Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Listened to it twice and it was fine. Kinda sounded like Beck at points.
Another good background music track
I really enjoyed "Hereos to Zeros" (which came up previously on this list), but I didn't have an overwhelming reaction to this material. Some interesting ideas in terms of sampling, but I don't know, nothing really stuck out to me.
Alternatieve muziek uit 2001, ik ga eerlijk zeggen, dat ligt mij normaal niet lekker. En bij de eerste beats van het eerste nummer weet ik al; dit wordt een lang album.. Alhoewel... Dit nummer ken ik ergens van! En is eigenlijk best leuk zodra het bass rifje erin komt. Hmmmmmm Bij momenten denk ik, dit is heel chill. Andere momenten denk ik, je valt nu in herhaling en dat wordt irritant. Maar het valt mij al met al best mee. En dat zegt wat. Al met al best een plesant album, met hier en daar wat irritaties. Maar die waren minder dan het plezier. Kom uit op een 3
Not bad but also not really my music. I enjoyed it a bit but wasn’t really convinced.
Not bad
Good lo-fi tracks, wouldn’t hate if it’s put on, but I’m not going to do it myself. 3/5
Some nice road trip tracks. I’ll listen again
I guess it’s OK?
Wanted to like more than I did. The 3 EPs have some great tracks and Squares is a great opener, but the rest just felt a bit limp. Another where I wouldn't turn it off, but I've no real desire to go back to it. Slap bang in the middle
I groaned at the prospect of even more electronica crap, and I was pretty bored by it, but it's better than most. Repetitive, not terribly exciting, but with a few high moments that make it stand out from a pretty bland crowd. Clears the mediocre bar, which is better than I expected. Best track: "Human Being," especially the breakdown at the end.
From great album cover to terrible. Despite that, this was cool. Nothing stands out. I know what I like and this falls short, but trip hop is usually a hard pass for me.
We all know it's wrong to judge a book by its cover. Some great books just have really terrible covers, and vice versa. And for sure, if I was gonna base my opinion of this album and the band who made it on this cover, I don't think I'd be very kind to it. The heck is this title lettering? They bejewelled like they're supposed to be on a No Limit Records release. And the explosion in the middle? It's just a mess. I'd figure The Beta Band were just some nobodies who just happened to hit it big with the right Big Important Critics™ — big enough to get two whole albums on this list, apparently! But I wanted to be fair. I actually listened to the album, and... I mean, for one, it sounds nothing like its cover would imply. A fellow group member made an attempt at summarizing it as "proto-Gorillaz with a 60's psych lean." And I'unno how Gorillaz it **really* is, but keeping their debut album in mind... Yeah, yeah, it's a fine sound. Perfectly chill. There's a few legitimately pretty moments in there. I could see having this on as audio wallpaper; it'd work pretty dang well. Here's the thing about it being wallpaper, though. I never mean "wallpaper" as an insult — far from it. Wallpaper is as much art as any other kind, and there'll always be some kind of neat for it. With that said, however, I think this album only works as wallpaper as well as it does because there are so many parts that are... Just not that interesting? I mean, when this thing is good, it's never really **that** good, and when it lulls into "meh" it lulls **hard**. There were far too many moments when I just kind of... Detached from the record. I was trying to listen to it closely, honestly. But I was really never able to before too long — y'know? I can't call this a bad album. It really isn't. At the right time, it could be such a damn mood. And I was nearly there. But... Eh, no cigar. I'unno. I don't really have anything else I wanna say. Just that, I hope their other album is better... And, if nothing else, this is at least a better album than its cover would imply. That's not nothing.
Hippie as shit
The Beta Band are a very different kind of group, this is another difficult one for me to rate. Ive been into the kind of kraut rock-inspired repetitive loops that layer lately, some of these do that very well. I really like the opening track and Human Being. Other songs are really forgettable though and kind of meander until they end. I respect what they were doing and appreciate the diverse range of influences, but an inconsistent one for me
The only person I know that likes The Beta Band is extremely annoying so I went into this with hesitation. Turns out it was a ‘Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just Made a Great Point’ moment, as this was actually pretty good. A bit meandering, but yeah some great songs on this thing.
the band name
Probably would have liked this had I discovered it in early 2000’s but I struggle with it now. Experimental and probably influential to artists like Beck and Alt-J
Ok
This sits right between 3 and 4 stars for me. It's pretty slick. I think re-listen would likely push to 4, but initial impression is 3.
actually quite good, was expecting worse
This band seems to me to be another case of those bands that want to sound different from the rest, distancing themselves from the common pop sound, but end up turning around and sounding like any other indie band.
I actually really liked this and listenes to it maybe 3 time
Favourite Track: Squares, Gone
This album has a cosmic whimsy about it and great use of layered harmonies. What's interesting to me is that it feels like the foundation of the oncoming indie music scene with bands like Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, MGMT, etc. I don't know if it'll be part of my regular rotation but I would be interested in listening to more of The Beta Band. The album ends with the line, "The people with the answers, lie. They lie. So no pizza for them" That alone deserves its own star rating.
I became familiar with The Beta Band from hearing them in High Fidelity, but never this album. There's a lot to like about Hot Shots II. The combination of trip-hop and alt-rock is refreshing, but I wish there was a bit more energy across the album. Sometimes it works ("Quiet"), but a bit more variety would make Hot Shots II a higher priority listen for me. That aside, very enjoyable.
Chill music, first track stands out of course, rest is not as recognizable but at least quite well produced.
