Heroes to Zeros

not bad but not memorable

Halvhyggligt album. Inga låtar som sticker ut något nämnvärt men samtidigt inga urusla spår heller.

2.5

Pretty good I guess, started slow but got better 3.5

By the numbers British pop rock

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Heroes to Zeros is an appropriately apt title for The Beta Band, the fearlessly eclectic Scottish group who had plundered through sonic whimsy from pillar to post, start to finish. While not as indelible as prior efforts, Heroes to Zeros couldn't have been made by any other group, who would have disintegrated the materials complied here with lack of care. Here, for the last time, The Beta Band gets the opportunity to show those who wonder how it's done. Favorites: Assessment, Space, Lion Thief, Wonderful, Out-Side, Space Beatle, Liquid Bird, Pure For.

Enjoyed listening to this again after 20 years. Not their best work, but mostly good with some enjoyable highs and only a few meandering lows.

Typical BB. Ok. Maybe a little on the weaker side. 2.5/5

I like the vibes overall, but nothing really stood out. 3 Stars.

Being assigned albums like this bothers me more than being assigned albums I hate. I have no feelings about this album whatsoever. It’s fine. I’ve heard generic, early-to-mid-2000’s indie pop a million times before. This is just a meaningless, nothing of an album. No lasting influence; not remembered as being a step forward artistically; not commercially successful. Just a bland inconsequential generic British indie pop album that the dude who made this list happened to like when he was at the age of liking current bands. Listening to this album is pointless, stupid and a waste of time. Albums like this make me feel like doing this project is a waste of time as well.

More varied then some of the examples I’m thinking of but I still maintain the only weak part of this whole endeavor is the authors insistence on including seemingly any British band he has ever heard of.

Ok spin. 3 out 5. Not much to say. Easily overlooked I suppose.

The cover art is incredibly bad but the music was actually pretty good.

Nice, sort of dreamy rock music. I have never heard of them but it's not bad at all. Pretty chilled out music that I can listen to while doing other activities. Nothing really stood out on the album but that isn't necessarily bad. It's nice to hear something a little bit different.

Had some synth-y vibes, pleasant but uninspiring to me. 3.5

Pretty good album. Was pleasantly surprised and might give this one another listen.

More interesting and enjoyable than I thought it would be.

shit man good but idk it kinda resonates me, but these dudes sound like their singing through a mossy muddly log with a giant totoro doll sitting on them

Spacey alt rock tracks With somewhat sappy lyrics And breathy vocals

nothing wrong here, but nothing that moves the needle for me. Bland semi decent Brit rock.

Ok

Mediocrity reigns

Solid 3.

This was ok but nothing too exciting. Couple songs almost got me. I think it is good and they would be worth seeing live but it’s nothing I think I would actually go looking for.

6/10 Favorite Tracks: Outside, Pure For Least favorite: None

6/10. I can respect that they’re doing it well, but the vibe isn’t my favorite. Another album let down by weak vocals. Psychedelic, but not weird or narratively strong enough.

6/10 A band I am very familiar with as a late 90s Scottish indie kid, got all their stuff & seen them live. So a slightly baffling choice for selection, as this is probably their weakest release. It is the most normal one though, and that fits in with the constant basicness of the list. Lacks the charm, weirdness, and rambling of other releases. This is more accessible, more melodic, more heartfelt, but also more boring. It does have its strong moments. A few good beats, Mason is always good lyrically and vocally, and they play with genres including psychedelic and a little funk. Best: Pure For

In hindsight, yesterday’s album was a 4, I think. This one is a solid 3, good listening but I’ve never heard of the band or any of the tracks.

It is kinda nice. Dreamy Brit pop of the 2000's. Not really memorable but very listenable.

Very polished for an indie , beautiful samples but doesn’t blow your mind. I can def see myself coding to this

Much duller than I was hoping for. It's ok, but nothing to get excited over.

Aggressively average

Not all heroes wear capes. But Houmous and Chutney always will! 3.0

Best Song: Outside. This had a funky, space-y feeling that could have benefitted the rest of the album. Worst Song: Space Beatle. I really dislike this oppressively affectionate kind of lyrical conceit. Overall: Not bad, but also seemingly quite ordinary. The funkier, upbeat tracks were nice, but when they took their foot off the gas it sounded like it could be any of a dozen post-U2 rock bands.

It must be tough, constantly being measure against your best work. Especially when that is close to the first thing you ever did.

not bad not good a secret third thing (ok and formulaic) could i write poetry to this? n

Sharing a producer with Radiohead is bound to invite comparisons. But, let's face it... Radiohead is wayyyy better.

This band is pretty formulaic. Can't tell one song from another. Low 3,high 2.

I was surprised to see The Beta Band on the list first time round, but that’s fine; we all have blind spots. However, I find it very hard to believe that there’s a band pretty much in my wheelhouse (i.e. noughties British indie) that released TWO of the top 1001 must-hear albums of all time, without me ever hearing of them. Surely this is a case of the editor’s personal tastes running away with them? Anyway, I marked their other album a little on the harsh side so will at least use this opportunity to set that straight a bit. I quite enjoyed Heroes to Zeros - I’d describe it as lightweight and inoffensive, but not in a way that succumbs to blandness. The tunes are subtly inventive and often kinda catchy.

A chill record. Cool mix of Trip hop influences & The Beatles

Wasn't bad.

When you listen to a lot of different music and the songs and styles get kinda jumbled up like mixing colors into a brown color, this is what you get. Lion Thief, Easy and Liquid Bird stood out.

