Heroes to Zeros

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

Meh. Catchy at first, but then forgettable.

Nothing special, truly “beta”

This was enjoyable! I'll probably forget they exist, but I would not be sad to listen to this again.

Not much on this album that I really liked. Falls very squarely into the "not bad but quickly forgettable" bin for me. 2.4/5

Snorefest. I saw these guys open for Radiohead in 2001 and I didn't like them then either. There were a few moments where I thought I was gonna like them, but overall they were a disappointment. 2.25/5

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

Ganska tråkigt, inget jätte speciellt. Vissa någo helt kivoga idéer

Need to draw the line somewhere. Average indie album, but not groundbreaking or notable.

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

Perfectly pleasant but completely unremarkable.

Love these guys

Sometimes this album has something to give, it certainly feels more fulfilling than their prior album, Hot Shots II, but this album tends to come off as weaker takes on far better bands' shticks. Whether it be Animal Collective, XTC, Radiohead, or even themselves at points, this album feels like it's trying to be all over the place to be quirky and unique, but instead I just keep thinking "oh, they got that from ____." It can be an exhausting listen because of this, and every time it does something "better" it seems to refuse to elaborate on those ideas, and goes back to mellow jams that feel like they could've never escaped 2004, and it seems that was indeed the case, as the band disbanded the same year this released.

Uma mistura que irritação e sensação de descartável que gerou momentos que confirma mais uma vez que mil é muita coisa.

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

More British indie garbage. Very forgettable. Favourite songs: Assessment Least favourite songs: most of the album 1/5

Very background. Nothing came forward as particularly interesting.

Cool, was on the tube so maybe need to go again but good fun

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

Very interesting sound, but nothing that jumped out at me. 2.5

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.

Beta Band is 0/2 in trying to justify the case for inclusion. Mediocre rock, who really thinks we need to hear this before we die? Favorite tracks: Lion Thief, Out-Side. Album art: Fairly cool comic book-style cover, but a little soulless. Compare, for example, to the Czarface comic book covers. This is decent, but also dated. 2.5/5

sure whatever this was.

Нормальный альбом, есть пара интересных треков

Like a piece of pretty good store bought cake. 2.5 rounding up for the cover art. Doesn't belong on this list.

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.

cercano di suonare tipo REM?

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.

Not their best, but still head and shoulders above most other stuff

Pleasant enough but it all became a bit of a background blur after a few songs.

A glorious fuck up.

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

2.5

Alright little early 2000s indie rock record with a uniquely futuristic and sci-fi aesthetic. The subtle futurism the production is coupled with is the main thing this album has going for it, it's what makes it stand out among the many Indietronic albums of its time. Otherwise, I don't have much to say about it - it's relatively run-of-the-mill in this ally of somewhat laid-back indie rock. I really liked 'Lion Thief' and 'Easy' is also incredibly catchy and funky, I love the little high-pitched synth interlude. 'Liquid Bird' has the most electrifying instrumentation with the arpeggiated electric guitar and sporadic volume levels dominating the majority of the track. Again not much to say about this guy, was mostly enjoyable - but also pretty dull at times.

This is a poppier version of the Beta Band and I like it a lot. Each track seems to made up of little vignettes that create a song when they are combined, which makes them quirky and fun.

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

I'm normally one for self-depreciating jokes, but for some reason the fact that they named themselves The Beta Band and have an album called "Heroes To Zeros" rubbed me the wrong way. The music... doesn't do much for me. It's a little sad, maybe a little stoned. Wikipedia mentions that they blend trip-hop influences into this but man, I do not hear much of that. I think this may be the first album on here to get in because friends in higher places (i.e. Radiohead) vouched for it. Favorite tracks: "Space", "Lion Thief", "Simple"

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.

Not bad at all, definitely interesting and creative. But some tracks feel like they're blending styles for the sake of it, rather than for actual artistic merit. I did enjoy it, but it was not inspired or powerful enough to be amazing.

You're allowed to like this if you want. I do not. Pretty boring It's actual music, so it gets more than one star, I guess

1st time listening to Beta Band. I enjoyed the mix of musical styles.

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.

