my head so hard i had to check it!

    This album is so non-controversial it is the most controversial album they have ever done!

    (RIP MCA)    … Full Review »
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