Very chill ☆☆☆
First song's a classic! Rest of the album is kinda mehh
I always liked John Cusack's understanding of The Beta Band in High Fidelity; when you put them on, everyone in the room will subtly bob their heads and agree that it is, indeed, good. Unfortunately, my appreciation for this band doesn't go much further than subtly bobbing my head.
I had completely forgotten about Squares before hearing it again leading off this album, and now I’ve completely forgotten every other song that followed it.
Immerhin nicht schlecht. 2,8
6/10
I enjoyed it more than expected. A little trippier/wavier. A little psychedelic. Cool aspects of 90's trip hop, weird sampling/production and dream pop aesthetic.
Mouais à part l’intro qu’est très cool après c’est plus trop mon style
Similar to Radiohead’s electronic era, but without the gloom or heaviness—lighter instead. Some tracks had basslines I really liked.
This is better than I expected, and the opener is engrained in British consciousness by featuring in endless adverts and incidental music, but other than that I can’t really remember a thing about it.
Cool album, though nothing really stood out aside from the first few tracks
Theres a market for this, it isn’t me, great use of a sample in the first track though, I was scratching myself like where do I know this and I still don’t know but hey ho
was pleasantly surprised by this one even tho i don't normally like trip hop. 3/5
Günter Kallmann Choir – Daydream
"And the music we make is not particularly good" Okay, I can agree on that, Actually, not really, just with that particular song with those hurried syllables to make them fit with the rhythm and the corny lyrics. The rest of the songs are not that bad though, but they leave a lot to be desired. This is just a decent indietronica album with some vocals which reminded me a lot to the style of choir that was made very popular in the 60's, specially with the Beatles and their copycats. The problem with the voices is that they stay exactly the same through the whole album, and at the end of it, they just feel uninteresting. It wouldn't be a problem if they had more personality and charisma, since there's a lot of artists and bands that successfully use this style of singing without feeling tiring after some time. To the previous point I need to add that there are moments that they work quite well. The main example would be the opening track, which sounds very nice. Nevertheless, I think this clarifies the argument that the best material from the record is in the start. What truly shines in this album are the beats and instrumentation. I don't think they do anything spectacular, but in comparition with the voices, they are a lot greater and interesting as they blend different genres of music such as trip-hop and neo-psychedelia. I also want to mention that my favourite moment of the whole project is the very upbeat ending of the track 'Human Being'. In the end, the group manages to create an enjoyable album, in spite of it feeling a bit boring towards the end.
Neat!
I have mixed feelings, but it's not awful.
I liked their style and the vocals. Nice voice!
Not terrible. I don't have any desire to listen to it again, but if I were making a movie, I could see using a couple of songs on my soundtrack. "Squares" just has that kind of vibe.
Not what I was expecting, especially after the first track. Just ok. Rest of the album sounded kind of the same.
Didn't really wow me or anything, wasn't particularly memorable. There was that 'one' song, that was it.
Daydream sample ‼️ (not as good as Lupe’s though). Decent album
It was a bit floppy - not a lot really happened. I'd say I'd go back to it as it wasn't unpleasant, but I can't really say I remember much of it immediately after listening?
I was skeptical that I'd like this upon reading the Wiki, it sounded like it'd be overly hip-hop (not my jam), but it didn't turn out that bad. Based on my limited exposure to The Beta Band, they're generally forgettable, but this album was ok. Better than Heroes To Zeroes.
Hot Shots II is a rather weird album in my eyes. There were points when it would sound like a 2 star album but there were also points when it would sound like a 4 star album. Though one thing was fairly consistent on my opinions on these song, and those were that the songs with more electronic elements were the ones i enjoyed more. The songs were fairly groovy and could have some fairly relaxing qualities but i also did feel like some of the songs didn't flow very well in terms of vocals with Eclipse probably being the worst offender of this. Other than that, i couldn't really find too many issues with this album. It's a decent listen, just i do think it could be better. Best Song: Squares Worst Song: Eclipse
Yeah. It’s alright.
Honestly pretty relaxing. Not amazing but I'd be happy to have it in the background again
Indie rock with some electronica mixed in. Pretty good music but a bit sleepy at times. But just when I started to want a little more oomph, the album delivered and upped the bass and rhythm. This charmed me little by little. I liked it.
Reminds me very much of Django Django by Django Django. Favorites: Broke
It’s fine I guess. Pretty mid. Kinda just bg music with some nice sounding moments every once in a while. Probably won’t ever listen again.
Laid back, relaxing - and almost a bit lazy. Considering how minimalistic Hot Shots II is, I have a hard time focusing throughout then relatively long runtime. There are a few highs and I ultimately enjoyed it, but I’m not sure it’s a great and necessary fit for this list.
i wasn’t on board with this from the beginning. well that’s not really true because the first song was great but the first half (minus song 1) was underwhelming. the second half i think found its footing more and really made the album for me. high 3
I probably would've loved this in high school or college. Squares in particular was a standout. But it never really sticks the landing, unfortunately.
I vibed with it while it was on, but don't actually remember anything from it anymore.
There were some interesting things happening here but overall it was pretty middle of the road.
This album had the potential to be a 4 but they never stuck with any good ideas. It is more like a collection of unrelated songs that are good, not great. Gone is a truly awesome song but it's just one song.