Not sure why this is on the list

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

Voix atmosphérique, musique riche et texturée par contraste. Me fait souvent penser à Eels, parfois à Enon, deux groupes que j’adore

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

Well, nice album cover, but the music is not as explosive or colourful as it would suggest. It's just a nice alternative/soft rock, with frw cool songs at the end. I'll give it a four, but I certainly would have to listen to it couple more times to assess it.

Rhythmic pop, felt like some middle east influence. Pretty interesting

Nice and relaxing music, nice!

A proper early 2000s Brit-Pop classic! Or maybe I should say, a classic Brit-Pop album... I can confidently say I don't remember a single song from the album, but a memory of how I felt when I listened to it. I never know if I like Brit-Pop or hate it, but I think the world is better for it being a thing.

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

This is the most embarrassing album cover on this list.

Very generic, very like 90s indie, but in the 00s. Nothing really enjoyable. I'll give it a 2 just because I didn't hate it.

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.

All over the place, but in a good way

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.

lyder ikke dårligt, bare heller ikke memorable overhovedet. Jeg manglede lidt en rød tråd, det var ret rodet

Mega meget up my alley, fed produktion og gode numre. Har hørt et par Beta Band plader før men ik den her.

Lidt langt.. Lidt ligegyldigt.. Lød fint, men sagde mig virkelig ikke noget, så er lettere uforstående for hvorfor den er på listen.

I saw these guys open for Radiohead back in the day. They were forgettable but that was the right spot for them. Being on this list is not. I can’t imagine how boring this record was without Godrich’s production.

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.

It’s British

british 4/10

Not sure what you’d call this band, experimental, alternative. Not crazy about their sound.

Heroes To Zeros is interminable twaddle. It's just boring, not bad, nothing for me, a low 2.

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.

Going nowhere fast

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.

I'm not sure what to make of this - it's all over the place, stylistically, veering from spacey futuristic sounds, through to folky-type sparse arrangements. Overall, I think 'interesting' is the best description. But not something I'd choose to listen to again.

Cool sounds but I wouldn't really listen to it

Unremarkable and uninteresting.

that album art kicks ass. i assumed this would be some really loud epic rock music that would be out of a comic book or video game, but i was pleasantly surprised by how it actually sounded; this album is full of soft and embittered compositions. many people might think this album is a bit simple and quiet, but i honestly really enjoyed this listen, hearing all the different ways these guys produced their tracks and all. the title is gripping. once respected, now feeling like outcasts.

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

I liked this one. First time listener of the band/album. They remind of and sound a lot like Portugal but with more of an electric sound.. kind of like if David Bowie were the lead singer for Portugal. Does that shit make sense?? Either way. I dig it.

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.

I like the comic book-style album cover. Without knowing anything about this group, makes me think I'm in for some geek rock. Hmm, not totally what I was expecting. This album jumps around quite a bit; between folk/indie rock, electronica and even funk at one point. I guess I was expecting something more high-octane, but this landed more on the Coldplay side of things when it comes to the "rock energy" scale. Not awful, but a bit forgettable at the end of the day. Teetering between a 2 and a 3. In an effort to be more critical, I'll go 2.

British Beta electronic Rock.

Bland. In fact blander than that,

I like Steve Mason, but this album is forgettable

If I were to judge this band by its cover. It would be a 0/5. Thankfully the packaging doesn't reflect the gift inside. This album was pretty damn good. Way better than I expected. Perhaps the album cover was to make you have low expectations? I don't know. But none the less, there are some well written songs. I got a Sam Roberts feel in a few songs. Really enjoyed this.

So boring I did not pay attention at all. Not really something that interested and I have no interest in

I disagree. Did not have to listen to this caca. 0/5

Boring and forgettable. I will probably never think of this album again, much less listen to it. On to the next

resident sleeper

Generic British rock.

Decent enough

Laulaja hiuksista vittuun. Menee muutenkin ehkä turhankin kokeilevaksi ja poukkoilevaksi, tai no, kuka mistäkin tykkää. Kerran jaksoi kuunnella ja seuraavana päivänä skippaillen pikakelaus ja oli edelleen paskaa.

