Even when all is right in the world, when the scourge of cancer isn’t darkening their self-contained doorstep, Beastie Boys have never been terribly prolific. The shortest stretch between studio albums over the past two-and-a-half decades was the two years and one month between the releases of Check Your Head and Ill Communication.
Beastie Boys albums arrive so infrequently, they’re treated like gala events. That’s a sword that cuts two ways, of course, because when the album is terrific, like 1998’s Hello Nasty, all the praise it receives only enhances the party. However, their weaker efforts, like 2004’s To the 5 Boroughs, are also universally lauded upon arrival. Once the thrill of having new Beastie Boys music begins to ebb, it can make you wonder if maybe you’re just missing something.