Beastie Boys, The Mix-Up

Entirely sample-free, Beastie Boys' first full original album of instrumentals frequently mimics genres they would choose to sample: soul, a little psychedelia, something from the weirder shores of easy listening. It's the kind of record you feel there are a lot of bongos on, even if there aren't. That said, it's laid-back, good-natured, and sounds as if it was a lot of fun to make. Wade through the more generic stuff and you'll get to edgier pieces like The Rat Cage, where the sum exceeds the parts. Quite possibly a record whose subtleties will be revealed with time - though whether it will get the chance above the clacking of chopsticks in the Manhattan sushi joint for which this is the tailormade soundtrack is another matter.