Album: The Three EPs
Artist: The Beta Band
Continuing the space theme of much late 90s music, from Ladies & Gentlemen We're Floating In Space to Moon Safari, The Beta Band were part of this trend with their own unique brand of cosmic folk. You could argue that three EPs makes for a compilation and not a proper album, but the quality of The Three EPs and the way each set of four tracks fits together so seamlessly means it's easy to make an exception. Champion Versions was The Beta Band's debut 1997 EP and appears first here with lead-off track, Dry the Rain, easily the band's most famous composition. There's a famous scene in Nick Hornby's High Fidelity where the record shop manager has a bet with a co-worker that by the end of playing this song in the store, he would have three sales. If you haven't seen it, you can guess what happens next. Dry The Rain, with one eye on the electric folk pioneers of the past, and another on the electronic sounds of the future, has a catchy, chilled out groove that builds into an extended finale of trumpets and "oohs" and "aahs". Like Beck, The Beta Band were able to assimilate so many different genres, from folk and country to funk and dub, and still produce a sound that was coherent and new. Acoustic music with turntables, you might say, as though the boundaries between urban and rural music had been torn down at the end of the century. Oasis and Radiohead were both huge fans of The Beta Band, and deeply envious of their natural talent for experimentation.
Artist: The Beta Band
Born: St Andrews, Scotland
Released: September 1998
Genre: Folktronica
Continuing the space theme of much late 90s music, from Ladies & Gentlemen We're Floating In Space to Moon Safari, The Beta Band were part of this trend with their own unique brand of cosmic folk. You could argue that three EPs makes for a compilation and not a proper album, but the quality of The Three EPs and the way each set of four tracks fits together so seamlessly means it's easy to make an exception. Champion Versions was The Beta Band's debut 1997 EP and appears first here with lead-off track, Dry the Rain, easily the band's most famous composition. There's a famous scene in Nick Hornby's High Fidelity where the record shop manager has a bet with a co-worker that by the end of playing this song in the store, he would have three sales. If you haven't seen it, you can guess what happens next. Dry The Rain, with one eye on the electric folk pioneers of the past, and another on the electronic sounds of the future, has a catchy, chilled out groove that builds into an extended finale of trumpets and "oohs" and "aahs". Like Beck, The Beta Band were able to assimilate so many different genres, from folk and country to funk and dub, and still produce a sound that was coherent and new. Acoustic music with turntables, you might say, as though the boundaries between urban and rural music had been torn down at the end of the century. Oasis and Radiohead were both huge fans of The Beta Band, and deeply envious of their natural talent for experimentation.
Steve Mason's stoner singing voice and the lyrics that are often repeated to create a trance-like effect are a potent part of the band's musical appeal. I've seen him live (just after he released his 2013 solo album, Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time) at Green Man and he's a great performer, but very unassuming in style. His blissed out singing style on I Know is barely audible, while instrumental B+A has a crescendo to match Dry The Rain. The second EP, The Patty Patty Sound, is the most far out of the three, and at 40 minutes long it's almost enough material to constitute an LP. Inner Meet Me is a wonderful slice of modern psychedelia, with its dub-inspired opening and strange effects (what sounds like a UFO coming in to land and firing shots), while The House Song mixes what sounds like French rap with offbeat drum loops. The Monolith has the spirit of Can and pastoral sound effects reminiscent of Ummagumma-era Pink Floyd, but the overall effect is a bit too schizophrenic for my liking. She's The One has a more conventional Beta Band sound, and stream of consciousness lyrics that fit the music more than making sense ("Grabbing at straws / so the holes don't slow me down"). The final EP, Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos, is also highly experimental, and I especially love the last two tracks, Dr Baker and Needles In My Eyes. Dr Baker has DJ Shadow style beats, Gregorian chants and toy piano loops, but is still compelling to listen to, while Needles In My Eyes moves from ambient coastal sounds to stunning, melodic indie rock. The Beta Band really did forge a unique musical path in the 90s.
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