Monster Music & Movies

Reviews:

Psst... pass it on: The Beta Band is in loooove. Somebody has got this motley bunch of Scottish pranksters all googly-eyed and mush-mouthed, and caused them to trade in their kitchen-sink Beck-isms for airy pop. Repeating phrases like "She's so wonderful," "I love you to pieces" and "I'm so glad you found me" over and over in a punch-drunk daze, singer/guitarist Steve Mason seems to have been hit particularly hard by Cupid's arrow. Either that or he's been taking writing lessons from Diane Warren. Is this really the same guy who sang "She's a coward, she's a cheat and she stinks," on his group's debut album five years ago?

Don't worry-the group hasn't gone all soft. The lead single, "Assessment," is an ur-gent rallying cry that explodes into a joyous, horn-blaring party, and "Liquid Bird" recalls the electro-rock mix-n-match of Apollo 440's Van Halen-aping 1997 track "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub." The light funk track "Space" layers Beach Boys harmonies over fat-bottomed bass, while the loopy samples, sleigh bells, ethereal piano and galloping shuffle-beat of "Out-Side" hearken back to the days when these guys competed with Super Furry Animals for the status of nuttiest fruitcakes in Britain. Still, a disproportionate number of dull, hazy romantic space-jams on Heroes veer dangerously close to lifeless Doves/Starsailor Britpop territory. Here's hoping somebody gets dumped real soon.

"Psst... pass it on: The Beta Band is in loooove. Somebody has got this motley bunch of Scottish pranksters all googly-eyed and mush-mouthed, and caused them to trade in their kitchen-sink Beck-isms for airy pop. Repeating phrases like ""She's so wonderful,"" ""I love you to pieces"" and ""I'm so glad you found me"" over and over in a punch-drunk daze, singer/guitarist Steve Mason seems to have been hit particularly hard by Cupid's arrow. Either that or he's been taking writing lessons from Diane Warren. Is this really the same guy who sang ""She's a coward, she's a cheat and she stinks,"" on his group's debut album five years ago?

Don't worry-the group hasn't gone all soft. The lead single, ""Assessment,"" is an ur-gent rallying cry that explodes into a joyous, horn-blaring party, and ""Liquid Bird"" recalls the electro-rock mix-n-match of Apollo 440's Van Halen-aping 1997 track ""Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub."" The light funk track ""Space"" layers Beach Boys harmonies over fat-bottomed bass, while the loopy samples, sleigh bells, ethereal piano and galloping shuffle-beat of ""Out-Side"" hearken back to the days when these guys competed with Super Furry Animals for the status of nuttiest fruitcakes in Britain. Still, a disproportionate number of dull, hazy romantic space-jams on Heroes veer dangerously close to lifeless Doves/Starsailor Britpop territory. Here's hoping somebody gets dumped real soon.

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