t’s funny how a single statement can change how people view an album. With 1999's self-titled full-length debut, the Beta Band complained that that their label rushed them and forced them to release an album they believed was unfinished and (to quote vocalist Stephen Mason) “Fucking Awful”. Well, although it didn’t live up to the expectations that their stunning earlier collective release The 3 EPs, it was still something of a brilliant mess of an album, a million good ideas (and sometimes not so good) in a hazy stew of audile eclecticism. The debut jumped from style to style with the most casual disregard for structure. Samples and sound effects were used excessively throughout the album, and Mason took an unexpected hand at rapping a number of the songs.


After High Fidelity casually name-checked the band, they were back in the spotlight again for their sophomore album. This exposure culminated with the lead-off single “Squares”, which carried a theme from the Gunter Kallman Choir’s “Daydream”, and was intended to be released at the same time as I Monster’s “Daydream in Blue”, which also featured heavy use of s sample from the song (and eventually went on to top the UK charts). This unfortunate coincidence seemed to do the band more harm than good, with “Squares” fading away into obscurity as a single – not a good way to launch an album.


Thankfully, the song itself is a great opener to the album, mellow hip-hop grooves, that ever-familiar melody and accompanying strings that made “Daydream” such an appealing song to sample. Mason follows the lyrical bent of the original track, and a tasty guitar lick (very reminiscent of Seventeen Seconds-era Cure) complete the track. What we begin to experience is a more polished and refined Beta Band. Mason’s vocals have taken on a more reflective, darker tone, he sounds serious and disparate throughout the album. Whilst still retaining a diverse array of styles -- skittery IDM beats, shuffling Hip-Hop grooves, and an array of guitar-work that vary from the acoustic to blues-rock freakouts, even within one song (“Human Being”), but I’m left with the impression that the boys limited themselves on this album.


Mason has purposely aimed to strip the album down to its core essentials. On the heartbreaking “Gone” we hear him at his most fragile, and backed by only contemplative piano, the most mellow of bass lines and finely crafted backing hums. Mostly it works, it’s quite apparent that Mason has become something of a talented song-writer, especially when it comes to more somber, tender moments. Unfortunately, though, some songs seem to lack the hooks that the 3 EPs had in spades. “Dragon” seems to be little more than an exercise in Beta Band musical backing for Mason to bellow over. It is at this point that I began to realize that perhaps the fragmented, disconnected structure of their earlier albums may have been a superficial construction.


A nice change of pace is the 60s psychedelic pastiche ‘Quiet’ which mixes a rumbling, rolling piece of drum-work along with the obligatory heavily flanged guitar work that would make Led Zeppelin themselves blush. Tracks such as this make it harder and harder to believe the comments of the Beta Band’s Radiohead-supporting live performances (which seemed to indicate that the band have no interest in playing their instruments), as it sounds both polished and sharp.


The American version of the album was released with the European b-side “Won”, which is actually something of an album highlight. Guest MC Sean Reveron lends his voice to the mix in perhaps the most unusual adaptation of Harry Nilsson’s “One” that has ever been recorded. A nice way to finish an album, just a pity the middle isn’t quite as creamy as it could have been.