A nice enough listen but nothing memorable. 3 stars. Would I listen to this album again? No! Would I buy this album? No! 1 - Squares - 3/5 2 - Al Sharpe - 3/5 3 - Human Being - 3/5 4 - Gone - It's beginning to be a touch monotonous - 3/5 5 - Dragon - These are now all too similar, with the mellow, dreamy sound. - 2/5 6 - Broke - 2/5 7 - Quiet - A little more dynamics provided by the drums! Best track so far. - 3/5 8 - Alleged -A sweet little ditty. - 3/5 9 - Life -2/5 10 - Eclipse - 2/5 Total - 26 Average - 2.6
fairly chill album
Over all enjoyable album form a genre I typically don't love.
Ok. Just that, ok.
Very in the middle.
If I had a nickel for every time an album on this list sampled Daydream, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
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.
This is like a scenic journey on a bit of a dilapidated trainline. Very pleasant; at times could do with some network upgrades. I get the sense the Beta Band hold it in higher esteem than it deserves - this isn't a classic by any means. But - well, like I said, very pleasant, and I can't get much past that. I can't help but compare to early Beck, given the hip-hop feel of some of the loops and rhythms. But it pales in comparison, not having the same energy, humour nor eccentricity. And so I leave it thinking, so what? And yet I thought it was fine. The odd bit of something great. Some great harmonies. Never a bad tune. A 'three' rating almost feels a little too much - but it's certainly better than a two.
3- Stars (7/15)
I'd never heard from this band before, but it was alright. Admittedly, pretty forgettable but fine
Decent listen, probably wouldn’t come back to it
Very chill groove that sounds more like something from a 70s soft rock band than a 2001 alternative band. Nothing special, but easy listening. Low 3.
Listens: 3 Standout tracks: Squares, Gone So, the first song... started off quite weird; Muted and lacking in instrumentation and I was like okay.... and then it started to coalesce into something ... something .... familiar, upon which I had that eureka moment that they were sampling Daydream/Daydream in Blue. I really really quite like what I Monster did with Daydream (Daydream in Blue) and have listened to that album (Neveroddoreven) extensively, but I digress. Squares turned out to be a good song. Beyond that, things sort of went down hill. With the exception of one or two songs, the album was not too impressive. Some tracks are really muddy or fuzzy sounding. The audio clarity is severely lacking. Bad recording techniques? Poor copies on YTM? On purpose? I am not sure. There's a lot of repetitive lyrics on several tracks on the album, with verses being the same line over and over again. There is no album "Hot Shots", so I'm not sure where Hot Shots II came from. I get Flaming Lips vibes on some of the tracks. Evening though this album seems mostly electronica, there is a prog rock quality to it. Music aside, the album cover is cursed. Gaudy "diamond studded" text on a fake star background with a fake... explosion in the center. Duly noted. Edit: I'm torn on this, and am bumping it up to 3 stars. It has some allure to it. I am thinking about it two days later, and can't really understand why. I may go listen to it again even :/
Alright, but nothing too special.
Meh
Liked it,
One of those "vibes" kind of album. No particular highlights, but a pleasant experience nonetheless.
I feel like this album is a personal favourite of the 1001 Albums list compiler. It's ok but it's not brilliant.
A solid album. I’ve listened to The Beta Band a long time ago but it was nice to revisit. Will need more repetitions on this one to go 4 or above.
Chill electronic indi music. Good vibes. First song reminded me of completely different song and that song is now stuck in my head, nothing from this album
I thought this was a pretty good album. It was soothing and a nice, easy listen. I don't know that it really stuck out to me in any way, but I didn't NOT enjoy it either. It makes for nice background noise!
Wasn’t very impressed. Very meh. Last song annoyed me a little, but overall, very inoffensive. Mostly just forgettable. This is a very high two, but it’s closer to a. 3/5
Len Houmous can recite the entire script from Hot Shots Part Deux right off the bat. It’s his favourite film. 3.1
Not bad not great
The songs were kinda repetative, but not awful, nice sound, just boring
Nothing that stood out to me. Rock
Electronica rock mix
This is probably the most coherent offering from this notoriously eclectic band and also the only one of the three studio albums they were actually happy with. It dates from the era when they where favourite support act for Radiohead and you can hear why that worked so well. This record is at the same time somewhat interesting and somewhat underwhelming, exactly what you would expect from a band who never really worked out what their sound was.
sans plus
I've listened to Heroes to Zeroes but not this. This was more laid back but that also meant it was less memorable on first listen. Life was the standout. Often amusing too. Almost certainly a 4 with more listens.
This is nice. They have developed a very distinctive sound which I like, but I do find a lot of the songs are similar and I realised that I thought a lot of them sounded like dry the rain (of their 3 EPs), but none of them felt as good as dry the rain (of their 3 EPs) which is a bit of a shame. Still a nice listen.
Harmless enough. I knew only one song of theirs from before (not on this album), so I'd expected more. This was fairly bland. Don't think I'd be interested in listening to it again.
Spacy computer rock that's kinda just mediocre. The first track Squares was OK and I liked the drum fills in Quiet.
Album fits together pretty well. I thought it wasn’t as good as their next album.
My buddy Tim didn’t like this record. I kinda dug it, though.
Generally pretty boring. I like the trip hop tracks more than the pure pop tracks. The first track is a banger.
there are some neat moments on here, some stuff that i liked, but ultimately, i found this to be a bit boring. it's not that there's anything bad here, it's just that it feels like this album doesn't go anywhere. there are interesting ideas, nice moments, cool production, but quite frankly, it feels a bit stagnant most of the time. i wished i liked it more, because i feel like it is up my alley.
