'The Beginning' is a remembrance of Peas past

Last week the NFL announced that the Black Eyed Peas would headline the halftime show at Super Bowl XLV in February, making them the first current pop act to nab the slot since the notorious "wardrobe malfunction" incident of 2004. But the Peas' sixth album, "The Beginning" (Interscope), shows that the group, despite its fondness for robotics and electronics, is more than happy to look back to make its polyglot-pop points.

The album's lead single, "The Time (Dirty Bit)," pays homage to the 1987 hit "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," right down to the title's parenthetical aside. But it's no straight cover; a deep techno beat washes in over the iconic chorus after one repetition, and those two bits fight it out until will.i.am pulls the plug. It's a fitting introduction to "The Beginning," where songs don't develop as much as they shift endlessly, like an insomniac channel-surfer flipping between reruns, public access and reality shows set in loud, obnoxious nightclubs.

"Love You Long Time" borrows from KC and the Sunshine Band's "Baby Give It Up," while Fergie's rap on "Fashion Beats" recalls a confused French student's attempt to re-create the breakdown of Blondie's "Rapture"; there are also echoes of Madonna, Lady Gaga and Chic.

These nods to the past serve as counterpoints to club-ready beats that sound downright avant-garde at times; if they were put forth by anyone but the Peas, they might be allowed to develop into something that caught listeners' ear. (They would perhaps be accompanied by lyrics that went a bit deeper than the surfaces presented by party photographers' shots.) Instead, the compelling material is never given a chance to develop, and all the listener can feel when the record’s finished is whiplash.

THE BLACK EYED PEAS

"The Beginning"

GRADE C+

BOTTOM LINE The past and the future create an inescapable pop monster.