It's good. Fun ole guitar oriented rock, alt style. I could see myself listening to this again. It's easy on the ears. Yet... not a classic. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 7 (good, but not great). Rounding down to 3.

3.75

i knocked some points off because the other beta band albums are so much better and this felt a little bland, but i still really enjoyed listening to it while working. groovy baby groovy…but not quite as groovy as it could be. fav tracks: assessment; easy; space beatle

3.5

Their more energetic songs, like Lion Thief and Easy, were miles better than the softer ones. Not to say they were terrible, but pretty generic and forgetful. Not sure the mixing of the album helped them necessarily Still a decent one nonetheless Sick ass cover too

5/10 - The songs were all sort of interesting but none of them are hits. There are no popular songs. It sounds similar to so many other albums on the list. Overall I am just confused as to why it is on this list.

More early 2000s pretentious indie stuff. First half was pretty bland, second half was a little less bland but still didn’t do much for me

Eh

Good album, surprised me, usually not a fan of the genre but this album was well produced and all elements came together nicely.

Some interesting sounds here. The singer sounds kind of like Gene Simmons singing clean. Lots of effects here that feel unnecessary, like super loud bass and echoes. Best track: Out-side. It reminded me of the Monkees Not Your Steppin’ Stone.

Never got into these guys for some reason. It’s solid 2000s indie rock. I think there’s better options but I can’t complain either.

snoozefest

One of the more shockingly good albums on this list. Happened to be a wonderful little listen with some great tracks and atmosphere. 6/10

My favourite was Space Beatle. Decent album.

Fine surprise. Won't make a difference in my life, but fine surprise.

Very generic. Nothing outstanding. Not really bad.

I have no problem with this - good as background album.

Fine

Este álbum me gustó mas de lo que creí que haría, fue divertido de escuchar, me gusto mucho la producción y el sonido que manejan. Decae un poco en la segunda mitad pero sin dudas necesito escucharlo mas para darle una calificación mas precisa. Assessment - 75 Space - 80 Lion Thief - 80 Easy - 90 Wonderful - 60 Troubles - 60 Out-Side - 80 Space Beatle - 65 Rhododendron - 50 Liquid Bird - 76 Simple - 65 Pure For -55 Total album: 69

A couple songs I really liked... Strangely enough it was the two singles (atw). The first half of the album I kinda liked, second half was ok. Over all. It's an album. It has music. Some actually work... But I think I'd ve better off throwing those single on a playlist and forgoing the rest. (6.7) ★★★

A nice listen, but nothing really out of the ordinary. Low 3.5 stars

Very average album. Not bad, but pretty forgettable. 3 stars.

Cool band. Album cover is cool.

emmmm

I remember some friends really flipping for Beta Band back at the turn of the century. I can understand it but I'm not fully on board with it.

Interesting.

Beta band - psychedelic flavored alternative rock. It was kinda cool. Space was cool. Pure For was nice.The vocals are a bit to soft neutral speaky/ chanty for me almost sounds like there’s only bgvs and no lead they are generally pleasant and not offensive but might want something with a bit more unique. They don’t really bring much dynamically to the music. I was hoping each song would have a stronger melody. Idk felt pretty neutral about this one 2.5- 3

Mix sounds of more electronic. Assessment and Out-Side are bangers!

Another "it's okay for background music, but rather unmemorable" Gave me Django Django vibes though and after reading the Wiki, I understand why.

The second "The Beta Band" album in a week. At least this was way better than "Hot Shots II", still don't see what is special about this band to warrant it being on this list. It started off with "Assesments" which had a good guitar intro and the whole album managed to feel quite groovy. Even the album art while not good was better than "Hot Shots II". An ok album but nothing to write home about. Mid 3.

Surprisingly fun album. Never heard of these guys before.

eiginlega sísta plata merkilegs bands. skelli 3,5 á hana, hlustað minna á hana en aðra og á aðra umferð skilið.

Like a less quirky, less memorable Gorillaz. Still had a good time. 3.5/5

"Heros to Zeros" is the third and final studio album by Scottish musical group the Beta Band. Electronic and rock are the two Wiki-listed genres. They both fit. The album was produced by Nigel Godrich and the band. Commercially, it hit #18 in the UK. The first single, "Assessment" opens the album. Layered guitars, bass and drums in a straight-ahead rock sound. Layered vocals. He's struggling to say the things he wants to his girlfriend. Horns close the song very dramatically. It sounded very 80's-ish Hunters & Collectors. "Wonderful" starts out slow and subdued with weird synth sounds and a keyboard melody....pyschedelic. Drums kick in with the guitar now carrying the melody. There's a soft-loud back and forth. A dramatic outro with the vocals gets louder. A poor man's "Dry the Rain?" Actually, a decent song. "Outside" is the album's other single and a rockin' song. Rockin' in part since it similarly bounces back and forth between the loud and soft. 60's electric guitar, rapid drumming and sometimes a dog bark is the loud part. The slow part is echoing vocals and reverbing guitars. The band goes post-punk in "Liquid Bird" sampling the guitar part in Siousie and the Banshees' Painted Bird." They add strings halfway through. And synth strings and a falsetto start the next song "Simple." A pretty standard rock beat with handclaps settle in. High-pitched guitars are added. A vocal chorus repeating "can you hear me." One of the better songs on the album. I found this album having trouble identifying itself. The music styles between and sometimes within songs include straight-ahead rock, electronic, dreamy ambient, funky, bluesy, pyschedelic and post-punk. There's 60's-sounding guitars and 80's-soundings synths. No really bad songs but none great either....some very good ones but no "Dry the Rain." A decent album but I'd recommend their earlier albums and EP's.