Lame, mut kuunneltava

Instrumentally, this record is really fun. Lots of different sounds and layers mixing funk, rock, and electronica. Honestly, I love when bands mix rock and electronica. A bit of a psych production with poppier melodies makes this an easy, yet interesting listen. I think this one is better listened to intentionally with good headphones. If listened on like crappy car speakers, you'll miss a lot of interesting production. It makes sense this was produced by Nigel Godrich. While not being one of the masterpiece albums on this list, it is an album I think I'll choose to listen to on my own because of how much I enjoyed it. There were some boring songs on the record for sure but overall it was enjoyable.

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.

Oh lordy, where do you go with this one? It's hard to understate the influence of The Beta Band, and even harder to understand it. They try new things, sure, but many of them don't really work and certainly don't fit together as music you'd want to sit and listen to. It is very much the early 2000s MelodyMaker / NME curse, where a load of posh boys who worked as music journos fanwanked certain artists until all that was left was a bloodied stump. There wasn't really any merit to them, they just got caught up in the jerking off, terrified to be the one to point out that the emperor wasn't wearing owt. This album is slightly worse than middle of the road.

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

I had no idea what I was in for with this album and while I wasn’t totally blown away by it, it was still a pretty good time. Funky, electronicish, and mostly 2000s indie Brit rock. Not too memorable except for space but still solid. lol I just searched for beta band in my history and said pretty much the exact same thing about their last album (which I have literally no recollection of)

I do appreciate the modern sound and vibe, but most of the tracks are so smooth that there is nothing for the mind to catch on. There is no warmth to them.

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

They clearly have no idea what music to make they just fucking jam and make it happen and I'll say I kinda fw it. Rock Electronica? Don't you mean Rock, Electronica, Pop, Folk, Indie, Britpop, with elements of New Wave, Grunge, and dare I say, Shoegaze?

Spectacularly mediocre.

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.

just a bit too experimental for me. Some really interesting bits followed by Space Beatle...

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.

I completely forgot to rate this. It is now mid-August, whoops. When I first listened to this, I couldn’t decide if it was a 4 or a 5. I wrote the below review and I guess planned to listen again, but totally forgot. I finally did re-listen today and my decision has been made. This album rocks. Surprised to see this has a score under 3 (as of writing this). I really liked it! I'm waffling between a 4 and a 5. I really enjoyed it but I don't know how often I'd play it if I kept it on my phone.

I actually really enjoyed this. But it was not special in any way. Very forgettable.

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

The Beta Band are great. The starting point is and always will be the 3EPs. But this is a stonger offering than their first album proper

I loved this. A great discovery. Am baffled that I hadn’t heard it before. Now going through the back catalogue.

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

Yeah, this one was pretty good. I didn't love it to the end...got a bit bored after a while, but pretty strong, in general.

I remember liking the prior Beta Band album we had but I don't really remember why. HtZ doesn't jog my memory at all but I loved it. I think maybe I'm into the Beta Band and their whole deal.

I remembered that I enjoyed The Beta Band "Hot Shots II" that came up a while ago in this project, but I couldn't really remember what to expect. This is a moody, quirky affair that was a perfect soundtrack for today. “Lion Thief” and “Simple” were particular faves, but I liked the whole album a lot. I seem to really like The Beta Band and should probably investigate them further.

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.

It has great cover art and awful music.

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.

The album cover alone is worth 5 stars, however the songs don't quite live up to that level. Still, a really enjoyable album and an improvement over their previous one.

Low key dig it.

Tre

Surprisingly good!

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.

2004 häpäisy vuosi jee ja unohdettavampia liikkeitä hankalampaa ai:llakaan tuottaa...