Had never heard of them. Interesting. Off the bat I was, hmm I dunno, but a couple of listen-through a got me intrigued. Will definitely spin back on this one for more.
This is why Caribou is Caribou.
sounds like if teenage shmekie tried to make a pink floyd album by himself in his basement on Fruity Loops doesn't mean it's bad, it's just very one-note. a very interesting inclusion on this list.
good vibes, a little unstimulating
It's not "I will now sell five copies of Hot Shots 2 by the Beta Band."
I really tried to think about this, but I don’t have anything good or bad to say…this is fine? 🤷🏻♀️
At times Wilco. At times Pink Floyd. At times Panda Bear. At times Flaming Lips. I guess this is my issue w beta band - I like it just fine, but I can’t discern any cohesive identity to the music. It kind of just leaves me feeling like I just listened to a succession of trailers for music I’d rather listen to.
I might have heard of the band in passing before but I'd never been formerly introduced to any of their music. During the first listen, I found the sound and composition interesting. I enjoyed the somewhat punchy bass and percussion lines accompanied by the melodic cast of instruments throughout the album. I found the vocals to be much pickier but only on certain songs. Squares and Al Sharp start the album off with a vibrant range of notes but others like Gone, Dragon and Broke seemed to stagnate on the same baritone plane. That's not to say they're not good songs in their own ways but each song seemed to be filled out in different ways.
Definitely an interesting listen. Reminds me a bit of Zero 7, but not as mellow and chill. Not bad, not amazing. Definitely not needed to hear before I die. 2.5/5 so rounding up to a 3.
I’d never heard this. It was a lot mellower than I expected and reminded me a bit of Super Furry Animals.
Interesting album. Could listen to this a couple of more times.
Pretty chill and enjoyable, but nothing bombastic.
Funnily enough I think I liked just 5 of the 10 songs. Was either vibing to spacey jams like Squares and the 3-song run from Broke to Alleged, or getting bored with it like on Gone or Dragon. Landing around a high 3 with this grade.
Listened to this one on my ear pods so I'm hoping it wasn't another Les Rythmes Digitales situation where I was missing a lot of the depth of the album. Felt like a slower, electronic singer/songwriter album almost. I didn't like it as much as the other Beta Band album we got. Pretty middle of the road here, will re-listen if I figure out that it is better with headphones.
Was a pretty cool album but it never hooked me. This is music I should really like and I liked the other album we have had by them, but this one just never did it for me. Also the song Eclipse to end it was really weird. Still not bad I was just hoping for more. This is a high 3
I think Squares has been used on an advert, sure i have heard it before and wondered who it was by. The rest of the album is alright. Had it on as background music while doing computer work most of it just drifted by, with the odd bit grabbing my attention. Life is probably the best track. But working out a score for it will be difficult 1,4 & 5 all out. so that leaves us with 2 & 3. it's not bad enough for a 2, but not quite good enough for a 3. it's more of a 2.8. deserves to be rounded up rather than down, so I suppose it'll have to be another 3
That was a journey into the unknown with a band I’d never heard of. They caught me on a good day and I enjoyed the lovely ambience, sampling and harmonies. So I’ll give it a high 3. May not be as generous if I ever bothered listening again. It’s all about the timing.
At the moment, I'm giving this a 3 star, as this was very good. They are yet another band which I have never got round to properly listening to. It was a lot more electronic than I expected, as I'd always thought they were a guitar band. Life is full of surprises.
Liked this one more than the other beta boys album. It was a little less soulless, but still pretty bland
Its nice to see that this band has more than just "Dry the Rain" but nothing on here is quite as good as that song. Betas indeed. Favorite track: Human Being
I was not familiar with this one, but it was pretty good. It's a pretty chill electronic record.
Nondescript
Nice enough. Nothing too groundbreaking. 3/5
It's a pretty, breezy record but The Three EPs, made famous by the same movie that needlessly steered a generation away from the pleasures of Belle and Sebastian, is the one you need to hear.
Not bad. Chill, doesn't really grab me.
Middle of the road. Nice vocal production, but I'd had enough after three tracks.
Not thrilling
solid
Chill, enjoyable.
Reminds me of Beck
I mean, I didn’t hate it - and with the band name and cover I really wanted to
It was an ok album. Never heard of them before so had no expectations- interesting electronic/almost hip hop fusion with Alternative. Highlights were “Human Being”, “Quiet” and to a lesser extent “Eclipse”
pleasant
An album that could have only been made in 2001, right as Vice, Pitchfork, and first-wave late-Gen X hipsterdom was on rise. It has the eclecticism of a proto-Web 2.0 when it was only accessible to the dorkiest of dorks, and also this relaxed apathy that would feel misplaced the moment the towers fell, especially now with pas becoming more faux in the 25 years since. Despite its UK origins, it’s a very pre-9/11 record. And yet, because it comes before all the actual bullshit of the 21st century, its hunter-gatherer mish-mash quality is kind of adorable. It helps that it’s assembled well, and not trying to be much deeper than a vibe. As a result, I think sometimes that lackadaisical energy can drag and get a bit too dry, but when it hits, it’s pretty pleasant. Overall, it evens out to something fine, but never something transcendent. I’m sure it felt a lot stickier in 2001, but like most things from that year, it does feel a little trite by modern standards. I see how it could’ve slipped in due to recency bias, and it’s a good time, but definitely not anything spectacular.