Liked the energy...low key yet somehow deliberate.

Fine

Can’t remember it 3

Erm. Love The Beta Band and I know the Three EPs isn't technically an album but it's so much better than this. Another review says there's a second BB album to come (I'm nearing 900 and haven't seen it, and neither are in the book) which considering they famously didn't ever really make a consistently good album is certainly a choice. I think the one about biscuits or whatever was better than this one, even. Their career is dotted with great stuff though so we'll see what it is. Yeah, sadly I only really remember Assessment, and I just listened to it. I see some people really enjoyed this, if you're that person and you haven't already followed Dry the Rain to The 3 EPs then you're in for a treat. Dr Baker. Needles in My Eyes, Push it Out, Dog's got a Bone. Also Squares off Hot shots. Also check Steve Mason's solo career.

I had no idea who this was, the first on the list so far. It was fine, nothing exciting but I liked it overall. I don't get its place on this list though.

It was fine - bit unremarkable

High 3, po pire pantoute

Good overall, they are near 4

Let's take some acid and try to get that 60s feeling back with some modern twists. Inoffensive some nice musical bits but really not my cup of tea since I stopped smoking the old Mary J...

Solid album. Interesting moments.

Middle of the road, just don't really get why it's in this list.

I listened to this passively but I still enjoyed the vibe, one song I kept.

21/09/24 Never heard of them. Bang average.

I liked this a lot better than the other "Beta Band" CD earlier on the list. It's kind of interesting and weird. It does sound almost exactly like Ween at times. And I wouldn't have picked it from among a list of best-of-2004 output. It's just not catchy enough. But it's OK.

I’d never heard of The Beta Band before this review, but here’s their third and final album, produced by the band and mixed by Nigel Godrich of Radiohead fame. It’s fairly safe alternative psych-rock, with shades of Super Furry Animals or Gorillaz but a little less fun. The arrangements are all bells and whistles, and the production charms the listener with a great grandeur and a restless energy, but the songs and lyrics underneath it all are fairly humdrum. Take the opening track: “Assessment” is all thundering drums and blaring guitar, masking a melody I can’t recall after several listens. When it runs out of things to say, it finishes with a horn section doubling up with everything. It’s a climactic, satisfying ending that is rarely equalled through the rest of the record. (It also places this album in an exclusive club with The Saints’ “Eternally Yours”, which I reviewed last week, of “albums that use a sensational brass section in the first track, and then never again”.) Across the other eleven songs, the Beta Band dip their toes into all kinds of material. Some of its trippy, atmospheric and spacey, like “Wonderful”, the LOVELY “Space Beatle”, or, um, “Space”. Some of it’s a little more funky, like “Easy” with its clavichord hook and swung acoustic guitars. And some of it goes all out on boilerplate rock, like “Out-Side” or “Liquid Bird”. There are all sorts of nice ornamentations across the whole set that walk the line between inspired decoration and superfluous gimmicks: the dog bark and pitched-up backing vocals in “Out-Side”; the glockenspiel/synth interplay in “Rhododendron”; the tempo changes in “Lion Thief”; the sudden bursts of harmonica in “Easy”. Meanwhile, the vocals are gentle and unassuming. The kindest praise I could give is that they’re often reminiscent of early Pink Floyd- that delicate Gilmour/Wright interplay- but mostly, they just feel curiously out of place, scarcely matching the restless, shapeshifting energy of the instrumentals. So, “Heroes to Zeros” may not be an entirely smooth journey, and it does come a little unstuck by the final stretch. But all in all, someone could stick this album on and I wouldn’t protest. If I stumbled across The Beta Band playing a festival, I’d stick around to hear these songs. It’s by no means a revelation, but it is consistently enjoyable.

Not a bad album, but forgettable for me.

Might be a grower. A lot of it is quite bland, with some interesting moments of variety.

Generically fine music

Looking at the cover, I was really expecting some alt/punk rock hype

Like the music a good bit. Unmoved by the lyrics. Perhaps it all just needs more beta testing...?

Some interesting instrumentation

Has an interesting overall sound but not many songs stand out.

Cool album cover by comic artist Kaare Andrews, very rarely do I know the people who make album covers so that was cool. This was a unique album that I think fits on this list. I saved a few songs and I'm not exactly sure what this was, some kind of etherial rock? I dug it.

sure whatever this was.

Prime example of how an album cover can impact your enjoyment of an album, because what in Newgrounds flash game is that. Very weird inclusion, probably compensating for the fact that they can't include "The Three EPs" due to it being a compilation. Still pretty good though.

Mmmm not sure.

Ok, reminds me of softer U2, a bit alt, bfoegettable but nice background music

Vocals sound a bit like My Morning Jacket.

pretty mellow. it was nice easy listening but I'm not enthused about hearing this album again.

2.5

A very strange album. Has some unique techno/pop aspects to it while still sticking with a early 2000s indie vibe. The monotone sing talking and repetitiveness of the lyrics does not work for me and kind of takes away from the album. Either without vocals or a different direction this could have been great. 5/10

Liked this a lot more than the last Beta Band album we got, but still not completely on board. 3

3.5

By all accounts I should like this more than I do, but for some reason I've never been able to get into The Beta Band. It's fine, and reasonably enjoyable, but it doesn't really grab me. Maybe I'll have a revelation at some point in the future.

