PICK OF THE MONTH

BS2000 >> SIMPLY MORTIFIED. GRAND ROYAL 2000.

With the Beastie Boys on hiatus, Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz) decided to form a side project with Beastie drummer Awol (Amery Smith) that defies all rhyme and reason. BS2000 is a full-on, funny, free-form freak-out. Don’t expect Beastie beats and B-Boy stances, BS2000 is organ and moog driven punk rock techno with hilarity mixed in with social commentary.

The lead track is the instrumental “NY is Good” which slides right into “Sick For A Reason.” “Sick” takes on NYC mayor Guliani, his aggressive police tactics, and the deaths of innocent citizens by the hands of the NYPD. “It Feels Like” is organ grinding, synth sweetness, while changing attitudes and letting go of those who rent space in your head is the theme on “Better, Better.”

The groovy instrumental “No Matter What Shape Your Stomach Is In” is walking the nose with its surfy theme and texture: Bruce Brown would have loved it for Endless Summer. The song “Boogie Bored” is old-school new wave, harking you back to the time of doing the pogo and the rock lobster in thigh-high board trunks with neon sunscreen. “The Scrappy” is the coolest track on the record, and “Mr. Critic” is a blistering rip on the rock snobs who are too cool for their own good. Overall, BS 2000 is a caffeine rush, the anti-venin medication for the thirsty bloodsuckers and scene makers. -By Tim Donnelly