Heroes to Zeros

This needs to a 10 point scale. It’s a 7 (3.5). Never heard of these guys. They do some cool stuff.

Didn't really understand the point of this, but it was British so I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see it on this list.

I saw on Wikipedia that this band got to open for Radiohead and I can totally understand why. They're just as boring. Sorry.

This was ok, nothing super exciting, but not terrible. 2.5/5

A band releasing a song called Rhododendron. Hmmm difficult to take it seriously. Some melodic tunes but that is it. Sorry

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

Terrible album cover and band name. The music itself, hard to define and interesting. They found this pocket of unique sound, however don’t know if it’s being used to it’s full potential. 2.5/5

This didn’t stand out for me Too much 2.5

Not heard of the band prior to this dropping. Well what a fun mix. Nothing truly original but some sparkling songs across many rock genres. Definitely one for the road.

Didn't know what to expect. After finishing it still really don't know what to think of it. The songs seem unpolished and unfinished. Overall very bland.

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.

Has its moments

Pretty good vibes here

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

Beige! At first I thought this had promised then it just was so blamange meh I couldn't handle it. Vapid lyrics. There was one set of lyrics so silly about "going it alone" it made me lol/groan

Ermm guess it wasn't bad but it was very forgettable. Just a bit bland.

These guys are just so groovy and chill. Great study/work music. Not workout music but still great.

Interessante Sounds im Stile von OMD, Siouxsie & The Bangees und Visage. Es teilweise wild und rockig unterlegt und macht die innere Zerrissenheit der Band im Jahr 2004 kurz vor ihrer Auflösung deutlich. Sehr interessant sind “Liquid Bird”, “Pure For” und Troubles”. Die Platte ist zur Wiederholung geeignet.

An absolutely Beta Band album. If you like the Beta Band's brand of laid back, psychedelic, folk, indie pop, you'll like this. No sign as to why it's considered essential listening, though. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Assessment Date listened: 24/02/24

Never heard of this band before. A relatively chill rock album. Enjoyed it while listening. But not an all time favorite nor am I now a fan after listening to it. Solid 4 out of 5.

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.

Las y los ingleses tienen en música otras visiones. No sé si definirlo como mayor sensibilidad, apertura, creatividad más rica, pero la cantidad de proyectos musicales interesantes de Inglaterra es innumerable. Esta banda, que también es nueva para mí, tiene experimentación, tiene psicodelia, remite a The Stone Roses y recuerda a lo que después empezó a hacer Tame Impala. Me gustó

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.

I liked it!

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?.

There was nothing actually bad about it but the longer I listened the more I found it hard to care about Some of the British albums on this list from the 90s and 00s seem like they don’t need to be on the list. But I definitely dig most of the 60s and 70s British albums

they're good, remembering "High fidelity"

Anything is better than nico

interesting album. Didn't like it as much as the other one on the list, but still good.

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.

It's good, but it's probably my least favorite collection of Beta Band songs.

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

It doesn't look like anything to me.

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 have a love hate relationship with the Beta Band. I go through periods where I think they are great and then periods where I find I just can’t listen to them. I was in the latter mood when this came up. Listening to this has nave me to the former.

Comedown folk-rock. I like the way they did their own distinctive thing when there was so much bad music in this era.

They kinda sounds like Ween, these guys should be more popular

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Assessment, Space

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

Very interesting music, full of new, catchy beats.

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.

Rather listless and slippery, as if the entire auditory experience passed through my memory banks without any consideration of taking root.

Weird and quirky in a way that’s more often charming and enjoyable than off-putting and annoying. Always happy to find an album on this list that feels like a unique experience.

Willing to concede that maybe I just don't have the proper context for The Beta Band, and that diving headlong into a band's final album, one released shortly before disbanding is far from the proper introduction to a group's sound, ethos, and general schtick. But even given all that, it is pretty hard for this album to scan as anything other than dull, flat, and boring to me. I'm very open to a blending of somewhat disparate elements, acoustic & electronic elements intermingling, psychedelia-lite, its just that everything feels subdued and light here. Hoping to be surprised if & when I make it to the rest of their catalogue.

There’s two fucking Beta Band albums on this list?

Dreamlike and unique

Shrug, it was okay. Feels a little bit like going back to high school.

Not my jam!

Competent

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

Na, not for me. It's all over the show.

