Hot Shots II

Has ideas, desperately needs better production and execution. Outside of the opening track, it's a no from me dawg. Also, kinda vapid

Quite an interesting start but fizzled out a bit as it went on. Hard to put your finger on a genre, which isn't a bad thing but I think it caused it to fade in and out for me

I liked it. Great at the start, great at the end … dipped a bit in the middle (like a big smily face) 😊

crazy band name. fun start, fizzles out though

My partner and I have been together for 18 years. Whenever I listen to the Beta Band she asks "Who's this?" She asks cos it's sounds cool. Today, was the first time she said "This is the Beta Band." I've waited 18 years for this moment. This album can seem boring if you're not paying attention. I can see how it's not for everyone. However, it does reward close listening, preferably at night.

This one started strong, but then limped along to the end. Another album of why is it on the list.

It all sounds the same. Boring & bland

Beck dupe, good background noise

Meh.

First time listener to this record. Absolutely loved it. Thanks to this list, I was very familiar with their first record (still on repeat) but I didn’t go further. Much more minimal and quiet than their debut. Love the cheesy album cover art. 5/5

There are a couple beta band songs I really like but this was disappointing. Pretty flat. 2.5.

I think have listened to this 3 times now - although cannot be certain as it sorts of blends into one pleasant background hum. I liked the tempo and the whimsy and choppy nature of the tunes - although ultimately nothing really grabbed me or moved me - so its a solid 3.

Not sure why this is here. Beyond Squares, their Three EPs album has the more popular songs and came first. This album is just average tunes without a statement.

I liked this. The first song was the best, then it kind of faded to the background, but it was an enjoyable background.

The band name and cover had me expecting space rock. Instead, 𝘏𝘰𝘵 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘐𝘐 gives me a laid-back mixture of electronics and rock that’s pleasant enough, but considerably less exciting than the album I’d imagined. Even after adjusting my expectations, I’m left with a fairly modest “not bad.” There are passages I enjoy, and the sounds fit together nicely, but the songs rarely give me much to get attached to. I don’t mind being taken somewhere unexpected; I’d just like the destination to be more interesting. A decent listen, but a bit of a disappointment.

Ok but check out "Dry the Rain" from these guys even if you didn't like this album, amazing song

Forgettable and did not enjoy

Didn't realize that I knew the first song off this album. It was a great listen and it's very underrated. Very good.

3 stars

2001 Electronic, Rock

1. Squares - 3/10 2. Al Sharp - 6/10 3. Human Being - 3/10 4. Gone - 3/10 5. Dragon - 5/10 6. Broke - 4/10 7. Quiet - 3/10 8. Alleged - 3/10 9. Life - 6/10 10. Eclipse - 2/10 OVERALL - 3.8/10

Weird and good

Squares and quite were good

A couple alright songs

Maybe at the time this album came out it was more inventive / original, but I found it to be kind of generic. There were some decent lyrics on a handful of songs, but nothing really grabbed me and I kept thinking of some TV on the Radio songs that sound similar to me, yet more engaging. I could definitely listen to this as background music while doing chores or something. It’s not offensive or anything.

7.8/10. A psychadelica and rock album, it brought experimental sounds but made them work so well. I enjoyed this album a bunch, and liked the chill vibes that they created while still being impactful.

Fun album full of fun tracks.

Nice sounds and atmosphere. 4/5

Loved the 3 EPs, but like a lot of people I guess, I never even listened to their follow ups. No real reason for it. Starts well. Stays solid. Enjoyed it all. Nice surprise. But probably should be surprised. 4 Heard before? No Owned: No, 111/442 (25%) Will I get: Maybe

Really just didn’t speak to me. They have 1 sound and stick with it.

Should I? Should I hear this before I die? I'm not so sure.

Middle of the road sunday background music. It’s fine

Most 2000s album cover, looks like they just opened illustrator and found the coolest font. Still looks kind of unique. Squares is a highlight for sure, and Gone, Broke are great as well. I enjoy the names of all the songs, and overall its a good album. Eclipse lasted a little long, and overall was not very interesting to me. Good instrumental album, but generally not the biggest fan of instrumental. Best Song: Broke. Worst Song: Eclipse.

This album makes me believe aliens are real. They are and this album is proof.

