Beastie Boys spent the first half of their career mixing up a wild-style B-boy bouillabaisse of hip-hop, punk and greasy funk. They’ve spent most of the second half demonstrating that it’s far less fun when they approach those styles separately and earnestly. The Mix-Up is the inevitable, all-instrumental, soul-jazz Beastie project, following in the tradition of the 1995 hardcore EP Aglio e Olio and the disappointing old-school beats ’n’ rhymes of To the 5 Boroughs, in 2004. Though the album’s modesty is appealing (only one song clocks in at longer than four minutes), it’s the sound of a group treading water. The mid-tempo, interchangeable grooves might occasionally get you nodding your head, but do you think even Mike D knows the difference between “The Rat Cage” and “The Kangaroo Rat”? Background music for alphabetizing your vinyl collection.

Download: “Electric Worm”