This was better than I expected

I love the Beta Band, particularly 'The 3 EPs' and their second 'proper' album, 'Hot Shots II' and even their first album, which the band notably hated and disparage, has some absolutely brilliant tracks amidst the dross! 'Heroes to Zeroes', which was their swansong, is an enjoyable album with the standouts, for me, being the melancholy 'Troubles' and, especially, the beautiful 'Wonderful'. The remaining tracks are fine but perhaps, judging by the diminishing returns, it was right that they chose to call it a day.

Never heard of this band!! Cool blend of Rock, Electronica and a dash of folk. They remind me a bit of My Morning Jacket with some Radiohead influences. Definitely gonna check out their other releases! Standout tracks: Assessment, Lion Thief, Wonderful, Out-side, Liquid Bird, Simple, Pure For 8 out of 10

Not very alpha of them

Meh

This has been one of the biggest surprises so far. I’ve never heard of this band and I ended up listening to the album 3 times today. It’s a mix of different genres and it somehow works.

Rock electrónico. Tostón. Un 2.

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.

One of the cooler album covers so far. This album had a ton of variety that I appreciated. Very unique sound without being overboard on randomness. Pure For was a great end, especially with those bass kicks.

I love this album cover. That was such an unexpectedly cool album from never hearing of these guys. I am very glad I listened to it with headphones on because there were a lot of different sounds going on with the electronics. Liquid Bird was my favorite song on here This album reminded me a lot of that Primal Scream album that came up over the summer. If I was also sitting on a beach and drinking some ice cold brews this would probably also get a 5, but instead I am sitting at my desk working on a cloudy day. Pretty solid 4

Wow what a god anwful album cover. Hellen Keller could make a better cover than this. But ooo another Nigel produced album excited for that. Really loving the atmospheric sound to this album. Hard to nail down a specific genre which I love. Currently floating to Wonderful. That switch up in Space Beatle is pretty toight. Simple reminds me a ton of Elbow in a good way. This is a pretty solid 4 from me. Want to deduct for the cover but 4 it is.

Meh mid

Great find. Great listen. Folk rock electronica.

Interesting mix of genre. I get a big Beck vibe off of it. I liked it but wished for more.

I'd never heard of this band, and never intentionally listened to this sub-genre of rock. I am fine not listening to it again, but it was less annoying that I initially expected. I was surprised that after the album was over, and Spotify continued with this sub-genre, I actually enjoyed some of the music.

Noise

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

I used to enjoy the three EPs album when I was younger but never ventured any further. How foolish. This was great. The bits that went great I suspect might be growers. Definitely adding this one to my rotation list.

2/5 didn't catch the point

De artwork is gaaf

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

An enjoyable listen

I was prepared for some weird U2/Coldplay meets jam band album based off the opening track, but then a random horn section appeared and I didn't know what to expect. I didn't hate it, though. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this album. There's a ton of variety and experimentation, and it never gets boring. It's got a crazy mix of garage rock, folk, shoegaze, trip hop, and electronica all mixed up together. Some of the tracks reminded me of Peter Gabriel or Cosmo Sheldrake in the weird melding of genres and bizarre soundscapes (in a good way). I often found myself wondering if they were sampling songs in several of the melodies—was that Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" or just a close imitation of the clav? ... was that the riff from "Paint it Black" I just heard?—or just heavily inspired by older work. "Liquid Bird" definitely samples Siouxsie and the Banshees, and it is fire. The lyrics are at times trippy to the point of being nonsensical and at other times a bit cliche (there seem to be quite a few overt references to The Beatles as well). The words can seem like an afterthought on some songs compared to the music; but the music is so engaging that it doesn't matter that much. I enjoyed this album a lot. I'll probably add it to my regular rotation and check out their other stuff. 4/5

Meh, I'll stick with their Three EPs set, which is phenomenal. This didn't do it for me.

Solid stuff, and good background music while working.

I have been a fan of The Beta Band since the early 2000s and I love any chance I get to revisit them.

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.

It's definitely music. For brief moments it even sounds original. Does said music merit inclusion in what's alleged to be a prestigious list of albums? Nahhhhhhhhh

This had a lot of neat ideas that I just don't think they had the ability to execute well enough. ALSO THIS IS THE LAST ONE BABYYYY I"M FREEEEEEE

A fine album to end on. What a fun 2000s romp to end my generator journey!

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.

2/5. An interesting series of electronic folk? but not for me I think. If I was older when this originally released this might have been my jam but feel like its aged a little. Not very memorable but not bad, just experimental but not super landing perfectly. Maybe another listen might do it for me, but don't feel like doing that right now.

