Hot Shots II

Crap band name. Shit cover. But, credit to the recording engineer; it's difficult to get a good quality of sound when the vocalist's head is so far up his own arse. Good job.

I had mixed feelings about this one throughout the listening experience. At times I was absolutely absorbed by the beautifully balanced complexity in the way that the songs are built. At other times, I was annoyed by what seems like willful weirdness designed to disrupt the listener's flow. In the end, I think I fall on the side of enjoying and appreciating the work that was put into this album. It was clearly a labor of love and I think that labor paid off. It's a really interesting and compelling album even if it's not something I'd turn to as a day-to-day jam.

More like Hot Shits, am I right? [rimshot] (Sigh)

I hated, _hated_, that bit in the film of "High Fidelity" when John Cusack smugly announces that he will now sell 5 copies of The 3 EPs by the Beta Band, pops it on the turntable, to instant grooving and interest from the shoppers. I worked for years in a store almost exactly like the fictional Championship Vinyl and I never, _never_, played a record to try to intentionally sell a single copy to unsuspecting shoppers, let alone five! While sometimes shoppers would ask about what was playing, you can't force people to like something just like this. Musical taste is so personal, and works on so many levels, you can't just spin a record you think is good to instant acclaim. This scenario is the wet dream of every white boy, collector scum, record nerd that ever lived. "I will play this secret undiscovered gem that only I, ultimate arbiter of taste and refinement, know, and the ignorant throngs will instantly recognize my genius and bow before me, thrusting their dollars at me as fitting tribute for me imparting this gift of knowledge to them". ("I know" smirks Cusack). So, the Beta Band is reputationally besmirched in popular culture before I ever really gave them a listen. I am predisposed to hate them already, not even at their own fault. In fairness, Dry The Rain (which is the song he plays in the store) is a pretty good song. So I gave Hot Shots II a fair listen. And they are a fair band. They can craft a pleasant tune, with some nice harmonies, with a charmingly sloppy, lo-fi, laid back production aesthetic that I kind of dig. But it's all a bit the same-same (like a series of fading carbon copies off Dry The Rain, really), and I wish they would break out a bit and try and catch my attention with something different. I note that this album no longer appears in the latest edition of 1001 Albums. But I might consider buying a copy of The 3 EPs. Curse you, Cusack, you got me in the end! 2.5 stars, rounding up.

This is my introduction to the Beta Band and the first listen made me straight want to go to a second. And third. So this album has been on at any opportunity I could find. With headphones, in the car, or just my home stereo. And with every listen another layer in a different song makes itself known, which was even more surprising since it seemed like a bit toned down indie electro at the start with some trip-hop influences. But there's so much more to it than I thought. I will be playing this a lot on the coming months and it might slowly make its way into my favourite albums. What a discovery! 4,5*

Yet another band that I've never heard of. Not sure their music ever crossed the Atlantic. I thought this was fine but nothing special. Too many like this are on the list.

My first impression is that this reminds me a lot of Beck or early Gorillaz. Some spacey hip-hop/electronic sounds, so I guess this would technically be in the genre of trip-hop? idk. I couldn't really get into the vocals. Very melodramatic and pretentious. And that album cover is horrid.

Occasionally great, occasional meh. Straight down the middle for me.

Wimpy is how I would describe it. Like it felt like it never left first gear.

I’ve never heard of The Beta Band before. The band name is a little funny, it makes me giggle that they chose Beta. Yet again, Apple Music lists them as alternative which doesn’t really tell me anything. I’m hopeful for a good listen today. It’s been a really odd week for me and I need something nice. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Squares This was pretty decent. The music was generally chilled and easy to listen to. I did find the vocals a bit boring and droning at times, but it wasn’t TOO bad. I’m unsurprised to read the band are Scottish, or that this album was released in the early noughties - you can definitely hear the influence that Britpop had here, despite not sounding fully Britpop themselves. Overall, this was an ok album. I can’t really give it any better praise than that, but it also certainly wasn’t bad.

I've already forgotten this, yawn.

What an annoying album - literally every song sounded the same. Soooo glad I listened to this one before dying. /s 4/10

I find this album rather ordinary. Not the worst thing ever, but nothing I'd want to go back to, either. Which leaves me with yet another “seriously?” thrown at the curators here for picking a second album from this band. Where I come from, this is called laziness.