Made me sleepy
Found it quite interesting but at the same time didn't entirely stick. 3.5 rounded down.
Another surprise! Good mix of music and lyrics
I've enjoyed some of their other albums more and I found the recording quality to be distracting.
Best Song: Squares. Nice intro to the album. Feels like it aspires to be a Bond song. Worst Song: Eclipse. The phrasing on some of the vocals on this track seem intentionally bad. Overall: Very unobtrusive, vaguely groovy background music. Not so interesting that I would actively listen to it, but fun enough to throw on while doing other things.
7/10
I have been tricked twice by the name and branding of this band. I go in expecting some funky disco situation and am given Scottish chillwave. It's not bad, but I'm just shocked by the disconnect that's going on in my brain. Is there another Beta Band? Why do I always think these guys are going to serve me disco grooves?
I wouldn’t call this essential but it was not bad and something I wouldn’t of listened to otherwise.
3.5
Thought this album was better than anticipated
Interesting sound; electronic rock with sort of soft vibes that maybe feels... distant? It's okay but not incredible. Couple crackin' bits of weird lyrics though... "Sell to them the killing gem, attack to get it back." Or, "Or because the power ranger robots in disguise / Have called a war to you honey?"
Beta band is always a vibe.
Pleasant enough. Some of it reminded me of Beck, but not as original or as talented.
This was new to me (apart from 1 track) and I really liked it. It was background music but I will re-listen.
Interesting, unique kind of style. Half electronica half folk, I think I like it? Only 2 songs in rn tho. Okay mostly done. It's really lost to being great, but not quite there. Still pretty good.
-this was a really interesting listen actually. I had read about The Beta Band from Radiohead but never actually listened to anything from then. it wasn’t what I expected, sounded almost chamber pop-esque at points -generally I liked this a lot, it had some great high points. I cannot stop listening to Life and idek why. 3.5 stars -Favorites are Dragon, Broke, and Life
Nowhere near the three eps album.
This is another group from the UK. Most groups have a specific genre, but these guys seem to be electronica, rock, and very etherial. Sometimes they remind me of Pink Floyd, sometimes Depeche Mode. I applaud them for their diverse music, although nothing stood out to me as outstanding.
Never heard of them, so no idea what to expect with this one. The good news is that they aren't boring and the noises (though there are noises, beep bloop), lyrics, and singing are acceptable to me. Still, I bet there are jokes in the other reviews about them rightfully not being the Alpha Band. And those jokes would make sense, because they aren't really tops, they're just okay. Highlights: 'Human Being', 'Dragon', 'Quiet' (the sun and the people DO blind me!!) Lowlights: the rhyme scheme of 'Life'
100% not what I was expecting.m, sound-wise. Very unique sound for the time which is why it’s getting a 3 despite me probably not ever listening to it again.
Hot Shots Part Deux the movie is great...Hot Shots II the album is decent. Some good electro-space jams again from the list. I like the music but C-Swings a bit too low and melodramatic tone. Cut the last track "Eclipse", too weird with all the pizza and moon landing conspiracies. Would like to here HS I...where'd it go? Liked this enough to maybe check out some other albums by the band but it's not blowing me away...3.08.
Good but not earth shattering.
Pretty interesting and reminds me a lot of Beck, but a bit too chill for me. The opening track (Squares) was my favourite upon first listen.
Very enjoyable
same as the other one. would not seek out but not terrible could i write poetry to this? n
This list does not need two Beta Band albums. This one would have been sufficient. It is slightly better than the one we heard just yesterday (and I have already forgotten its title.)
The perfected the formula on Dry The Rain. Every other Beta Band song tries to be that, but falls short. This album is better than the other Beta Band album on here, but but still just a 3.
Decently fun at points but still has periods of just not-so-interesting melodies and such. 5/10
It’s very cool, it’s very moody, it’s got so much unique stuff going on that I’ve never heard before..it’s just not really for me.
Pleasant album, was a fun listen from start to finish. The most popular track didn't initially stand out to me that much. Possibly influenced by it just being a good album for my current environment at work; good background music.
Chill, dreamy, catchy
Wow, Sean’s right! He does sound like Paul McCartney. (Exclamation does not mean surprise by the way). I really like the song Dry the Rain, which I think is from Trainspotting, but I’m less excited about these songs, although the tensing and soothing sensation is still palpable. Eclipse is a good closer.
Pretty good! Wishing this list was less Brit-centric tho
A little goofy, but hey, sometimes that’s just what you need. Not bad.
This is okay, bass heavy and chill. Rating: 3
Nothing stood out for me on this album so I'll just be moving on to the next one. Only 400 more to go...
A pleasant album to revisit-some gentle trip-hop/Beck vibes. Nothing mind blowing, but nice to have on in the background to uplift your mood gently.
This has some really interesting touches that piqued my interest but then they don’t really do anything with them. I wanted to like this so much more. Disappointing
Was, initially, put off by other reviews and expected to dislike this album. Was pleasantly surprised that it was very approachable and enjoyable. Their music's not changing the world, but I wouldn't change the station if this cam on the radio. Solid 3- trending to 4- stars.
This was pretty good, I liked it alright.
No clue who these guys where but kinda fun I liked it
It's nothing special, but not terrible.
Most of this was ok, but I see both Beta Bands albums have been removed from the list? No huge loss, but I can think of heaps of other albums on this list I'd kick off before this one.