I usually really like this kind of music, but this one I just haven't been able to get into. It's the first time I've heard it, so I'll probably give it more time. 2.5 for now.

great album, awful cover

This album was not good. They are certainly zeroes. Highly questionable if they were ever heroes. It has that indie music feel, you know the whiny feel but this time with electronic music. Not really a two but I will round up

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

In the words of my good friend Jon - this was the perfect last album for us Generic ✔️ British ✔️ Bullshit ✔️

Well this is it! #1089. I'm done with this whole shebang after I write this review. And let me tell you, this album is the perfect way to close off this 3 year trip. It is so emblematic of this list as a whole. Boring ☑ Forgettable ☑ British ☑ Bullshit ☑ It's been a real slice, y'all, and I am happy to have found hundreds of albums worth 5 stars. But the overwhelming majority of this list is dumb boring forgettable british bullshit.

So I really liked this. I only know the Beta Band from The 3 EPs, obviously from High Fidelity. This one doesn’t really sound like that record though. I know Beta Band is an act many hipsters hold in high esteem, and apparently Radiohead and Oasis (at least Noel) said they wanted to make an album like Beta Band. This sounds so much like Soundtrack of Our Lives though. And I find out this came out years after they were active and arguably at their commercial peak in 2002.

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

First of all, have to say how much I love the album cover. Such great artwork! Now, the album is excellent. Second Beta Band album for me this week, which is great. I am drawn to their style, which is a clever mash-up of elements from various genres, and they compose and perform very well. I'll give this album more listens and, yes, for real, will finally listen to more of their stuff.

Overstuffed but solid

I admit I like this, but do we really need 2 if this band's 3 albums on this list?? Seems like an overrepresentation. Even so, it is hard to stay mad because the songs are so good. The melodies are catchy, the sound dreamy.

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.

Cool - only knew a few songs but this was great. Saved Space Beatle.

?????????????????

J’ai jamais entendu parlé de ce band là, mais chaque chansons me fait penser à un autre groupe que j’arrive pas à trouver le nom. En tout cas, léger 4 pour l’ensemble

Toffe mix van folk en psychische muziek

I've been curious about the Beta Band for a while, after being introduced to them in High Fidelity. I liked this album a lot. It's very eclectic, with a good mix of sweet, slow songs and upbeat numbers. Scottish folks really know how to make great experimental pop music for some reason. It's great to see a rock band embrace electronic music tech and techniques, and everything is very well executed 4/5

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

Not my personal taste, but I kinda liked two songs: “Lion Thief” “Easy” The rest put me to sleep.

Very boring, very generic and nothing that hasn’t been done better by those that came before.

The Beta Band. Taking bang average 90s indie music into the 21at century!

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

Meh…

Middle of the road album for me, most of it was fairly forgettable. Out-Side was a stand out track to me though.

The polytime of electronic dance combines perfectly with the rock energy of real instruments. This puts me in mind of an across-the-pond Broken Bells, though on the surface the songs carry less chill. Ends with the kind of uncertain note that suitably ends an album or band.

seee 7/10

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

A pretty good record that I hadn’t heard before. Throwback near-psychedelic updated with a modern indie sound.

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.

There were a couple of decent songs but I can’t imagine ever listening to this again.

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.

Sounds like the Gorrillaz cloned with some Madchester acid house. Nothing very offensive here, but nothing very exciting either.

A very interesting album of a band who called it quits too soon due to lack of success. They feel like the in-between stage from Blur to Alt-J

Feels like a real shot in the dark by the editors tbh. Somehow a combination of creative and boring at the same time. 4/10

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.

Flaccid and disappointing. Sure, you guys are betas, you're losers and zeroes... but we would've never known if you hadn't told us. Oh, and that cover art is lame too. It makes me think of the dumbest live show I've ever experienced, Weezer, what a waste of money. --- Aw F, I'm sorry. I'm just in a shitty mood and this music is just super sucky for my mental state right now.

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.

What a find! Consider me interested in being a member of their cult following. This album is a wonderful mix of folk rock and electronica. I definitely need to explore the rest of their catalogue when this is all over.

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.

Fine Beta Band album even though the vocals are so so. In my memory, Hot Shots II, its predecessor was a bit better and same goes for the material on the 3EPs. But still there is enough stuff to like, such as Wonderful, which sounds like the blueprint of a Beta Band song.

Neither repulsive nor very attractive.

Perfect non American accent