Yeah, this was better than expected. Suprisingly bright and joyous to the ears. Some creat tonal harmonies. Lyrics unsure. Might listen again to develop an opinion. Three star album.

This is a bit of a mix of vintage, modern and futuristic sounds. It’s good but could’ve been better!

2000s indie rock but it’s video game music

More interesting than people make it out to seem. It reminds me of a tamer version of Beck's Odelay. Nothing here was nearly as good, but it had its moments. 3.5

Mellow jam music. Kind of fun but didn't blow me a way.

Interesting sound. Was alright

There are many Betta bands.

beta is about right

It's like... funk but without soul.

Some nice lo-fi chillers and grocers especially “Liquid Bird” and “Simple”. A bit sleepy in the first half of the album.

Pretty neutral sound. Nothing too exciting but an easy listen.

Greatly prefer this album to Hot Shots which previously appeared for me on this list. That album was a bit of a pretentious mess where Heroes to Zeros just sounds more interesting. It still doesn't capture that pure energy and freshness from the Three EPs but I guess that would be hard to match. Calmly, stock standard indie when boil down to it. Not bad, just not falling under the category for me of needing to hear it before I shuffle off

I'm about as close to the target market for this as possible and I thought it was just ok which probably means everyone else thought it was rubbish

Would this be considered alt rock? The chilled, laid back feeling the band and synths gave were great. 3.4

The songwriting and vocals don't really stand out as noteworthy but musically I like it quite a lot.

I've never heard of or listened to these guys. This was fine 2000's rock vibes, some strong tunes in here but overall it didn't grab me.

Beta by name, beta by nature - these guys make music that in the most part is very much not in your face, but happy to blend into the background. That said, it's not bad - the quality dips in the middle, but the beginning and the end are actually decent. Liquid Bird has much more energy than most of the rest of it, wish the rest of the album had been a bit more like that. 3/5.

Bit all over the place, often changing mid song. Assessment is light and poppy until a grungy riff enters in the second half and it builds to a frenetic finish. Space is more psychedelic with acid bass and Lion Thief is chilled out and atmospheric. The next few tracks mostly stay in this dreamy space and then Out-Side is back to alt-rock/grunge, until a pretty acoustic riff and piano come in at the end. Really like the riff and drums on Liquid Bird. Not sure this feels a cohesive album. I wish more of it resonated with me. Favourite songs: Lion Thief, Liquid Bird.

surprisingly chill, decent album!

I feel like there are 10 more albums that came out in 2004 that are exponentially better than this one. What are we doing here? I spoke too soon. It is an okay album. Liking it better than the temptations yesterday.

I like that I can go back if I missed. This was fine. Not my cup of tea normally but was ok with the listen

Interesting. Lots of cool musical references and notes. But, a little forgettable. I’m not sure I equate the cover art with the lyrics and words and tone of this album at all.

Decent enough

This was a surprisingly good and interesting British indie record (unlike a lot of the recent ones.) Cool psych elements, felt kind of vibey for 2005. I enjoyed it. I'll probably never listen to it again, and I really don't know difference this album really made. But it was cool.

Actually pretty decent. I've never heard of this band, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why it's included in this list, but it's pretty OK. kind of chill rock, if I had to categorize it.

Groovy stuff, a fun listen with lots of depth.

Nicee

This is not terrible, as some reviews suggest. At least most of the songs are different and the percussionist is not a zombie.

Fíla þetta ágætlega.

Felt very late 70’s early 80’s - shades of ELO like tunes

Poppy, low-key

Mmm. Loved the EPs, loved the 1st album quite liked the second . This one's ok.

The genre is in my wheelhouse and the really hit some strong tracks… a bit ethereal and psychedelic alt rock… you’re so wonderful is a good example. It has some slow purposeful drumming that really nails a groove combined with soaring vocals really stand out. However the title of the song is sung in an understated slightly out of tune sound that takes away. This unevenness is the challenge with the album… has some great moments and a lot of potential but doesn’t quite live up to it completely.

This was... fine. Not bad, but not something I will be eager to return to.

Another band that I'd heard of but never listened to (or forgot doing so). This is good ..really like 1st cut, ASSESSMENT. Nice harmonies, rhythm, and guitar. Whoa - then, at 3:00, it mutates into a semi-hard-rocker - more toms and bass drum, louder guitar, and dissonance. LION THIEF kind of harks back to early seventies psychedelia with great instrumentation. A not-so-great song like EASY at least has interesting sounds snuck in. The vocals on these slow or slow-ish songs (e.g. TROUBLES) seem to copy Pink Floyd. Nice, clean production throughout. The electronica bits don't always work. They frequently don't seem to care all that much about lyrics - or they really love repetition - SPACE BEATLE repeats the line "I love you to pieces" around 30 times. Some songs are good / some are throw away / some are in inbetween. Giving this a ⭐⭐⭐. ________________________________ 🎧 LPs reviewed: 58 🎧 LPs left to review: 943 🎧 LPs I found great/relevant enough to be mandatory listens (5): 12 🎧 LPs I *might* include in my own list (4): 17 🎧 LPs I will certainly *not* include in mine (1-2): 16

This was kind of cool but not super special, I thought.

has some nice songs on it, a bit mediocre

It's quite nice. It doesn't have a lot of bite to it, but there is some interesting and varied music, with lots of different instruments. There's some nice soundscapes and general production.

Interesting vibe

Kinda fun!

The Beta Band has one song that I really really like, and unfortunately, it is not on this album. But the songs here continue on in that same vein of genre fusion. The combination of brooding and moody lyricism, but with a slight lilt of musical exuberance creates a truly unique sonic ambience. I can dig it.