Very weird mix of sounds that can't really be pinned down to being part of any genre. Some trip-hop vibes here and there, some R&B influence throughout, but not wholly either of those things. Vocal delivery, is soft, melodic, and echoey; really pushes this almost into ambient territory. Overall production just sounds "'90s" for lack of a better descriptor. Outside of keeping my head nodding, I'm not sure it really does much for me. I do think it's something that might grow on me with repeated listens though.
This is... fine. Nothing is really standing out to me.
Second album by The Beta Band I've heard on this list. It's not bad by any means, but I don't know if they are the unsung heroes that this book tries to make them out to be. They're pleasant enough.
Elbow bien. Muy interesante musicalmente, aunque a ratos soporífero. Momentos de 5 y de 1 según la canción. 2.5 alto.
Always have loved Broke - just a great ambient song
Es un disco raro, como arreglitos indie o electrónica en un ambiente rock progre. Está bueno pero tampoco me dejó grandes cosas.
I have no reference point for this band. I guess they are Britpop adjacent? I don't know, this album was fine, it is like radio polished mass appeal background music that feels like it was probably alternative to the most popular when it came out. Very middle of the road and inoffensive. It was fine for sure, nothing to write home about.
It's certainly not bad
Imagine the disappointment on my face when I learned this had no relation to the Top Gun spoof sequel with Charlie Sheen
Lots of people tell me this is a goof album and it's not unpleasant listening but just really didn't resonante with me.
va be dai onesto 3.5
Reminded me of an old flatmate who used to play this off a burned CD all the time. There are some songs such as Human Being and Gone that I could come back to.
It was quite boppy and enjoyable. Nothing much more to say to be honest.
Good background stuff. Well done.
Always a good listen.
I dig it. A little pulpy, a little poppy.
Really enjoyed a few tracks on this- Squares is a great opener and I enjoyed wallowing in the woe of Gone. Maybe it’s because I only know the Beta Band from the High Fidelity soundtrack that I imagined a lot of this soundtracking an indie movie. Possibly that meant it washed over me a little? It’s pretty ambient, but there were some interesting lyrics once I tuned in properly. It felt surprisingly groovy for an indie record, kind of like a cross between a guitar band and Moby- very 2001, and quite a dance sensibility for something so low key (it felt very hooky). Alleged particularly reminded me of Spiritualized, who I love- the little moment of silence in the middle before coming back with a breakdown is straight out of the Jason Pearce playbook. I’ve put Squares on my December playlist and I’d listen to Dragon again, and Broke was fun.
not bad, aber irgendwie nichtssagend
Some great singles just weird enough to stand the test of time.
November 22, 2024 HL: “Squares", "Dragon", "Broke", “Quiet” “The intensity of Hot Shots II... will become legendary in, oh, about ten years time. Just wait and see" Since this list was first published in 2005, we still have a year to make it happen, folks! Despite the musical adventurousness, I wouldn’t describe this as intense, particularly as it ends in basically a shrug and a commitment to get high Bear in mind when I listened to this, I was already distracted by the fact I suddenly had new Kendrick and Kiwanuka albums to listen to. Consider this, like basically every other review, as an impressionable first impression. I thought its mix of trip-hop and slacker rock was often intriguing, it just didn’t grab me the way a few recent albums have 3.5
Better than I expected. A good change of pace for me. Will I listen to again: 50%
It's not bad, in fact quite pleasant but is it really worthy of a place in the Greatest of all time? No.
Meh wasn't too bad. Kind of interesting. When I read that it was inspired by electronica I groaned. But it was better than I expected.
This one was fun. Nothing blew me away but it was easy listening
It was quirky and I didn't dislike it.
I actually enjoyed it. the singing is a bit cringe, but the album is ok.
interesting
Vibing
This was okay, I don't remember much of it
Was concerned that I loved something by a British band then found out they were Scottish. No wonder I actually like their voices
Har lyssnat flera gånger nu men kan inte riktigt landa i nåt rättvist. Ena dagen tyckte jag, meh..idag lite mer. Men klickar nog inte helt.
I think I liked this better after the second listen. I do not listen to a lot of these albums more than once because I really want to go with my first impression. Having said that, my first impression of this was... WTF is this? It sounded at first very much like a bunch of guys noodling in the studio. But the second listen gave me a bit more of the design behind all of it. I still wouldn't say it's great, though. The Beta Band broke up because they had critical success, but not commercial success. And this album kinda gives you an idea why: the songs are mostly b-side material; there's not an a-side in the whole album. Having said that, it's not bad. I didn't hate it, but I can see where critics will like the quirkiness of the songs, but it's not something that's going to widely popular. Top songs: "Broke," "Dragon," "Gone"
Feels a little plain vanilla. Almost like the new alternative / indie rock before that was a major thing. Piano or keyboards give it a different flavor, as does the fuzzy electronic sound layered in with the guitars and bass. It's not bad. But I'm ready to move on.
77% Best: Squares; Quiet; Alleged; Life Must-Hear? Pretty good, but not quite
"Squares" is really good. Nothing else stood out.
i’m giving this a high 3 but i’m not giving it a 4, id have to listen to it a couple more times before i give it a 4, but it’s a pretty high 3 i actually kinda enjoyed this one
It's fine. Chilled out, lots of layers to the sound, cool textures. A compelling mix of indie and electronic approaches in the songwriting and arrangements. But it comes and goes without leaving much impression.
My husband tell me I should get excited by this band, but I just can't seem to. It's a nice soundscape but it is amazing songwriting? Nope.
I liked the opening track, then was disappointed when I realized it's the best song on the album. Favorites: "Squares", "Al Sharp", "Eclipse"
29/09/24 Not my thing, but I appreciate the effort.
Inoffensive background noise
I do like doing some deep dives on the back of these things. Through this I realised that both "Squares" by the Beta Band, and "Daydream in Blue" by I Monster are actually both covers of "Daydream" by Wallace Collection. And now I've just checked out that original, and it's also good. VERY 60's hippy vibe. Back to the album as a whole, I'm generally up on it. I like the overall vibe, the musicality of it, the production, the mood. I'm starting to realise that I describe far too many of these albums as 'nice', but you know... it is. 3.5 rounded down.
Nothing really appealing on this one to me. It's not bad, just kind of lame. That cover doesn't help at all...
Can’t hear Beta Band without thinking of High Fidelity. Not bad - not sure if I would have been one of those to buy the album if I was in that store.
calm and clear
Sounds a lot like dispensary-core indie music. For me, the standout is the final track. It's good, not my favorite, not the most impressive thing
Ever since the Beta Band joke in High Fidelity, I've been a little curious about them -- but this album didn't help. "Squares" is a literal ripoff of "Daydream" by the Wallace Collection. The rest of the album is sonically interesting -- but just midtempo experimentation. I had a bowlie and listened again and quit halfway through. It's fine. I don't get how this is considered one of the best albums of the Aughts, though...
Still waiting for the "alpha" version of this band borrowing all sorts of "cool" influences from the late nineties / early noughts (Beck-inspired electro-folk compositions, short funk forays, neo-psychedelia, indie-rock, trip hop, Warp-adjacent slow-paced EDM flourishes, proto-Gorillaz mash-ups of all the genres listed here..). The music is generally nice, and some of the arrangements are adventurous, but the whole rarely leaves a strong imprint. And the lethargic, unobtrusive vocals--close to bland at times--don't really help. It seems to me that, in a closely related "soft-spoken" genre, German group The Notwist released far more fascinating and memorable records than this one. Besides, listening to The Beta Band shamelessly RIP OFF the bridge of "A Day In The Life" for the closing section of "Alleged" (not only the chords, but ALSO the vocal melody) is more than disconcerting, as nice as that moment sounds in the spot. If you want to steal ideas from another band, it's better to choose one that's far less famous than the Fab Four. At least if you don't want to get caught red-handed. 😉 Oh, and the rest of the song is just uninteresting muzak anyway... Still leaving the door open to this one, just in case it turns out to be a slow-grower. But something tells me its polished surface, reflecting far greater records than *Hot Shots II* will ever be, is all there is to see here... 3/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential" albums. 8/10 for more general purposes (5+3). Number of albums left to review: 76 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 397 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 231 (including this one, *maybe*) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 297
Wish I had gotten Hot Shots by The Alpha Band
I’d buy the EP in High Fidelity but I ain’t buying this. Hot Shots II is very mellow and isn’t necessarily bad it just never really does much like at all. It’s like if Damon Alburn took over LCD Soundystem and make them kinda boring. 3 stars
Definitely a Beta test.
Hot Shots II is an album that I doubt I will be returning to, and its cover is probably one of the ugliest I've ever seen. However, the sound quality is good and the music itself is somewhat easy to listen to for the most part. It's just alright I guess.
3-4
Not bad, but many songs sound very similar. Can run easily in the background.
Solid, chill project
It’s ok
Beta cucks
Oh yeah this was groovy.
Much the same impression as when it was released, some moments of brilliance but disappointingly underwhelming at times. A bit over-hyped back then, a bit dated now but not bad overall.
Yet another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex Our second encounter with The Beta Band on the 1001 list, similar to the previous one, it's fine, some good bits, but quickly forgettable. Opening standout track, Squares, felt like yet another heavily sampled version of Wallace Collection's "Daydream"... probably best to leave one that to I Monster's "Daydream in Blue". 2.5
Some good songs
Inoffensive, but nothing grabbed me either
A decent electro/rock album - leaning more electro with a hint of RnB - from The Beta Band. Despite the band being fraught with chops and changes in members throughout their time, they still managed to put together a cohesive album. Best: Squares Worst: Alleged
This wasn’t Quiet. It had some Life to it.
more fun than i was expecting :)
какие-то грустные хот чип. особо не запомнились
I mean, it’s fine. So inoffensive I imagine it played in Scottish grocery stores and people bopped along in the aisles. I was tapping my toes. But I don’t imagine I will remember any song enough to hum it ten minutes from now.
Weird little album, I liked some of it
It wasn't bad but wasn't particularly innovative or memorable either.
Pretty chill and enjoyable. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Beta Band.
I’ve only listened to one other Beta Band album, and this sounds like that. I think they might count as being ahead of their time?
Never heard of them but I kind of liked them. I really enjoyed Human Being and Broke. The song Gone and Quite really drug. But overall I enjoyed it, nothing spectacular but I would listen again.
This was interesting and quirky. I enjoyed the uniqueness. Fave songs were the first couple and the last. Some of the other tracks sort of blended together and sounded very similar, but overall, cool and chill.
Sounded promising at first, still good
I've never heard of the Beta Band before, but based on this description, I'm imagining that this album will be in the same vein as Doves (I loved The Last Broadcast) or Everything But The Girl (I loved Walking Wounded). Regardless, my curiosity is piqued, and I'm hoping this album will be a good fit for this rainy day. I thought this album was fine overall. There were some moments on it that were really good, and others that were pretty middle of the road. I felt that the album worked best when it relied more heavily on elements of hip hop, with a heavier emphasis on drums and bass tones. There were some moments where I could hear a more straightforward rock influence on the sound, and those moments worked as well ("Broke" is the best example of this). The other songs that tended to be more geared towards traditional electronic music were pleasant to listen to, but I didn't think they really offered anything new or unique. Overall, this album was pretty middle of the road for me. I think one of the best things that this album had going for it was its uniqueness. At the tail end of trip-hop's popularity, and as more bands started using electronic influences, this album doesn't try to make itself a copy of anyone else's sound, and stands on its own two feet.
Weird mix of Beck and David Gilmour. Not terrible?
Weird but not bad
I enjoy this record. Not my favourite but I enjoy.
Pretty interesting. first half was better than second Standout songs: Squares Human Being Dragon
The Beta Band is cool at first glance. The laid back vibe and contagious rhythm section is attractive. Unfortunately, this does not last for long. This album is front loaded. I wish they could have taken a little more time to produce a solid second half.
OK, but quite forgetable
Started out good but became a bit forgettable
Better than expected. Nice vibe but also fairly forgettable
This one was just ok for me. I listened a few times and nothing really stuck.
I would like to know who the hell designed this album cover and then who the hell approved it
spannend, noch nie was von gehört, klingt aber interessant
Jotenkin leipoisaa! Mulle toimii! 3/5
I don't hate this. It's nice. It just doesn't inspire much passion either. It kind of just exists as fine music that isn't really much of anything.
Never heard of the beta band before, good album interesting parts also good background music, glad I listened but not convinced I’ll revisit,
A good album, listened to it while reading.
This album is like a questionnaire response to me because there are parts I dislike, parts I somewhat dislike, parts I somewhat like, parts I like, and the song Life that I really like. All in all 3 stars or C+.
No hate, but no head over heel butterflies either. Good for a workout.
I like the mix of different genre influences but the repetition of words gets a bit annoying really meh, what's it about??
Ummm...did they want us to actually hear the tracks or nah? Why is the production on almost all of them so silent? It's a really chill album to listen to though...however, the songs are very same-y to me. I'll happily listen to one or more of these tracks in a relaxing playlist, but 46 straight minutes of it is kinda pointless
Solid three for the Dry Rain hitmakers. Off-kilter rhythms and melodies from Steve and the boys, always a good listen without ever getting you out of your chair.
Pas mal, quoique qu'un peu oubliable
The opening track made my Belgian heart very proud. Decent album.
3/5
Love the Beta Band. Their Live a Shepherds Bush set is a 5 star album -a farewell live set that took the best songs and wiped out all the maddening variability and inconsistencies of their studio stuff and amde something perfect. This has some tunes, but in classic Beta Band style their experimental nature leads to patchiness and it doesn't quite gel. Still love it.
3.5
- al sharp - quiet - alleged
Beta
Beta
Heard of the band but never listened before. Sounds a bit McCartney on the vocals. Was alright but unlikely to check out other stuff.
The first half, with it's jittery samples building into great indie pop is brilliant. Sadly it devolves into more traditional bumbling indie on the other side.
3 EPs better also be on this list. This one is aight. Delightfully weird boys.
Not a punishment to listen to though overall rather flat.
Not good, not bad.
Kinda weird...in a good way.
It has its moments of being genuinely quite amazing but it is bogged down by being at times self-indulgent and aimless. Far from the worst album I've ever heard and I'd happily listen again, but could've also been improved upon.
Favourite of Oasis and Radiohead and the only album I’ve ever special-ordered from a record shop. That said, apart from ‘Squares’ (which is such a cool song), the remainder of the album feels a bit undercooked. Humorous, yes, so I’ll give it that extra star (though it’s probably a solid 2.5 stars).
The Beta Band does not need more than one album on this list. I'm not even sure if they deserve to be on the list in the first place. I feel as though I haven't had the best impression of this band, however, as the opening track Squares opened my eyes to the true talent they have. Hot Shots II shows that they can make good indie songs that are decidedly more subtle compared to their work on Heroes to Zeros. This indicates to me that they actually have some refined songwriting skills based on how this album came together.
Struggling to find anything interesting to say about this album. It was definitely unique but even still literally none of it stuck with me in anyway. It has an indie rock electronica kinda thing going on but beyond that idk.
Pretty cool sound, just didn't leave much of an impression on me
Easy going, but like the album wasn’t taking itself too seriously. 3.0
Ah great, some more bang average British music. Can't wait to listen to more tomorrow. 5.5/10 (2.75/5)
“Squares” is a must-hear for fans of quirky, hip-hop influenced alt rock. The rest is fine though not as memorable—worth a listen even if it doesn’t move the needle much.
Pretty good for listening to while doing my job, but don’t think it’s something I’d seek out
Really enjoyed "Squares" and "Life". Not sure I'd listen to this album or band again, but found it enjoyable for the right mood.
Fun listen, makes you wanna maybe listen to other albums.
3.5 Honestly beautiful album and i love their musical style and it seems like it was in fit in at a beautful time for music, like music needed beta band at the time. Round down tho cause i only saved one song lol
Quite unique in mixing styles - result is interesting but not too noteworthy I think. 2.5
Ok