'Odelay' & "Ill Communication'

I checked these two albums out from my local library. Right afterwards, I told a friend what I'd done commenting that I was going back to my high school days of listening to music. The irony of me listening to "Sabotage" and "New Pollution" a billion times each during high school is that I had never truly listened the the entire albums those songs came off of.

Beck is especially odd since I really do like him and some of my favorite all-time Beck songs are "New Pollution" and "Devil's Haircut."

Other than being released in the same decade, both albums, I think, could be considered each group's best ever.

I would argue "Midnite Vultures" for Beck, but "Odelay" is really, really good. I think it speaks more to what Beck is trying to do and has done over a decade or so of making music.

"Ill Communication" for the Beastie Boys is more about maturation. Nothing against "License to Ill" or even the great "Paul's Boutique" but there is a clear aging process that the Beasties took on between those albums and this album. This not only shows itself in their lyrics and deliver, but more so in the music and beats, which are entirely more smooth, funky and fresh sounding coming out of the speakers.