Tre

Not Bad, but baffling inclusion

Why This Late Album ?!?!?! It‘s too close to a Britpop-Label which they always refused to wear. „Hot Shots II“ for example is the perfect antidote for this band‘s self proclaimed epitaph.

Good musicians and songwriting but just lacks something. I have a friend who told me to listen to Beta Band way back when but if you just can't get hooked on 1 or 2 songs it becomes a bit of a slog.

Like a jam band, without the ripping guitar solos. Mostly forgettable.

No. 192/1001 Assessment 4/5 (2x) Space 3/5 (2x) Lion Thief 3/5 (2x) Easy 3/5 (2x) Wonderful 3/5 (2x) Troubles 3/5 (2x) Out-Side 3/5 (2x) Space Beatle 3/5 (2x) Rhododendron 4/5 Liquid Bird 4/5 (2x) Simple 4/5 (2x) Pure For 3/5 (2x) Average: 3,3 This was a pretty cool listen.

2004 Electronic Rock Standouts: Trouble 3.5

Beta

BETA

BETA

Neat

Funk

Bueno.

Not bad. Just couldn't get into it very much.

Definitely grew on me after a few listens but nothing hugely life changing

01) Assessment - 6,5 02) Space - 7,0 03) Lion Thief - 7,0 04) Easy - 6,5 05) Wonderful - 6,5 06) Troubles - 7,0 07) Out-side - 7,5 08) Space Beatle - 6,5 09) Rhododendron - 6,0 10) Liquid Bird - 6,5 11) Simple - 6,5 12) Pure For - 6,0 TOTAL: 6,62 (66/100) Current ranking: 140/181 I have never heard of this (Beta) band. They remind me a bit of Alt-J, which is good for them. I'd rather listen to Alt-J though. I can't give them more than three stars.

alright

I initially judged this album by the silly comic book art cover. I thought it was going to be ska or something. But I was pleasantly surprised. The songs were fun. I'm having trouble remembering much about the album the morning after though. So I think that makes it a solid 3/5. But I'll most likely listen to this again

I knew their sound but not who they were. Mellow romp.

Je trouve que ça sonnait vraiment intéressant et avant-gardiste par moment. Avec une pochette comme ça je ne m'attendais pas à voir ce son si indie rock, psychédélique par moments. Malheureusement il y a beaucoup de moments plus faible aussi. Généralement un album agréable, mais pas assez mémorable. 6.5/10

HL: “Assessment”, “Space”, “Pure For”, “Liquid Bird”, “Space Beatle” I think what this shares with another recent album, Django Django (2012), is there are no bad tracks but no soaring standouts either. I dig some eclectic psychpop but I feel the album as a whole could lean further into either the layered beauty of “Space Beatle/Rhododendron” or the propulsive, trippy “Space” & “”Liquid Bird”. As it is it’s like a tasty sample platter. 3.5 May 3, 2024

Nothing hugely good or bad about this one, and I doubt I'll recognize it if I ever happen to hear it again.

It was alright, better than I expected

A beta this and a beta that.

Not bad, but not great either. Sounds like they caught the 90's indie vibe a decade too late.

Yet another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex First time listening. It was going pretty well, as a britpop-esque type of thing, that was until the bloody harmonica reared it's head, gah! Other than that, it was alright. Shame it's easily forgettable.

Intersting album. Knew nothing about the group, but it is a pretty good album. Worth a listen. One of those "surprises" you find along the way on this journey of 1,001. (#196 for me)

Some kind of interesting moments, and the story about them trying to mix it themselves is funny, but as stated in other reviews this album is in good company of being very mediocre.

never heard of them. first few tracks were interesting-little bit of 70's vibe & good background music. then tracks kinda blended together. liquid bird got my attention, but then that track faded a bit by the end, and the final track was bit boring. it's a meh from me.

The middle songs were the strongest for me on this album. The beginning songs sounded a little too similar, and the vocals sit so far back in the mix that sometimes they might as well not be there. But, the middle songs added more variety and interest. I would give it a 3.5 if I could.

Really enjoyed this

n curti mt

Mid

Never heard of these guys. This was a cool chill album. Made me feel floaty.

Okay.

Most of these songs were a 2 but a few were fun so I'm rounding up to a three.

I kinda liked it, has some interesting parts.

Sounded good that

Not bad. Had low expectations from the album cover.

Easy to get into! 3.5

I think theyre catchy? TBH dont remember.

I did nothing but listent to the music and I can't figure out why anyone hates this so much. Sure the band name and album art is atrocious but the music is a bit above average

i was skeptical at first with the album cover but this was actually pretty good. kind of flaming lips - esque at times with less electronic elements

It was just average to me tbh.

Neat!

Not bad, pretty cool

Ok

Background music

Reminded me of an old flatmate - it was OK, with a tinge of nostalgia. Assessment my favourite track

Very classic sound. I liked it.

not as awful as i was expecting tbf so boring i liked one of the songs weird robotic noises?? i stopped halfway through the last song (sorry that one was sooo boring)

Solid album that sounds influenced by Britpop to me. Nice melodies and some cool production choices throughout, though the music is mostly pretty tasteful and reserved. A lot of that reserved energy comes from the lead singer who has a muted style of performing, even on the harder rocking songs. Definitely one of the more misleading album covers I've seen in a while. I thought it would be pop-punk or maybe something irreverent like the Beastie Boys. I'm surprised the band chose this as the artwork when their style is relatively restrained.