Where is Hot Shots 1? I'm wondering because this album is truly interesting. The minimalist and varied production gives the record an experimental feel, every song different yet loosely connected through the vocals. I thought the mood was crafted intentionally and effectively. There were some moments that hit hard, and others which were forgettable, but there weren't any noticeable major errors.

A band that passed me by unfortunately. Dreary arrangements and vocals that sound like john shuttleworth. This band has their market

Haven’t had an album that’s on here exclusively for the lead single. I don’t miss them though. At least the single is good

Meh.

Both albums on here by The Beta Band in a span of like 2 or 3 weeks is kind of crazy. Moreso because it seems like one of them is generally considered their worst album. But Hot Shots 2 is a little more well loved, so we'll see how it goes. It turns out that this is much *much* better than Heroes To Zeros. To an extent that seems nearly impossible, given that that the albums are adjacent in their discography. But this is really good, it has a palette compellingly stuck between trip hop and almost folk. There is something psychedelic going on here too. The songs themselves are oftentimes almost minimalistic, and it works extremely well. This whole aesthetic makes Hot Shots II really atmospheric and compelling. My favorite songs are cuts like Squares, Gone, Dragon, and Broke where this aesthetic really swallows everything whole, while maintaining remarkably strong melodies. After Heroes To Zeros, I was really not looking forward to more Beta Band, but after this, I definitely will be checking out their even more well loved, weirder older stuff. This is unique and electric, and manages to sit in a nook in Brit pop, psych, and trip hop all it's own.

Just okay

Not really sure if I like it. Played around with a few different things but nothing stood out for me

Kände snark under första lyssningen, men började gilla det under andra. Det är helt enkelt inte så jävla pjåkigt det här, om än lite bjäring på sina håll

Blev laddad när jag läste om det men näää. Inte riktigt min pryl.

Känns mycket Beatles, framför allt McCartneys fånigare stunder. Köper inte helt den här stream of consciousness-grejen de försöker med att låta simpla rim leda texten. Vad är då sensmoralen? Vi är alla människor så låt oss slappa, röka fluff och äta pizza. Man kan ju ha värre budskap men

Back half of this album I thought was awesome. Very odd. Awful album cover.

Альфа бета Зета гамма

Easy pop.

Maffe droompop met een elektronisch randje, kunnen we het zo betitelen? Geen idee wat ik nu (meermalen) gehoord heb, maar ik vond het geen straf deze keer. Een warm en sfeervol geluid, op deze grijze herfstdag. Er was overigens geen album Hot Shots I.

Ja joh! Jij hebt iets geweldigs gemaakt, iets wat nog nooit eerder is gemaakt en nooit meer gemaakt zal worden! Aldus de zanger van van het album dat net als 'I Monster' een elektronische cover van Daydream maakte. Maar hij heeft gelijk. Het was niet in eerdere of latere jaren. Het was allebei in 2001... Ik ben al klaar met het album als ik dit soort egotrip-uitspraken op wiki lees. Maar ik ben natuurlijk ook afhankelijk van wat de wiki-editors mij aan info bieden. Wellicht valt het mee. Het blijkt allemaal licht verteerbaar / rustgevend elektronisch. De zang past hier best bij. Soms wordt er wat gespeeld. Maar laten we eerlijk zijn. Dit is niet uniek, dit is de meest vergeetbare plaat uit de hele lijst.

Geinig, wederom een bandje waar ik nog nooit van heb gehoord. Of toch? Wat blijkt: we hadden al eerder een vergeetbaar album van ze gehad, wat uiteraard een vergeetbare 3 op heeft geleverd. Ze staan er dus zowaar met 2 albums in. Bovendien is het uitermate saai en ietwat pretentieus, dat scoort ook al zelden bij mij. Vergeetbaar minus een snobstrafpunt voor de overbodigheid, kom ik uit op 2 sterren.

I liked it

Scottish band per PR into R&B, hip hop and electronica. Pleasant enough.

Why are there no fractional ratings This is like a 3.76

I am a bona fide Beta Band enjoyer. So yes, I did like this album. They've got some very cool sounds, and my head was certainly bobbing. Clearly they know how to write a track. What would make this a genuinely solid album is just more ENERGY. Like, the bones are there...just fucking take it and run man. Go for it. Oh well. I'll be listening again. Terrible album cover though.

had lots of potential but ended more with an what if than an hell yeah. Squares is great! (2.0/5.0)

Cool, psychedelic vibe. This is the kind of find that I wouldn’t have made without this list.

