While I have nothing against dreamy trip-hop — and I would be fine with any of these individual songs in the right spot on a playlist — this kind of droning, simple, unadorned, repetitive album does nothing for me.
Seeing today’s album and cover art, my first thought was “Oh, that’s that band on the SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD soundtrack.” After some rumination on the cinema of Edgar Wright, I realized it was the US movie HIGH FIDELITY where I’d first heard of The Beta Band.
I assumed the band was a fictional creation. When I did get around to listening to them — probably THE THREE E.P.’S — all I recall is that I was unimpressed. “Maybe it was the best option [director Stephen] Frears had,” I thought at the time. “Definitely doesn’t strike me as a band Nick Hornby would use in this story.”
So, what does a listen to their third album in 2026 reveal?
The prog-rock vibe, vocals and harmonies on “Space” and “Lion Thief” bring to mind 1960s Pink Floyd. If not for the crisp production, this might be a lost soundtrack to an unfinished Antonioni film.
There’s a lot to like about the music, especially the variety, and “Liquid Bird” is my favorite track.
But I can’t get past the banal and uninspired lyrics throughout. Repeating lines like “She’s so wonderful”, “I love your way”, “I love you to pieces” and “I’m so glad you found me” four, eight, sixteen, 24 times is far from poetry.
Sure, HEROES TO ZEROS’s musical atmosphere can be interesting at times, but a confessional line from “Space Beatle” sums it up: “What I’m saying has no meaning.”
The only Neil Young albums I’ve ever listened to are THIS NOTE’S FOR YOU (1988) and FREEDOM (1989) and I don’t currently own any Neil Young albums or CDs.
Asa a person, I love the guy. A stand-up dude and rock icon, he was flipping the bird at corporate bullshit in the 1980s when few did; Neil Young is the antithesis of “sellout.” But, for the most part, none of his song ever made me want to listen to any of his 1960s or 1970s work. Twangy, countrified rock just isn’t my bag.
So, it’s 2026 and I’m listening to Neil Young’s second album with an open mind…
On first listen, it’s all unexpectedly tolerable and track 4 (“Down By The River”) and 6 (“Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)”) stand out as favorites. I’d probably give the album 3 out of 5.
By the second, the entire thing is really, surprisingly, growing on me. The honesty and raw, live real-ness of it all is coalescing into a jangly whole. The last track “Cowgirl in the Sand” is a standout gem this time; it would fit right in on The Beatles WHITE ALBUM. Now the album’s at least a personal 4 out of 5.
It’s not the type of music I would ever think to turn to on my own, but I’m grateful I found this album here, fixing a hole in my 1960s/70s rock listening.
Really don’t like Joan Baez’s voice, or that vibrato thing she does.
The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun” is a traditional? Did not know that!
This genre just does nothing for me.
Somehow far, far worse than I could ever imagine.
Never heard of this artist before today. Pleasant enough, a good listen.
Way heavier and harder than I remember. While I could like a single Alice In Chains song hearing it on a soundtrack or 97X back in the day, an entire album of this kinda hard rock is not for me. Not my genre.
What a pleasant surprise: Behind the pleasant but played-to-death US hit single “There She Goes” was this UK gem produced by my favorite producer, Steve Lillywhite.
The astonishingly great debut album from one of my favorite artists still sparkles. Every track is a gem.
Jeff Buckley has always struck me as a musician's musician -- one of those artists that so many of my favorites love -- who just has no particular appeal for me. Listening to the entire album hasn't dispelled thst notion.
The consensus is that Jeff's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is the best one out there, but I still prefer Rufus Wainwright's.
Less than two weeks into this 1,001 Albums project and we get my favorite band! Alright!
XTC’s Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding belong in the pantheon of great songwriting band mates, right up there with Lennon and McCartney.
The next-to-last album from my all-time favorite pop band shimmers with ambition, hooks and wit. A melodic masterpiece.
A bit more shaggy, rambling and jangly than what I’m generally drawn to.
This is my first listen to 1970s Brian Eno….
I hear, of course, his later influence on Talking Heads, but the up-tempo tracks had me thinking of The Buggles, Devo and early XTC as well.
I look f forward to exploring this one further, and will definitely pick this up on CD or vinyl.
When it comes to my favorite artists, I often end up thinking of their career in three phases. The first, the golden period, is when I first discover the artist, buy all their albums as soon as they come out, listen to them closely, and then await the next gem. Everything that came before is their early period; I’ll invariably work my way through their back catalog until I hit upon some earlier albums I really don’t care for and rarely listen to. But, being a favorite artist, I’ll probably end up owning all their albums.
Then there’s the late period. This usually starts when one of the new albums is a big disappointment — like Billy Joel’s AN INNOCENT MAN or R.E.M.’s MONSTER — and then I’m like “Well, I don’t have to buy their albums when they come out anymore” and it goes from there. In this period I will often wait for reviews, stop paying close attention to new release dates, and wait to pick them up months or years later. In my mind, the artist has peaked, will never top the stuff I love, but, y’know, I’m still interested.
My golden period for Elvis Costello is TRUST (1981) to SPIKE (1989) and the later period is MIGHTY LIKE A ROSE (1991) to now.
BRUTAL YOUTH is one of those top-notch late period Elvis Costello albums I often overlook. I’d forgotten about all the photos of 4- and 9-year-old Declan on the cover and in the CD booklet.
And all my favorite personnel are here, too: the Attractions and Nick Lowe are back. Produced by Mitchell Froom and Elvis Costello. Recorded and mixed by Tchad Blake. Mastered by Bob Ludwig. No wonder this album sound so good!
Not a fan of folk generally, but the alternative folk artists often appeal to me, especially from the other side of the pond.
Would probably be a "4" if not for how much I've always disliked Bragg's voice.
I have never liked Eagles, and listening to this entire first album hasn’t changed anything.
Lowlights:
“Chug All Night” (Frey), vocals: Frey
“Most Of Us Are Sad” (Frey), Vocals: Meisner
“Take the Devil” (Meisner), vocals: Meisner
“Tryin’” (Meisner), vocals: Meisner
Never heard of this artist before; what an interestingly odd album.
I don't hate it so, y'know, that's saying something...but I doubt I will ever listen to or think of this artist again.
Dunno how I missed this band when I was discovering 1970s/80s British punk and new wave back in the 1980s.
Right up my alley. What a fun debut!
Well suited for an afternoon spent drinking piss-poor beer and lapping up bitter ruminations from the old fogeys and barflies at the local watering hole.
Mercifully over in 28 minutes.
The font on the cover is a crime against design.
Given what I’ve heard (on alternative/modern rock radio over the years) and know (Kim Gordon is a rock icon) about Sonic Youth, I really thought I would like this album more. (This is the first Sonic Youth album I’ve listened to in its entirety.)
Perhaps those songs I like are on later albums. Didn’t dislike it too much, but I doubt I’ll ever come back to this one again.
2.49 stars
There’s a lot to like about Guided By Voices, and it’s not just because it’s the biggest band to come out of my hometown.
But there’s a few things that personally frustrate me:
(1) The whole lo-fi thing just grates. I care about good production and great-sounding albums too much. I get it, I see why it’s their thing, but I just would love them more if the albums were more slickly produced. It’s probably why one of my favorite albums of theirs is the one produced by Ric Ocasek.
(2) A lot of Guided By Voices songs just feel like remnants or parts of great songs, or the seeds of what might become great songs. Not that these remnants aren’t pretty great themselves — and Robert Pollard’s ability to write hooks and melodies is astonishing — but it all just seems to get dumped out and thrown away, one lick at a time. A lot of their songs just end up being ephemeral to me. I would love Guided By Voices far more if the songs were constructed into more fully realized songs.
(3) The sheer number of Guided By Voices albums is overwhelming. I know that seems odd to complain about an artist releasing too much work, but…Who can possibly keep up?
3.5 stars
“…the album’s engineer was so put off by the 18-minute ‘Sister Ray’ that he left to get coffee, complaining that no amount of money was worth listening to that crap.”
I’m with him.
1.4 stars
Tom Waits is really his own genre, and this album is a perfect way to showcase what he does best.
He’s surrounded by a bunch of terrific musicians on this album, including, on piano and electric piano, Mike Melvoin, a member of The Wrecking Crew and the father of Wendy Melvoin of Prince’s Revolution and Wendy & Lisa.
I don't really go for slow, languid dreamy pop, but I've always liked Lana Del Rey. It probably helps that she sounds like the German ent artist-in-residence ate the nightclub in every David Lynch movie.
Hadn't heard this one before but loved it like all the others of hers I'm familiar with and/or own.
You can't really go wrong with any Talking Heads albums, and this is one of their best.