I wasn't sure what to expect based on my initial judgement of the album cover and band name (20 years later from this release and I don't think any band of guys could call themselves "The Beta Band" as the word "beta" has become an insult in the US machismo landscape), but I'm enjoying it. I think they have some pretty cool ideas- specifically in the instrumentation. Auto-wah on bass guitar and loose and creative drumbeats on track 2, the meditative acoustic guitar with repetitive ostinato vocals on track 3, and then a funk synth laden track 4 that would even make Stevie Wonder proud. It's cool stuff, then some crazy good crunchy dissonances on track 5. Every song has something new to add to their musical setting. I'm actually really impressed by the musicality of the group. The downsides of the record are twofold: the vocalist(s) has a pretty straightforward and kind of forgettable voice. It's like he's just hanging in the back of the jam room while all of the musicians are jamming and riffing off of each other, and he's kind of singing just loud enough to be there but not really be heard. It sounds kind of amateurish... I remember growing up and playing in bands and there would always be a dude who would be like "I can't play any instruments but I can sing, can I be in the band?" "Yea! Come jam with us!" and then they show up and are afraid of hearing their own voice. I get a little bit of that from this even though this is obviously a professional band. I'm starting to put my finger on this record. It sounds like Ween but a more cohesive Ween. I knew the vocalist sounded familiar and that's the analog that I was looking for. "Out-Side" is beautiful and fun and inventive. It's criminal that this album has so few playcounts on Spotify. "Liquid Bird", what? What an intro. I love this shit. This is a 3.9 and if the singer gave a little more than it would easily be a 4 for me.

A soft, meditative, relaxing blend of alternative rock and electronica, with a pleasantly sleepy British vocalist to round out the sound. There are some high-gain moments in here too that jump out from the acoustic and beat-based background, but the album mostly runs together. A cool record by it's own merit, but nothing about it stood out to me as notable or memorable; it probably deserves more listens that I will unfortunately not be able to give. Stand out tracks include "Lion Thief", "Wonderful", "Rhododendron", "Liquid Bird", and "Pure For".

That cover sucks, 6/10

kiinteää, 42 min homma pitää keskittymisen musiikissa kokoajan... ei herkistänyt mutta siltli kuunneltavaaa.. kiinnostavia asioita esim. ''aaaaAAAaaaa''... ja siihen loppuu propsit. yhden piisin pitäisi tarpeeksi hyvä olla että pääsee meikän pleijariin koska muuton unohtuu koko bändi!!!! ja tämä unohtuu... prkl... ja siihen loppuu vihaaminen. bändillä on hyvin tilaa ikuisuuden avaruudessa.. istukaa paikalle..teitte hyvää työtä... liquid bird

At best, it's the fourth best Beta Band album. None of the shock of the 3eps, the anarchic oddness of Beta Band, none of the more cohesive downbeat of whatever their third album was called. This is a solid start of a decline - hence the split afterwards. It has moments of spark, but not enough to warrant choosing this over a much better back catalogue.

Not bad. I enjoyed the listen, but probably won't go back to it. 3/5

This wasn’t that bad of an album. Pretty decent alternative sound although no songs really stood out. That’s what makes this album okay but also nothing worth revisiting it’s an average sound in 2004 when other bands and artists were making significantly better music. For this list it gets 3 but not because it’s good, because there is that much 1 and 2 stars. 5.8/10

Wow everyone really hates on the British bands in this list haha. I'm just 47 albums in so maybe I haven't been inundated to the same extent. I don't love the electronic mix in a lot of the songs, but I was vibing to a few on the album: pure for, rhododendron, and space.

Pretty good vibes here

This could be any number of bands. Pretty generic, but not offensive

Interesting album, listened twice and it hasn’t clicked yet. Good singing but not sure if I dig the compositions. 3/5 but might revisit it later.

This album sort of just washed over me. It was fairly bland indie rock. There were some interesting textures, but overall, I didn’t find this to be groundbreaking at all. It certainly wasn’t terrible, but nothing about it stood out to me.

Niet vervelend om te luisteren, wel een wat matige entry voor deze lijst. Ik vind het wat drone-achtige ruimtegeluid wel lekker, maar de nummers zijn (net als bij dat andere album dat ik al van ze kreeg via deze lijst) erg vergeetbaar. Je zou bijna gaan denken dat Robert Dimery steekpenningen heeft aangenomen, want twee keer deze band in deze lijst is veel, maar zie dat maar eens hard te maken. Na dat gegorgel van gister ben ik hier best blij mee. Hoger dan een 3 kan ik echter niet geven.

Folktechno is kind of correct. Interesting band. This album didn't completely resonate with me, but it was enjoyable. I'm not blown away by it and would like recommend that people absolutely need to listen to it necessarily, but it was enjoyable.

Is this the shortest gap between two albums of the same artist we’ve had? In this case I think it was a disservice because it didn’t have the novelty of the first album for me. It’s not bad but not good enough.

Was very surprised to see this band again

Not sure we needed one album from this band on the list but definitely don’t need two. It’s not bad, just not special enough.

Honestly floored to see a second album by this group in a week. Who are they and why are they more important than Jay Z who we have yet to hear?.

I just couldn’t get the film High Fidelity out of my head. And this has not entered my all time top five albums from that film I’m afraid.

I had never listened to theses guys before. Seemed like good songs. But nothing special or extraordinary that I would say warranted inclusion in this list.

Was only able to listen to once today. I was intrigued but not blown away. Need to revisit to know for sure. But cool to be introduced to a band I’ve never heard of. 3/5

Great cover art. Great reviews amongst the list. Most say something like "forgettable boring British bullshit". I didn't find it that boring...

