the beta band - the beta band
i have watched the beta band from afar, put off by the bands own admission that their stuff was rubbish. hmm, not a good strategy under normal circumstances, but then initial investigation indicates that the beta band are not here to follow normal rules .. .
and so i eventually fell upon their first album.
60 minutes of sheer madness. brilliant. but mad.
opening with 'the beat band rap' something that combines twisted doo wop vocals and elvis rock-n-roll kareoke to a barking harmonica riff and de la soul. the lyrics tell the tale of the bands venture into the music industry and makes it all sound so natural and easy - welcome to the album indeed.
the band utilise traditional organic music styles which is often interspersed with a splattering of over the top samples. second track 'its not too beautiful' being a prime example, a simple guitar lick with an easy vocal melody and beat are suddenly linked into a grandiose orchestral loop for a while before the track then reverts back to song proper. intriguing yet somehow it works - for over 8 minutes ! none of these songs are of the 3 minute pop song variety. 'simple boy' is the sort of clicks and bleeps track that warp would be proud to release, which is quickly followed by a pub-sing-a-long type of song 'round the bend' that the beatles used to exel in ... tis this verve and voracity to chuck all these conflicting styles into the sonic mele that makes the beta band stand out from the usual crowd. the fact that the lyrics namecheck the beach boys pet sounds shows a band willing to acknowledge their own influences within the actual music both musically as well as lyrically, as opposed to just having the normal thankyou list on the cover. an inspired track, and a highlight.
the era of the human beatbox in hip-hop culture was always something that never appealed to me, and the same holds true for when track 5 'dance o'er the border' is rooted in a beat made by human beatbox (real or sampled .. makes no difference !) not a great track it has to be said. luckily this is the only track for which the vibes just never work, the rest of the lp keeps throwing in the curveballs over the acoustic strums, handclapping, and glorious harmonies .. many of which are multitracked/phased for that full effect.
admittedly the listeners patience is tested at times, as several tracks do suffer from a bout of over indulgence, but in comparison to the standard indiestyled guitar band the beta band are a refreshing blast..
now onto hot shots 2 i guess ?