I like this style of electronica, its not overbearing with noise and synth, despite making use of it. Some soft thoughtful beats in some songs, and good paced energy in others. The vocals are clear and dont get washed out as it happens with a lot of other electronica heavy albums. The whole thing is very deliberate, my only gripe that it wears a bit thin by the end, but I still enjoyed the journey. But hey, 45 minutes with a fun album that has its own distinct sound AND its a joy to listen to? you cant really go wrong.

Enjoyed this one a lot! Definitely better than that Superhero or whatever album we got. Shockingly this list doesn’t include The 3 EPs. Weird songs with faux deep lyrics and fun instrumentals. There’s no one making music like this! Except Beck. Who’s making better versions of this music

Music for people who smoke entirely too much weed and have to lay down in their living room, inconveniencing everyone trying to just get to another room or the kitchen for some snacks. If you wanna know where some of the most annoying bands in the universe came from, here it is in all its glory. Anyone who made this style sound good had nothing to do with them. This shit just sucks.

Honestly better than a lot of the 60s psych its aping, with some solid, catchy cuts. But unfortunately its just not really doing much for me.

The first song is pretty nice and then it goes downhill from there. I always get disappointed listening to albums from years I actually was alive and then realising they are as bland and boring as the ones before.

Meh. It’s an album… but one of the top 1001? Pleasant but forgettable. Perhaps Hot Shots I is better.

I quite liked that. plinky plonky electro indie. 3.5.

Nice mix of hazy vocals and beats. Really like the atmosphere.

aah de erst song isch mega bekannt und au meega geil. es isch crazy wie überrepräsentiert schottland isch uf dere liste. hm es het würkli guet agfange und etz findis immer meh ein brei und chli langwiilig? yep het sich bestätigt. ich find sini stimm chli lame. he jo i am sorry de daydream song isch catchy susch findis seeeehr mid. 2.

de mason würkt sehr überzügt vo sim album okee de refrain mit daydream isch na cool aber ehrlich gseit au nöd die best version vo dem song/sample bin ich froh wenns denn fertig isch alsoo sooo crazy speziell und andersch-tönend isch das album jz au nöd v.a. langwilig, knaaaps 2

Saved the first the song, the rest is ok

Apart from a few tracks, it is completely uninteresting. Three stars cause it's also too forgettable to offend

This album was good but also boring a times. 2,5/5 and rounding up.

This is a pretty good record. It is interesting and complex and a good listen.

i listened to this but i honestly didn’t even hear it…..

700 albums later after the first album of this group showed up on the list for me.

Not given this a complete play through for a few years now. An acquired taste I suppose but I really rate it highly. It's a bit more of a cleaned-up, poppy sound than their earlier experiments. But it's still satisfyingly quirky and engaging. Not sure it deserves a place on an all-time list like this but I would certainly have room for it on my own personal 1,001. Incidentally, it struck me recently... some great bands achieve quality by having 3 or 4 songwriters. I think the Beta Band have 3 or 4 drummers. And it shows sometimes. But that's cool.

Had never heard of this band? Why?! Where have they been my whole life?! This is verging on a 5. But it might also be the need for variation in this list that makes me enjoy this album so intensely. So it’s a 4. No damn it I can’t givetvis a 4?!

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 💍🌟💥 Production: 😌👂🧈 Music: 🪫🍵🛌 Rating: β β (β) /5