It drags

1/10

The Beta Band (grupo de culto salvo cuando salieron en High Fidelity, incluso por ello) siguieron, en su tercer y último disco, la estela de The Flaming Lips, la portada remite a Yoshimi o The Mystics... y de Elephant Six. En realidad The Beta Band han sido siempre un mundo en sí mismos. El disco es un viaje por los rincones de la psicodelia, una delicia con canciones como Troubles, Wonderful y esa gema que es Out-Side. Abre potente con Assessment y continúa con Space, en clave Animal Collective (Panda Pear). Lion Thief ensambla unas guitarras y coros Byrdianos (los de Notorious Byrd Brothers) con percusiones y ritmos mucho más actuales además de un toque Pink Floyd, que hacen del conjunto un temazo. Easy fusiona su estilo con algo de Funk. Space Beatle es una marcianada, como Rhododendron, una delicada pieza instrumental. Liquid Bird podría haber sido un éxito, de haberlo querido alguien. Cuando llegas a Simple y Pure For (que recuerda a la psicodelia noventera de Screamadelica - Inner flight/Higher than the sun) ya estás entregado y esperando a darle otra vez al play. Joya exquisita y atemporal. Hubo muchos, pero no mucho mejores discos en 2004: Nick Cave- Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus, Arcade Fire- Funeral, Wilco – A Ghost Is Born, Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand, Tom Waits – Real gone, Morrissey - You are the quarry. También: Sonic Youth- Sonic Nurse, TV on the radio- Desperate, Youth, Blood, Green Day - American Idiot, Bart Davenport – Game Preserve, Interpol – Antics, Modest Mouse – Good news for people who love bad news, Brian Wilson – Smile, Lambchop – Aw c’mon / No you c’mon, The Dears – No cities left, The Divine Comedy – Absent friends, The Delgados – Universal audio, Kasabian-Kasabian, The Organ - The Organ, Adan Green - Friends of mine, Ye (Kanye West)- The College dropout, Keane- Hopes and feras, Pinback-Summer in Abaddon...

The cover is the most interesting thing about this album. I’d rather stare at it for 42 minutes than listen to this again.

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.

This album was about as interesting as the 11th of April 1954. Shame as well, the album cover had me super hyped.

1.92

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

You pick the mercury winner not this one

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

At their peak, the Beta Band were one of Britain's most innovative, creative and promising bands. Sadly that peak came and passed far too quickly. The aptly-named Heroes to Zeros soundtracks the period from their excellent Hot Shots II era to their breakup just months after this was released. It's a damn shame but they just didn't seem to be able to agree on the creative direction, some members struggled with mental health and they and collectively kept hitting the self-destruct button. Lots of this album are of the playful, genre-bending variety that made them so exciting, but it lacks consistency and sags in the second half. I can't go lower than a 4 because they were just so special while we had them around (and outstanding live) but it's much messier than its predecessor and not as much fun as the 3 EPs that put the Betas on the map in the first place.

A great album, I have to underline the superb production and ideas, though I didn’t really connect with the overall project…

great band name for what they are

Really, desperately boring, feels like on purpose most of the time. I was 14 and into indie music in 2004 and had no awareness of this band, so they didn’t have a cultural impact either. Should have done ‘beta’.

Neat

Some good stuff here, but it takes a few song to get it. Hardly their best album.

Like some of the other albums in this collection, this just feels very indulgent. I don’t know that it contributes anything particularly special or leaves much impression. Surely there are better albums that could’ve been included.

Funk

fun and rocking. 3 stars.

Little bit too weird for me

Bueno.

An interesting eclectic album I’d like to hear more of - enjoyed its particular brand of noughties alternative

I quite liked this, good background rock music. Stand-out: Troubles

Liked it more than I was expecting, post Britpop sound with some decent songwriting

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

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

Rock electrónico. Tostón. Un 2.

A whole load of nothing

No, Just boring, no...

So much UK trash on this

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.

Great discovery. I really enjoyed some of the pieces of this experimental rock with a very British slant. I especially liked space beatle (just like yesterday and also wonderful

Enjoyable, if not ground breaking

alright

Reicht knapp für 4. Gefällt nebenbei ganz gut und der Sound stimmt.

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

This album reminded me of another band I like, "Django Django". The vocals are distinct, and the subtly electronic melodies are soothing and ethereal.

boring

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

I like the Beta Band enough. Not as good as The Three EPs, but enjoyable.

I surprisingly liked this early 2000s rock/indie album by this Scottish band I haven't heard about before. This album is atmospheric, moody, interesting enough and overall it was a pleasant listen. Maybe it'd be a 3.5 but I round it up to 4.