Um, okay I suppose. It passed me by like an easy breeze.

I felt similar to this as I did with the other Beta Band album on the list. It's good, but it also kind of goes in one ear and out the other. Something about the singer's voice. It's not unpleasant but it's sort of like white noise. Overall I enjoyed it though, but feel like I need to listen again. 3 stars.

I kind of like Space and Easy

3/5

Although there isn't much gold here, and overall the album is pretty forgettable, I can get down with some of the instrumentation and production. There are a lot little guitar licks sprinkled throughout that build a fun flow to the tracks. Combine that with the unique drum choices, and this works pretty well as an instrumental album. The vocals really aren't doing any favors to the record. Their mixing is off, and everything is just presented as pretty stale.

Competent

I love the earlier stuff. This one was…ok.

This was better than I expected

Not very alpha of them

Canciones tranquilas y sosegadas. Un tanto electrónicos. Totalmente desconocidos. Se puede escuchar fácilmente, pero les falta algo de intensidad

3.6 - Introspective stoner rock but executed with Nigel Godrich's meticulousness. They've clearly graduated from the fat crayons of "Hot Shots II." Lots of delicate, sophisticated arrangements on here, including "Rhododendron", "Simple" and "Wonderful."

An odd little LP, felt a bit draggy and unsure in the first half but pulls itself together in the later sections to approach what feels like an even more relaxed Django Django. Wish there had been more cuts similar to 'Out-Side,' as the band really hits their stride on louder, uptempo tracks.

Pretty cool sound. I'm not even sure what I would call the genre. Lion thief was my favorite song. The dog barking was an interesting element

Initial impression is this reminds me of U2. And I really don't like U2. Space is a fine enough song. Could be great if only the mix wasn't so damned flat. Lion Theme sounds like they're trying to tap into Damon Albarn energy and falling short. Feels to me like they are trying to do too much. Also the lyrics are stupid. Wonderful sounds like Beck. Honestly one of the most effective so far. Troubles sounds a bit like a Jaime XX (or just The XX) song. This midsection is working much better so far. Reaching towards more psych influences and letting things space out without crowding 100 ideas into each track. I think there is still some cheese to the lyrics and distant echo effect (makes it feel like they're trying to hard to appeal to the drugged out crowd imo). Simple is another one with terrible lyrics. Generally speaking I think that this makes for enjoyable music if you don't focus too closely. But I really feel like there are too many ideas jammed in. Hard to see this turning around for me. This is either a high 2 or a low 3. Yeah low 3 sounds about right.

Unique sound, like mellow acid rock. Need to listen again.

Experimental indie pop/rock that grows on you. I recognised two singles. Not bad, quite quirky and interesting.

Solid stuff, and good background music while working.

Something that sounds good, but too experimental for me to love this

Kende ik helemaal niet, maar best tof!

Leuk album!

Ik vind dit prima aan te horen, maar veel van hetzelfde.

Not bad

So... I love Four Women, and Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair. The others... you just have to be in your mood for.

These guys opened for Radiohead during their Amnesiac tour, and you can hear why. With lush production, blending styles of post-Britpop, psychedelia, and electronica, it sounds like a cleaner and more down-to-earth Primal Scream. There's a lot of creativity and diverse styles at play here that make it a fun and engaging listen. Some songs are duds, and sometimes it sounds like they're trying a bit too hard with sensory stimuli. It tends to lack proper hooks and moments to leave memorable impressions, especially on the singles. Also, the conflicting styles do clash, leaving the record to be a bit inconsistent. The worst flow is near the end, with "Rhododendron", "Liquid Bird", and "Simple" sounding harsh back to back. This is a weird pick considering the influences are clear, and this had very little lasting impression on other artists, but they are liked by a few like Radiohead. But it is solid production work with plenty of creative ideas that tend to work well.

Its a good time killer, there's some genuinely solid tunes but nothing that really stands out. If you want some background noise you could put it on.

I really like assessment and out-side and thought the rest was O K!

Kinda reminded me of the Beatles but didn't really grab me, low 3.

The Beta Band is one of those bands that were slated for success based on endorsements from their contemporaries. Having opened for both Radiohead and Oasis, perhaps they could have been the UK's next big band. Alas, the best they could do was chart at number 13 on the UK albums chart. They disbanded shortly after this album. How is Heroes to Zeros? Pretty good actually. This is a record record with some forward-thinking ideas. A little bit of psych, a little bit of electronica, a lot of potential. I don't think much stuck with me except for the song Out-Side.

C'était assez agréable à écouter, ce qui est déjà un exploit en soi dans cet horrible générateur.

Sans intérêt particulier, on est toujorus bien dans le générateur

5/10. Didn't give this a very thorough listen, but what I heard I didn't love

After the first couple songs I thought this was going to be a pretty interesting alternative album but it got a little annoying at times. Can definitely see how this would have influenced Alt-J. 6/10

I like the sound of it. I never listened to them before, great to know them know.

Banda maldita de començaments de mil.leni. No va tenir mai ni una engruna d'èxit, però dos dels seus tres discos (EPs apart) estan en aquesta llista; dona una idea de la típica banda més per crítics que pel públic. Em va agradar més el seu segon LP 'Hot Shots II'. Aquí continuen amb la seva peculiar barreja d'indie pop amb psicodèlia, indietronica i rock alternatiu, però les idees sembla que ja no sortien tan fresques com en els seus treballs anteriors

always beta never alpha

This is a really well-crafted album with a variety of musical ideas to explore. The band has a strong pop sensibility, augmented with a gift for thinking outside the box musically. I enjoyed this quite a bit. Fave Songs: Space Beatle, Rhododendron, Out-Side, Space, Liquid Bird, Pure For

Overstuffed but solid

UK Bias exhibit A.

