The Beta Band

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The Beta Band

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I read a review in SPIN or Rolling Stone where they touted the Beta Band as the divining rod pointing the way where all music was sure to head or evolve. Now, while I knew that they could not be the second coming of music as we know it, I am a fan of other artists on the Astralwerks label and figured that a BAND that was released through a label synonymous with DJ's, breakbeats, trip-hop and such - was definitely worth a listen. The opening track - while some find to be insanely creative - I found to be wierd for weird's sake, that is until the transition into the rest of the album kicked in...fluid from one song to the next. There is probably no instrument left unplayed, no genre unexplored or mixed with (notably: "Broken Up A Ding Dong" which uses driving folk guitars, soft - almost passive vocals, with steel drums and an accelerated almost ska-like breakdown). The hip-hop style tracks are evocative of Beck in many ways (lazy, free form, odd-time signature lyrics) and the layering of the elements never gets in the way of the appreciation of the song as a whole but instead provides new discoveries with each listen. Nothing like this is out there - and quite possibly there will never be. All the more reason to own it.