I’ll give the Beta Band credit where it’s due: their sound is incredibly unique. Soft, understated vocals that aren’t quite on the level of “impressive” but do exactly what they’re supposed to in each song. The harmonising, especially, is next-level. The blurriness of the vocals makes this kind of music a bit difficult to turn into a world-shifting hit, and I can’t imagine it had all that much influence back in 2001, but it’s still a solid listen. Squares begins disjointedly and ultramodern, incorporating various electronic and acoustic textures and dicing them finely and evenly on the chopping board. Reminiscent of contemporary hip-hop and electronic material, though with an extremely key difference: the presence of decent singing and a decent melody. I also like the contrast between hypermodern techniques and the couple of sections that strip everything back to reveal a barebones Scottish folk sound. Al Sharp is another big standout, proudly flaunting its soft overlapping harmonised vocals and Aphex Twin-esque electronic drum patterns. Those vocals remind me of some of the Beach Boys’ late 60s, post-Pet Sounds material, with a hint of ELO too. And every bit as gorgeous as both bands’ best works. Then Human Being comes in with its thoughtful, peppy, slightly mysterious tone, featuring some reversed percussive SFX. I enjoy the gradual build-up in intensity, especially in the second half. The first true ballad comes in the slower, guitar-based, almost psychedelic Gone. Again there’s a gradual rise and fall in expression, intensity, and a consistent quiet glow. Kind of like a depressed lava lamp. Despite its title, Dragon has the least fierce music so far – but it’s far from boring. Kind of a laid-back, lo-fi type beat. The drums are particularly intriguing here, because they stick to a pretty simple rhythm, but the actual sounds of choice have strange frequencies that lie somewhere between quirky and completely alien. I have no idea what to think about that outro, other than that it appears to be an iffy attempt at the “can you take me back” outro of the Beatles’ Cry Baby Cry. Side 2 begins with the jungly atmosphere of Broke. Most of the listener’s attention is directed to the glockenspiel-like sound, which I think is synthesised (difficult to tell). The abrupt rise in volume around three minutes in is an absolute game changer, if only for ten or fifteen seconds. The focus in Quiet is on the very raw, 60s-sounding drums and the loud-yet-smooth bassline. Arguably, the two-chord (I, V) gimmick can get stale for a track lasting almost five minutes, but I reckon the Beta Band makes it work. The first half of Alleged is a bit hard to get into, and I deem it the weakest moment on the album – but it’s by no means bad. The second half is so bizarre and different from the first half that I have to give Alleged “prog points”, and in that sense it does something most electronic artists are terrified of for some reason. A sort of psychedelic shuffle in Life, with some vague lyrics about “sell[ing] to them the killing gem”. Catchy melody, maybe the catchiest so far. Then the Beta Band pulls a Pink Floyd on us by naming the final song Eclipse. Joke’s on you, Beta Boys: I’d already worked out this ain’t no The Dark Side of the Moon. They decide, in this song, to repeatedly cram long series of words into one or two beats at the end of a given line. They also pick ridiculous, sometimes childish, lyrics here that I struggle to connect with the dizzying, mature sonics. (Case in point: “The food we eat is not very healthy / The music we make isnotparticularlygood”) It’s peculiar, sure, but charming in its own way. I’m not fully on board with the a cappella sections, but the other parts aim (and succeed) to impress. The best part of this final track comes at the breakdown at around 4:30, when it’s just bass and acoustic guitar. We end with the poetic line “So no pizza for them”. 4/5 Key tracks: Squares, Al Sharp, Broke

Lidt mere min stil end den sidste vi havde med dem men stadig, ikke super for mig

Ku bedre lide den anden vi havde med dem, men cool!

Weird and original

Boring, a bit annoying and totally forgettable.

Not unpleasant. I'm not sure I needed to listen to this before I died.

When your claim to fame is a lame joke in a stupid movie

Not even worth commenting on 0.00

Started strong then I was mostly confused

Hot Shots II by The Beta Band was a complete breath of fresh air and entirely different from anything I’ve reviewed in this project so far. Its dreamy, relaxing, and spacey vibe immediately stood out in the best way. The opening track, "Squares," kicked things off with a familiar, viral "Daydream" sample that instantly set a cool mood. Tracks like "Al Sharp" and "Human Being" hit a wonderfully soothing frequency, while "Broke" caught my attention with its memorable line, "You won't cry for me." I especially enjoyed the space-ship atmosphere and soaring build-up on "Quiet," the intimate, lo-fi distant recording style of "Alleged," and the strong closing stretch of "Life" and "Eclipse." Aside from the somewhat depressing note of "Gone," the album was an absolute pleasure to listen to from start to finish.

Kokeellisempaa rokkia/poppia. Eka biisi paras, sen jälkeen albumi ei onnistu enää samalla tavalla kiinnittämään ainakaan minun huomiotani.

What a great big nothing-burger. Not painful, but not good.

