The Beta Band

For a while there, it looked as if Scotland's Beta Band was destined to be one of those outfits that never match their earliest work. To be fair, though, following The Three E.P.'s would have been tough for just about anyone. Originally released as three separate discs -- Champion Versions, The Patty Patty Sound, and Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos -- the album dazzles with its kaleidoscopic inventiveness, as the Betas gobble up every conceivable pop style, from prissy folk to sweaty funk, and convert them into long, multisegmented song suites, full of seemingly offhand melodies and goofy humor. The quartet's digestive process isn't always reliable, but the cumulative effect is impressive.

On The Beta Band and, to a lesser degree, Hot Shots II, the Betas come close to losing their way. The humor has gone from goofy to nearly incomprehensible, and the interesting musical snatches are undone by countless irritating digressions. When the arrangements get sparse (as on Hot Shots II's "Gone"), things tend to work, but that just doesn't happen often enough.

Heroes to Zeros is a very different kettle of kippers. As the opening track, "Assessment" (which tips its hat rather broadly to U2's "I Will Follow"), suggests -- and the rest of the album conclusively demonstrates -- the Betas have figured out how to streamline their sound without killing their creativity. Songs like "Space Beatle" and "Liquid Bird" reach Wilsonian (Brian Wilsonian, that is) heights of complexity but never come ungrounded. Four albums into its career, the Beta Band has finally beaten the sophomore slump. (MAC RANDALL)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide