Heroes to Zeros

by

The Beta Band

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I love it when a group I'm a fan of finally busts out and delivers a record that perfectly synthesizes everything I've liked about their music. This is the Beta Band doing just that. Their earlier records were great but sometimes seemed crammed with too many melodies, too many ideas. On "Zeros" the sound is more organized but no less satisfying -- somehow they combine the instrumental drift of space-rock AND pscyhedellic-tinged garage rock within a compact 3-5 minute track. Plus, it's got buttery vocals that would do Eric Woolfsen from the Alan Parsons Project proud.

"Wonderful" sounds downright "Meddle"-esque, a nice nod to "San Tropez" and "Seamus." "Out-Side" is the ultimate pounding, driving-home-from-work-on-a-Friday-afternoon tune. "Space Beatle" is the sound of a crush in the best and worst sense of the word. I'm not sure what "Rhododendron" is but I love it. And I never would've thought a power-ballad called "Liquid Bird" would be something I could take seriously; but I can.

To be perfectly honest, I'm a tad disappointed with "Heroes to Zeros". It's not a bad album necessarily, nor is it a good album. It's the kind of album you skim through a few times, nod your head, and throw it somewhere in the near back/far middle portion of your library. I really do not feel anything at all when listenning to the songs. Even though the songs are very origional and inventive, the monotone singing and electronic rythm just doesn't seem to do the trick. "The Three E.P.s" was a little bit more style than "Heroes to Zeroes", which just seems to bore me and make me wish I would have listenned first. So, in short, listen first; this might do more for you than it did for me.