Hot Shots II

Lauded in the film HIGH FIDELITY and hand-picked by Radiohead to be the opening act for that band's AMNESIAC tour, The Beta Band has ridden an underground buzz that's turned them into the hottest Scottish musical export since Belle & Sebastian. For HOT SHOTS II, the Betas have continued down the path of pomo folk-rock that is littered with plenty of cut-and-pasted guitars, synths, samples and loops.
Throughout their second album, this quartet of Scots blithely mixes genres and sounds together with a wonderfully reckless abandon. "Broke" is a crossroads where Kraftwerk-flavored beats, dancehall rhythms, and trance-y vocals all meet, while the ethereal "Quiet" shambles and soars in a way that recalls MEDDLE-era Pink Floyd. Other highlights include "Human Being" and its slow build-up of piano, digital delays, and chanting that leads into a Farfisa-driven rave-up, and the eclectic "Eclipse," which ponders the meaning of life amid backwards beats and gorgeous harmonies. Also notable is the bonus track "Win," which fuses lyrics from the Harry Nilsson classic "One" with white toast rapping, a shuffling rhythm section, and bleeping synthesizers. Like Radiohead, The Beta Band has casually reshaped the ever-changing face of pop music.