Interesting this was mixed by Nigel Godrich. I'm not a huge fan of the superhero shtick they've been doing and the band feels quite average in terms of it's sound to me. Just another 2010s ground that is just kinda... there.

Never heard of this band before, but enjoyed this album. Felt familiar.

Uhh yeah okay? Middle of the road shit.

Had another album by this band I'd never heard of before just a few days ago. Similar issues: I like it, they've got some interesting sounds going on, but it's lacking something. Not getting much from the lyrics and the overall composition is kind of missing a central point of view.

ganz nett

seee 7/10

It's fine. I didn't hear anything that groundbreaking especially for 2004, seem more polished and generic than earlier stuff.

I only knew 3eps going into this. This wasn't bad but i'd listen to 3eps before putting this on again.

I sort of feel the editors needed to include a Beta Band album since they were so influential to other British acts at the time. But they could have put the 3 EPs on the list and I would've been a lot happier (but maybe that didn't rank as an "album" since it's a compilation?) This one is fine, but I'll listen to the 3 EPs if I want to listen to The Beta Band.

An interesting blend of folk and electronic with a few other influences thrown in, like rock and funk. Despite the mix of styles, the album is fairly consistent. The singer’s voice is too low-key for some of the songs but okay in others. The album cover is very 70s.

En plein ce que je pensais. Genre de band qui expérimenté. C'est bon des fois, des fois moins. 3.35

Rock. Electrónica.

I think I ran into Beta Band years ago as they show up on at least one Air song. It's a weird and interesting band that I overall like but don't love. This album is no different with its tight little chug along grooves. Totally adequate.

The Beta Band were heroes - with 2001’s “Hot Shots II” added to the list, followed by “Heroes to Zeroes.” Then they were zeroes - with no albums remaining on the list. They, along with Adele, Christina Aguilera, and Kings of Leon, are the artists with two or more albums formerly on the list and nothing left. Interesting company to keep. What makes an artist worthy of such temporary acclaim? With the Beta Band, they bring a little bit of timelessness, kind of an updated take on late Beatles that sounds like it could come from any time between 1994-2014. It’s fine - no real objections. But then no real reason to keep it on the list either.

I mean, it's about what you'd expect from a Beta Band release. It's good but not great. There's a lot of interesting things happening but also a lot of questionable things. I almost gave this a really soft 4-star review but it's... just not quite there. So close, though. Strong 3.

Neither repulsive nor very attractive.

It's fine. The longer it went on the less I liked it.

Another very mediocre British pop album. The experimental sound is reminiscent of the Super Furry Animals, but these guys seem unable to write any compelling songs to match it.

This is drinking a warm, flat soda on a hot day.

I feel like when I started this list, that Friday's always produced a classic or new discovery. I feel like I haven't had a good Friday in a long time. Not even halfway through this list, and the overwhelming amount of bad albums is wearing on me. The positive part, is now I can see if there are multiple albums on the list by a particular artist. Not a shocker when they put one bad album on here, there is always another. So my plan going forward, is to just get as many of these soso albums out of the way. So I listened to both of the albums on this list and it just makes me question why even one made it, and completely baffled why two make the list. I am not sure what I am listening to anymore, but there have been too many of these post-90s bands that really aren't doing anything new, what I am now calling scrapyard albums, that just pick up whatever pieces from the past they can to throw on to an album.

An interesting collision of styles

Not great

I describe so many of these albums as boring and forgettable that I feel like my reviews are boring and forgettable.

Sounds like a band you would hear busking in the park. You might think, good for them, and move on with your life.

Not so note worthy, I somehow ended up reading some comments beforehand and I kind of agree with them now. The ones with an interesting vibe were Lion Thief, Space and Liquid Bird. The rest is pretty ambience for a coffee shop.

British, more accurate Scottish 90s indie rock in the 2000s. All relevant 60s influences present, add some pseudo PF prog. An ok enough listen, well made and produced if somewhat, no completely not essential. Just another in a long list of bands that are a pastiche. And as a pastiche doesn't exclude it. Songs don't have punch enough to be remembered so no idea why needed to hear, though as said it's ok, but there are a 100 albums each year that are ok, do nothing to move the dial and don't need to be on this list. 2.5 Star

I guess it’s fine. Very middle of the road. Nothing really stands out or makes me want to listen again

Some very cheap-looking cover art. The music is better-produced than the cover suggests, but it's very boring, slightly ethereal, indie pop rock. Like another recent offering from this list from the very same year, The Libertines, I feel that this music has mainly been written and performed to get the band laid, but the strategy this time is to show off their sensitive souls. I can only hope it worked, because I am not getting much out of this, and the best I can say is that it did not actually offend me.

Honk shoo miimiimiimii

Piatto e ripetitivo. Non mi ha detto niente

Boring. Not impressed.

Frustrating, some great ideas poorly executed

Started off middling and got progressively worse as it moved into more of a dream sound. Bottomed out with Space Beatle

This is so Beta!

Felt like the kind of songs you’d see a band come up with for their GCSE group compositions

How is the genre of this 'electronic'? It's very obviously Britslop, which makes it an easy 1 for me. This was fucking boring shite.

dit album is echt slecht het is echt random