It's been said that any truly great song can remain just as recognizable and distinctive when broken down to its most basic structure and played on a solo instrument. If this is to be taken as an accurate gauge of musical value, then the Beta Band might be the worst fucking band in history. On their debut, The Three EPs, the Scottish foursome turned the periphery of songwriting into the main attraction, applying multilayered production and serpentine song structures to chords and melodies that repeated to the point of self-nullification. The group's second, self-titled album took this approach even further, as what seemed at first like petty musical asides were developed into the record's most striking and fully realized moments. These records' effects were world-class icing on cardboard cupcakes, using the traditional foundations of strong songwriting as a placeholder before smothering them in sweetness.
A steady diet of icing, however, can only last so long. The Beta Band's last record, 2001's Hot Shots II, showed the band grappling with a lack of ideas for the first time. The songs themselves were every bit as drony and repetitive as those on the first two records, but lacked the fascinating production tricks and odd instrumentation of their best work. Indeed, the un-structure that made the first two Beta Band records so captivating seemed to have evolved into a structure of its own.
On their fourth album, Heroes to Zeros, that structure is further solidified, to decidedly mixed results. "Assessment", the album's first single, toys with the kind of playful dynamics that made The Three EPs such a dense listen. In true Beta Band fashion, the heart and soul of "Assessment" is little more than the interplay between two similar guitar parts, and one fantastic drum fill. A few minutes into the song, a simple bassline rises to prominence before quickly and elegantly segueing back into a chorus. It's a nice diversion, but one can't shake the feeling that The Beta Band of yore could have turned it into an epic. The more disjointed final section of "Assessment" is similarly frustrating-- several great ideas are explored, but the band moves between them with an abandon uncharacteristic to even their most slapdash work.
Still, "Assessment" remains one of the best tracks on Heroes to Zeros. On "Lion Thief", frontman Stephen Mason's recurring deadpan, "The fruits are the loops are the friendships that droop," approaches self-parody, rendering painfully clear the more formulaic aspects of the band's sound. And sadly, the attempts at departure don't fare much better. "Easy", with its embarrassing Stevie Wonder keyboards, could be the low point of all of The Beta Band's catalog. The tepid "Wonderful" is particularly unfortunate for its thematic similarities to The Three EPs' awe-inspiring "She's the One", host to one of the most forceful and moving crescendos I've ever heard. The Beta Band's best moments often came when they worked in extremes-- minimal sampled beats followed by insane, multitracked chipmunk vocals and massive, reverb-soaked drum fills. Here, as with Hot Shots, the band attempts to split the difference, and in doing so, sacrifices the momentum that made their first two albums so thrilling.
Thankfully, Heroes to Zeros picks up with "Out-Side", by far the album's standout. Opening with overbearing beats and an unusual barking dog sample, the song soon breaks into reverb-laden vocals and rough electric guitar. Later, screeching synthesizers penetrate the mix, signaling yet another substantial textural change. But then, the song is awkwardly followed by "Space Beatle", whose chorus of, "I love you to pieces," registers as a watered-down rehash of "Out-Side"'s subtle and charming "I love you" chorus.
Indeed, Heroes to Zeros is host to an unusually large number of deja vu's. Most of these moments simply evoke Heroes to Zeros' increasing reliance upon form and formula-- but not all of them. At about three minutes through "Out-Side", I found myself checking my stereo to see if what I was hearing was still part of the same song, and it immediately brought to mind the experience of listening to The Three EPs for the first time. For just a little while, The Beta Band once again sounded like a band that could turn three notes into a symphony.