I'm surprised that we would get two albums from the relatively unknown Beta Band in the same week. I found their Heroes to Zeroes from 2004 to be uninspired. This album features their best song IMO, Squares, but after that the rest of the album was similarly uninspired, mainly due to (as one of my colleagues commented) the lead vocalist's low key and boring delivery. We only have a few more albums before we've completed 1,001 and I think we're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel now.

A real snooze-fest. Like many aspiring hipsters I grabbed a copy of The 3 EPs on the back of music paper hype, and was sorely disappointed apart from about 3 tracks. Looks like their later career followed a similar pattern. Steve Mason's voice gets pretty annoying with so little going on behind it. Nevertheless, I am glad we got this as it clears up a Mandela Effect for me: I remember a decent tune that sampled "Daydream" around 2001, much better than "Squares" on here but I've never cared enough to dig further. Turns out it was I Monster's "Daydream In Blue", and is far superior! Furthermore, the ubiquitous "Ike's Rap II" sample underpinning seemingly half of contemporary music was originally inspired by the Wallace Collection original. Fun fact: the actual Wallace Collection is in Manchester Square, London - opposite the EMI building that framed the famous Beatles Red/Blue photos and hosted the stockroom from whence my 3 EPs copy was swiped. Time is a flat circle, dude

Really not sure why this one is one here. I actually didn't mind it, and at times enjoyed it, but I just kept asking that question throughout. This list needs such an overhaul. And this album cover looks like someone made it in MS Paint.

#1 - Can't say that I hate it. It's pretty decent for an intro track. #2 - Okay. I think the running theme for me here is that there are some okayish tracks but nothing super stands out. Picked up for me toward the end of the song. #3 - Doesn't stand out/not anything special compared to the first two. #4 - Eh. Too downtempo for me. Didn't vibe with it. #5 - The vocals don't work well for parts. Instrumentals are good though and they're a welcome change from the last two songs. #6 - Another eh. #7 - Interesting parts, but.. yet another eh. #8 - A bit better, but not by much. #9 - The sum of this song is good. Weird. The repetitious lyrics toward the end works for them. #10 - No, not a fan. Despite some of the positives of the album, this is a straight 2. I can't give it a one because I enjoyed parts of it. This is a weird album to have on the list; I don't believe it should be. The curious thing about it is I would be okay with trying another album of theirs and giving them another fair shot, but this album really didn't do it for me.

This is exactly my kind of thing somehow, I've listened to it 5 times today. And I've never heard of this band before. What a good discovery!

I’d never listened to this album before. Never heard of the band. Very pleasantly surprised.

Hot Shots II I haven’t thought about this album in years. I remember buying it when it came out, having been into the 3 EPs, and I must have listened to it quite a bit as it all came back pretty quickly. I really like the quiet tone, the slightly languorous, hip hop and trip hop sounding beats and rhythms, with a nice density and sense of meticulousness to the production. His voice and melodic style are pretty distinctive, and it it takes a while for everything to percolate, but once you tune into it there are some great off balance melodies, nagging, memorable hooks and some excellent arrangements - I love the vocal melody and then the outro to Squares for example, and AI Sharp is fantastic, from the earwormy verses and the lovely, atmospheric instrumentation and shuffling rhythm. In fact, including Human Being, the first 3 songs are excellent. Dragon is another great catchy melody with great drums and rhythm, and Broke has some great 8 bit sounding synths and yet another nagging, catchy sense to it. Quiet has a very UNKLE feel and is another great track, while Alleged mixes nice motown-esque drums with some lovely guitar and an overall dreamy atmosphere and touches on the sound of some of the 3 EPs tracks. I got more and more into this the more I listened to it, reminding me that I must have listened a lot when it came out. It’s a great album with a distinctive sound and atmosphere, making a high 4. 🥵🥃🥵🥃 Playlist submission: Broke

Not bad, I like this genre, but I quickly get fed up if it sounds too introverted and serious. Despite quirky lyrics, this often did seem a bit earnest. It was too artsy and (not literally) one-note for me: my favourite moments were the sudden, speedier outros in Human Being and Quiet. Lovely chords and harmonies, sometimes some good beats, but I don't think I'll come back to it. Reminded me of Alt-J? I think. Controversial comment: they need a better singer. I did snort when I read the review complimenting the recording engineer, despite the singer's head being up his own arse. Yup.

I enjoyed this. The Beta band kind of passed me by and my impression was kinda of flaming lips/lemonheads/early beck style music. Turns out there were a lot of tracks i knew and enjoyed, the album hung together really well and i feel bad for missing it first time around. I felt it dropped off towards the end so i'm not going nuts but it was a good listen.