Album #196: The Beta Band – Hot Shots II ⭐⭐ The only thing I really know about the Beta Band is I’ve listened to parts of the three EPs. I love their song Dry the Rain, and I love the movie High Fidelity and the scene in which Rob tries to sell copies of the three EPs to a bunch of lonely-looking men in his record shop. I am that demographic, and I probably would have bought the three EPs that day if I was in the movie. I don’t think I would buy Hot Shots II, though. This is a really hard album to review, in my opinion. I probably haven’t fully formed my opinions on it. I’m going to give it a strong two. It could be a three, but to be honest with you, I’m just going to go with it and say that I didn’t like it. It does have a quite unique sound. I haven’t really heard anything else that’s quite like it. It’s got kind of a trip-hop-y sound to it, which I really like, so that’s not really the problem. The problem is the lead singer, Steve Mason. I don’t think he’s a particularly great lyricist. He’s not a good singer. Now, bad singing can be okay, but initially when the album starts and when you get to Al Sharp, which is the best song on the album, I actually thought to myself, “It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, this,” and I really liked that. I thought it wasn’t taking itself too seriously, and I thought, this is great. And I think the album starts off great with the opening song, Squares, which is actually a recognisable song, definitely sampled in adverts and movies. And then Al Sharp, which I’ve said is the best song on the album. But as it went on, I realised that he’s not tongue-in-cheek. He’s actually dead serious. He’s centring the whole album around himself, even though he’s the least interesting part about it, and it came across as a little bit pretentious at times. And then it wasn’t helped by me reading the Wikipedia, where he said “we promised to make something completely incredible, that didn't sound like anything else. Nothing else that's ever come after it has ever sounded like it.” And to be honest with you, I’m all for you promoting your music. You fucking promote your shit, man. Absolutely. Fair play to you. But is this an incredible album? Is this the most unique thing in the world? It’s definitely unique, but other albums that came around this time that had kind of indie rock enveloped in this electronica, like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco, stuff by Grandaddy, Mercury Rev, all these other bands that are contemporary to the Beta Band at this time, were doing stuff that I think was better and more interesting and just as unique. So I think his high opinion of his music, coupled with his poor ability as a front man of a band, just kind of swayed my opinion towards a two star. And I ended up really disliking parts of it. There’s lovely passages of music in it with really interesting timbres and stuff like that, but I just think it takes itself a little bit too seriously, and I really didn’t think that was going to be the case when it started. So it’s a two star for me today, but it could be a three. It could be a grower. Really interesting album and a worthwhile listen, and if people out there love it, I wouldn’t argue with them on it. But for me, I didn’t love it at all.

I’m familiar with some of their other works, but this was just so meh it’s not even funny. It’s a good fusion album. Some experimental trip hop, folk, and I guess Psychadelic too? Idk it’s giving Great Value brand Radiohead. This is yet another album where all the songs seemingly morph into one another, which when it works works. However, there’s no payoff here. Honestly I have no note worthy tracks or lore here. Thankfully a quick breezy listen none the less.

These songs are so layered tons and tons of instrumentation to carry you through. I agree with the idea that this isn’t that riveting. I will say however it’s unique and you can hear the Beatles influence all over this thing, yet it takes apart in its own. I feel like this band is just getting its strive. The songs all crash into this amazing symphony constantly and the drummer is so on point it’s great playing. The vocals themselves also don’t feel dated and songs like human being are a showcase of the musical prowess that this band has. A solo at the end of that song is such faith in the craft I like a confident band and this album while only have sparks of light those sparks are enough to interest in seeking out more of their sound.

as músicas se misturam muito uma na outra e sei lá

eu nem lembro mais o que foi que eu ouvi ai

Electronic, rock.

A bit of nothing at all, no spark on this album??? Or did I miss something?

Chill album - pleasant to listen to. Favourite track: Quiet

It took me three tries to get through this and it is only about 45 minutes long. I am doing this to get a better understanding of music but I just don’t understand why albums like this are on the list.

This is so bad why is it on this list

The album was honestly better than I anticipated. Not a bad bunch of songs, some catchy melodies, and overall some cool sounds.

596/1089 - Album cover doesn't match the music at all. Samey snooze-fest with "Paul McCartney on a bad day" vocals.

I loved the first song, my very first introduction to the Beta Band. Don't mind them being Scottish at all. Smooth, melodical. Then the second song... and it didn't disappoint. Even my wife liked it 😅. Harmonious, beautiful music.