Forgettable, bland music, like a lot of the albums on this list now that I think about it

Why on earth is this here? Boring boring boring. Not 1 star bad but it's placement on this list is one of unfortunately many question marks as to how I've gotten 900+ albums deep in this mess.

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

Without the shock of the new of the 3 EPs, still a great offbeat listen. Steve Mason is a genuine one off and needs to be cherished.

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.

An interesting band that rises above the typical middle of the road jangly guitar pop.

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.

Very light psychedelic rock. Sounds like early 2000's.

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)

Only had the time to listen once. Didn’t get it, nor what the band was trying to do. The songs passed by uneventfully

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.

I liked the sound of this band. They had a almost late Beatles sound with an alternative edge.

I lost attention and couldn’t tell you anything because of how boring it was

Honestly I was expecting to hate this album with every fiber of my being. I did not. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Maybe it was because I was listening to this after studying for o chem all day and the vibe was just what I was looking for. Maybe it was because it was super low-key and they didn't seem to take themselves stupidly seriously. Whatever the reason I really liked this one. What an unexpected, pleasant surprise.

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 album cover made me expect cringecore electronic pop but instead I got middling alt rock 😔

Gud va dehä suger... lame. Tråkigt. Brittiskt. Noll swag

“Folktronica” is definitely the best way to describe this band. Fun listen.

It was ok. Very typical mid 2000's alt sound.

Meh.

The first few tracks had me a little curious and then it went downhill from there. There was such great music from the mid naughties and this is not it (Blue Notebook by Mac Richter or The Milk-eyed mender by Joanna Newsom are both the same year as this album for example but not on the list from what I can see) who is choosing these albums?

Not sure why this is on the list, but I enjoy the album

Trahs

I remembered someone suggesting the Beta Band to me, but it turns out it was the movie High Fidelity. This is a really good album--I went back and listened to some of their other stuff and it was not as good. Too bad this was their last album!

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.

Didn't care for this one. I stopped paying attention.

I had never heard of The Beta Band before but I really enjoyed this album. I wouldn't say that any of the songs particularly stood out to me, but I did enjoy the vibe of the album!

Really enjoyed this

Yawn

n curti mt

I am forgetting the songs while listening to them. I might remember this album just because of this. I wonder if it is hard to reach this level of blandness... Interesting to note that the only song with some kind of spirit samples a great one from Siouxie and the Banshees. It is a poor, tortured attempt, but it was the only time this album made me feel anything. Listening to this till the end was like waiting for water to boil.

Mid

I kind of really dug this album. It was sooooo different from anything, but still really cool (70's acid trip, modern electronic, high school band). I can see why the commercial success is low and personally I don't think they would do good playing big venues and having big fan bases. I want to see them play in a garage or a small club because their music has an intimate presence and the ability to be different but not pretentious and so unique but digestible. I really liked the first four songs. Easy and Wonderful were only okay, but they picked up again after and finished great (really liked Out-Side and Pure For). I am so glad I found them too and I will search them out more.

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

Nicht meins: Schaffe es nicht mir das Album in Gänze anzuhören.

Okay.

Way better than their previous efforts, turns out the upbeat, up tempo Beta Band have far more to offer than the lo fi, dour tunes that came before.

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

this wasn't really anything at all

I didn't know this band at all and I actually really enjoyed this listen. Their sound was not at all what I was expecting when I heard the band name and saw this album cover. I probably would have never given this a chance left to my own devices, but it had some cool tracks that I'll add to my rotation.

I kinda liked it, has some interesting parts.

Sounded good that

This was much more my cup of tea than expected. Not a complete banger but generally deserves 4/5

This was okay. I listened to it yesterday and can't really even remember what I thought about it.

Not bad. Had low expectations from the album cover.

Easy to get into! 3.5

I think theyre catchy? TBH dont remember.

Fine. But why did I need to hear it before I die?

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.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of great British music, but this list definitely has a bias

Meh, there wasn't much interesting here, but it wasn't bad either

The only reason anyone gives a shit about The Beta Band is because their only good song was used during a memorable scene in the movie High Fidelity. After that movie resonated with audiences, suddenly everyone believed the Beta Band was important. Guess what. They're not important. Anything outside of "Dry The Rain" is filler. Yet we almost feel like any slight towards the Beta Band is a slight towards High Fidelity. No one wants to diss High Fidelity. Although if John Cusack continues to lose his mind, he'll become about as meaningful as The Beta Band.

