This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Creativity without context is just masturbation. And much as I appreciate U.K. pop oddballs The Beta Band, there have been times when their willful eccentricity has made me fear for their eyesight.
Not this time, however. On their third full-length Heroes To Zeroes, the Betas adopt a slightly more disciplined stance. Which is not to say that this 42-minute disc is dull, dry or drab — from their genre-crossing arrangements to their sonically inventive instrumentation and production, these dozen rich slices of XTC-laced acid-pop are still daringly, deliberately different. Thing is, though, this time all those squirrely synths, spaced-out soundscapes and swirly effects complement rather than compete with the strong melodies, hooky choruses and sharp songcraft. Even at their most self-indulgent, the Betas never let things get out of hand. So to speak.