I remember liking this album more 20 years ago. I still like the music but something about the singer gets on my nerves now it’s too bad because I used to really like it.

Pretty OK. Kind of a mellow rock type of deal. I'm curious why this is one made the list, but it wasn't unpleasant. Pretty unique. Solid 3 stars.

Hot Shots II has crystallised impressions I had about turn of the century indie rock trends into notions. Rock-electronica-hip-hop fusion mostly pasted generic sounds over mediocre songs, bands reaching for ‘Revolver’ and making ‘The Birdie Song’. This is somewhere in the middle of the pack. The underlying songs are decent and distinct, the production is mildly distracting novelty. Turn-of-the-century ethereal wistfulness is here, a trend I never noticed and now feel nostalgia for on return: the post-9/11 horror show slapped away this strand of dreamy, sad pop. Mercury Rev’s Deserters Songs is a highlight that Simon and I shared, and a similar sort of sonically expansive, lyrically contemplative music here comes through squinted ears. The song’s themselves are well-crafted with stick and structures that caught me off-guard without losing me. The title’s clever-stupid humour displays a then-modish, self-deprecating-but-fuck-you-not-really attitude that I don’t miss. I like this more than I expected to, a piece of a period that I don’t mind revisiting.

Well that was disappointing. I can't say it's not musical or well produced but it feels vapid without being fun. You can be one or the other but not both.

Mostly just boring I would never play it again but since I didn't hate it with a passion, I won't give it one star but what a painfully dull album.

Confession: I was one of those people who bought The Three E.P.s after watching "High Fidelity". And I felt kinda ripped off, which shouldn't have been a surprise considering it was also how I felt after watching the movie. And now I feel even more ripped off. It's like the Beta Band got onto a good thing with the repetition in "Dry the Rain" and decided to just do that all the time. Go to hell, Beta Band.

Never heard of this. Who knows, maybe it was slightly ahead of it's time in 2001 but it sounds unremarkable and very un-listworthy today. I mean, it’s not bad. A bit quirky and a bit experimental, but not in ways that really do it for me. 2.5

Da fehlt mir das Verständnis. Langweilig mit furchtbar säuselndem Beatles angelehntem Gesang.

I just woke up an hour ago and now I want to go straight back to bed. Get this snoozefest out of here.

I found this pretty annoying. Sounds like a few mates dicking around with a 4 track recorder, unfortunately none of them are able to write a half decent chorus. “Mason later said the album was, "us doing what we promised to do and making something completely incredible, that didn't sound like anything else. Nothing else that's ever come after it has ever sounded like it.”” Pompous cocks as well, apparently. I might have to give it one star because of that wiki quote, you know?

🥱😴😴

Mumbled whispering sounds with a slow repetitive sound. Not my thing in any way. They seem to experiment with sound, but nothing groundbreaking.

Generic ass music

Really not my type of music. Felt very dated and not enjoyable. I can see why someone might like it, but just not me. 2/10.

A standout album. Strong songs good groove, excellent.

var nokkuð efins um verk þeirra eftir stutt skífurnar þrjár. fyrir fáeinum árum hóf ég endurhlustun og sannfærðist um að sérstaklega þessi og forveri hennar væru snilld. hún fær því...

It’s the Beta Band. They don’t disappoint

Classic album.

Dang, this is still so good. I listened to this album A LOT when it was first released in 2001. At the time I was living in a nice apartment complex with a pretty good pool, and when I’d go swimming sometimes I would play this album on a little CD boombox I’d bring with me. For me this album does an amazing job of balancing all the different genres it draws inspiration from. If you like this album then I recommend you check out Lone Pigeon or The Aliens (and their album with the excellent title Astronomy For Dogs) which are offshoots of The Beta Band.

Fantastic. Mellow, rich, full, timeless. The cover art completely mislead me into thinking this was more trendy, something that wasn't going to hold up. It's pretty awesome.

Hot Shots II is one of those rare albums that sounds completely effortless while being quietly brilliant from start to finish. The Beta Band take their oddball experimentalism from earlier releases and rein it in just enough to deliver something far more focused, but still totally unique. It’s mellow, strange, soulful, and groovy in all the right ways—like Beck, if he’d grown up in Fife and spent more time inside his own head. Tracks like Squares, Human Being, and Gone blend woozy electronics, off-kilter beats, and warm, understated melodies into a sound that feels both handmade and futuristic. The pacing is spot on, drifting between hypnotic chill and low-key funk without ever losing its sense of cohesion. It’s rich in texture but never cluttered, with just the right amount of weirdness to keep things interesting without derailing the vibe. This is an album you fall into—an odd, soft-edged world that makes total sense once you’re inside it. There’s nothing quite like it, and few records from the early 2000s have aged so gracefully. Hot Shots II is not just the Beta Band’s best work—it’s a quietly perfect gem.