Neat!

Not bad, pretty cool

The music does not match the album art. The music is pretty interesting and decent but the album cover is where this album shines.

Quite liked this

Godrich clearly had fun with the spacey production and it’s by far the best thing about this otherwise quite bland record

I loved the Beta Band back in the day, this stands up much better than it's contemporaries in the UK.

I love that The Beta Band has more than one entry on this list. Who the hell even are these guys and what are they doing here? It's not even that the music is bad, it's just painfully mediocre and boring. The last song has the repeated lyric of "I'm so glad you found me." Well let me tell you Beta Band, I'm personally not very glad I found you

I mean, there was nothing terrible about it. I was just bored.

I get it. I think. I like the techno merged with new wave, sprinkled with funk and atmospheric roots music. I can imagine this would be a great band to see live while tripping balls. Hard to argue with poignant lyrics like: Dysmorphic in doses Imagine trying to shit out twelve red roses

I made it about halfway through. Can't figure out how this made the list.

I’m unsure as to what this is supposed to be. Each song on its own has merits, but as an album, it feels disjointed and unfocused.

Ok

Background music

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

Generic and british. Therefore a must, apparently for this list.

I’ve never heard of this band and now I know why. Not very interesting to me.

Very classic sound. I liked it.

Beta Band is always a good listen. Three EPs is still my favorite, but this one is pretty good too.

Another album that I don’t think has any place on this list. Generic and uninspiring.

Not for me, found it a bit boring.

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)

boring and generic and the album cover is shit

Boring. En voyant la pochette, j'espérais qqch de plus spacial, épique et dynamique.

Aivan vieras tuttavuus mulle. Tällaista takakenoista musaa. No härskimmät ja enemmän rokit biisit toimii mutta kyllä tää kokonaisuutenaa jää mulla aika vaisuksi. 2/5

Oon näiden pari aiempaa levyä joskus kauan sitten tallentanut spotifyssa, mutta tää ei kyllä oikein iskenyt.

ok britit

Oh great, The Beta Band... Again. Clearly the author of 1001 bought into their hype and wasn't saying no to any editorial comments. Below average at best, God awful at worst.

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.

"INDIE!!! WE NEED MORE INDIE IN THIS BOOK!" This is how I imagine the averange meeting of the editor with his contributors must have gone. But really, this album is the definition of unexciting. As in: not bad, inoffensive, nicely produced and played but devoid of anything that lets me take pause and want to listen to the music. Why is this on the list? Oh, yeah, I forgot.... INDIE!!!! - 2/5

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".

A little gimmicky but good tunes

Considering I hadn’t heard of The Beta Band before starting this project, it’s surprising how many of their albums are considered essential. I thought that Hot Shots II was ok but it didn’t blow me away. Let’s discover this one then! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Liquid Bird I think it would be fair to say I enjoyed this album a fair bit more than the previous one. I still wouldn’t say that it knocked my socks off, but the music was interesting enough to keep me interested and catchy enough to keep me bopping away. It’s nothing amazing, but certainly something I can enjoy when I come across it.

That cover sucks, 6/10

I like this band, but did not feel this album.

A good, artsy, rock album.

There’s nothing special about this album, pretty sure I’ve heard the same songs in another album. Don’t know why it’s on this list and the vocalist sounds so bored by the end of it.

This was a cool new find. never heard them before but I dug this LP

Very average indie rock album, not sure why it’s on the list.

first listen its a vibe

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

Wow! I love this.

casi me pego un tiro escuchando esto

I really like a lot of The Beta Band's other albums & EP;s, but this one has never done it for me. It's slightly too long, not very memorable, and just not as good as their other really impressive stuff.

I am really pleasantly surprised by this, it was exactly what I was hoping to get out of doing this. A great album that I missed the first time around. I will be going back to this for sure.

almost hypnotic.

Wow. Some of these songs are fantastic and others are so boring. I don’t know how to rate.