HOT SHOTS II

I’ll say it right from the beginning: this review is going to be biased. Partly because I think The Beta Band is a damn fine band. Mostly because they have never disappointed me before. With their third release, Hot Shots II, the boys of Beta go back to the roots of their debut album, The Three E.P.’s. Stylistically, the album is much more calm and collected than I expected. Their self-titled second album, The Beta Band, offered a plethora of funky beats and rhythms that made it much more pop-friendly. This may be the exact reason why almost everyone, including most of the band members, despise the sophomore attempt. I liked the second album, but Hot Shots II can best be known as the anti-Beta Band album. It starts off with the bass-heavy, melodic “Squares.” Think Portishead meets Paul McCartney. The album continues on with this feel. The somber “Gone” is a quiet tune with piano accompaniment. “Broke” is a perfect example of what The Beta Band is all about. Synthesized beats mixed with a keyboard and other mysterious instruments popping in and out, begging to be identified. “Eclipse” is a fun tune, ripe with all of the bizarre lyrics The Beta Band is known for. I mean, no other group has the balls to say “The music we make is not particularly good,” in one of their own songs. But don’t take their word for it. Check it out for yourself.