I totally love The Beta Band and think they have a timeless sound that blends trip hop and art rock. I think I'd probably more rate this more like a 4.5, but I'm gonna go 5 because I still frequently throw this album on, along with The Three E.P.s.

So glad I came across this. I loved it!

First time ever hearing this band and by extension album. The chill out music and vibe is cut with enough selections of samples, vocals and more to keep it from getting too sleepy and boring. Two songs were immediately put on my regular playlist. Glad for this recommendation.

I’ve had some many albums that are just shruggs on this list. 2 or 3 star unremarkable stuff. This was an absolute lock for this list.

Super cool grooves.

Grunge balladry is a new favourite

Gorgeous!

Discovering gems like this is my reason for participating in the 1001 albums project. Thank you once again for introducing me to an album I missed from a band I probably never would have heard otherwise. Great mellow indie psych rock. Beautiful harmonies, great instrumentation and just wonderful.

stellar scottish popping gold

The album cover is nothing like what I thought this was going to sound like. I love the beta band!

Really pleasant to listen to. Creative mix of genres and very melodic. Sometimes sounds close to My Morning Jacket mixed with electronic dance style.

10/10 wtf this is so good, how have I never heard of this before

This is a good vibe, not something I've heard before. I dig it.

I didn't expect to like this but it's really great!

LOVED this album. Very novel listening experience and even when the artistic choices were odd it was a lot of fun. The harmonies on Al Sharp slapped.

Wow wow wow! An album and group I'd never heard of, but it was simply music that I loved listening to today! No having to think about it or look for the artistry or look for the message or the relevance or whatever, but just really lovely stuff all around!

Something new and appealing to my ears! For about half the album I was enjoying it, but I wasn’t sure if it was a 5 or just a nice 4. Then it broke through.

Hooray! After a week of 2s and 3s, finally something that sings to me again! I guess I know the song Squares because of Six Feet Under? The rest was unfamiliar but I really dig this folktronica business. Listened twice and am tempted to start it once more. Really really good.

The Beta Band is new to me. The first time through I enjoyed a lot of this, but on the second listen its unique properties really started to blossom and I discovered many interesting moments that cohere well into very enjoyable music. Very good!

I don't know how I missed The Beta Band, but this is impressive. This is the first time I've wanted to dive into an artist further!

LOVED this one. Listened to it twice while I was in the kitchen. The vibe is very good, relaxed, but still interesting.

Is squares the origins of I fell asleep among the flowers for a couple of hours, or was that a sample here too? Regardless, smooth, fun, groovy, dancable, very cool.

I was thoroughly impressed with this, as I expected a very different sound, but the laid-back energy and downtempo drones here actually compliment each other quite well.

Maybe this is my NEW FORMS?

Excellent trippy sound. Definitely listen more and more

Hot Shots II has always been a favorite of mine. It's like a perfectly smooth surface with small intereting kinks and imperfections that become obvious the more you zoom in. I can easily listen to this one on repeat. Does it deserve a place on the list? It's a tough call but I do think there's something unique here, even compared to their contemporaries, like Beck, Four Tet, or Caribou.

One of the best live bands i've ever seen. at one point they had two drum kits being played by 4 people and it somehow sounded brilliant and nowhere near as ridiculous as the concept of 4 drummers on two kits sounds. i also saw the aliens headline the park stage at glasonbury and that was up there as one of my best festival gigs ever too. can't help but think they were in the wrong era, bands that do similar things to them these days appear to be much bigger than the beta band ever got to.

If anal fingering was a sport, this record would be the world champion.

What a strange, comforting listen this was! The influence from Radiohead is obvious, but it's like if 00s Yorke and co. decided to make some easy listening music instead of trying to alienate the listener.

I actually liked the vibe of this a good bit I think! I wanna relisten to it more but there's a good few tracks I liked immediately.

This was a good listen. I liked it more then "Heroes to Zeros". Had a similar sound to the 3eps.

I quite enjoyed this one, but I like The Beta Band. I liked this one more than Heros to Zeros.

I liked this well enough, but I seek out triphop and lofi so this is right up my alley. the vibe was good and dancey in that slow, flow way that I enjoy. I added 2 songs to my liked songs playlist so this gets 4 stars. Best songs: Squares and Human Being

Really enjoyable

I had never heard of this before, but it was super chill and I found myself liking it way more than I thought I might.

Listened in the truck via YouTube music. I had not listened to this album at all before today. It could have been made anytime in the past 40 years. Mixing elements of rock, dub, and some electronic sounds it is an album of grooves. Most lyrics are simple except for the last track which is also the longest. Will for sure be checking out more Beta Band after this.

Excellent work sounds indie and atmospheric. Great vocals and choruses. Solid and reliable work.

A great album.

Beats are freaking awesome

This is just what you'd get if the Flaming Lips were Scottish and occasionally incredibly whimsical.

Didn’t know what to expect from these guys, but it’s a good one. I’m sure I’ve heard Squares before - on The Beach album? Antway, listened to it straight through twice.

Indie plus electronica. Great vibe to this, loved the songs.

Hadn't heard this one before. Honestly, I thought the Dry The Rain album was their only one - delighted to be wrong!

I've enjoyed The Beta Band over the years, so it's nice to get one of their albums (one of two in this collection, it appears). I'm also impressed at how many songs on this album are also in the compilation album that I own--this is almost a greatest hits album on its own (it probably helps that they only produced three albums, though). I suspect their sound isn't to everyone's taste, but at least they can judge the band on a really solid album. My favorites are most of the tracks that I'm familiar with from the compilation album--the opening track "Square" (and its fun accompanying video), "Human being", "Gone", and "Broke"--plus "Dragon", the highly eclectic "Quiet", and "Life". A shame that they never really got the breaks they deserved to make it and stay big.

The Beta Band is a group I only started hearing about earlier this year, from catching one of their earliest hits, "Dry the Rain", on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist. They're a Scottish indie rock group that combines elements of folk, psychedelia, electronica, post-rock, and trip-hop. They were rather big in the early 2000s, with their music featured in a couple of comedy-drama films and even opening for Radiohead after impressing them. After giving their second album, Hot Shots II, a few listens, I have come to respect them. It took a bit for this album to click with me, given its rather minimalistic approach in composition. I will say that there are moments where the arrangements sound gorgeously produced with Steve Mason's soft-spoken delivery and reverbed guitar lines, John Maclean's light keyboard flair paired with quaint electronic elements, and Robin Jones's lo-fi accented percussion. The record is a tad demanding to listen to, as the quieter playing and surrealist lyricism necessitate more of the listener's attention to pick up on the more subtle flourishes in the mix. But it is rewarding upon relisten. The spare cowbell under the chopped-up guitar strumming of "Alleged", the soft piano melody of "Gone", the backmasking used as the rhythm before crescendoing to the full-on drum blitz of "Human Being"; these are a few of the textures I enjoyed in my second listen. I ended up appreciating Hot Shots II and will consider paying more attention to the Beta Band, especially now that they reunited this year.

An English Air? I knew "the square". It's very pleasant to hear and a very good sound of its time. Like Air it's simple and does the job.

I loved this album. I hadn't really listened to the several albums I have of The Beta Band, but I am impressed. I need to get more of this and give it a listen. Well done

Pretty good band, nice songs, use of Daydream always welcome. Happy to explore this band further.

This is fun. Happy to have this discovery purely based on this project - will probably listen to this many times again.

Pretty good

Det hörs att Steve Mason ingår i bandet. Hans sentida album käns igen Det är typisk brittiskt Blandningen av och elektoniskt beats och pop En stark 4 Om jag hade hört detta 2001 när det gavs ut hade varit med på topp 10. Platsar det på 1001 bästa albumen någonsin? Förmodligen.

Had no idea what to expect from this but ended up liking it for the most part. “Squares” and “Dragon” have been on repeat for me ever since I finished the album. The last few songs blended together for me, but I thought it ended strong with “Eclipse.” While I liked this album, I didn’t love it. Nothing was bad, but some of it was just alright. I wish I could rate this 3.5 stars, but I actually think I’m going to round up, largely due to “Squares” and “Dragon” being on repeat and because I do feel like this album justifies its place on this list with its unique sound.

“If it’s not Scottish it’s crap!” - Mike Meyers, SNL

4.25

I’d only really heard Dry the Rain, which is great of course, and I really enjoyed this one as well. More like Alpha Band, bruh!

I wasn’t familiar with this band and wasn’t particularly excited to listen to it. I’m glad I did. It was a really nice listen! I’d listen to more.

“I will now sell five copies of The Three E.P.'s by The Beta Band.”