Finally, The Beta Band has developed good taste. For a long time now everyone knew they were capable of crafting brilliant music. That is, everyone except them. The Beta Band has made music nerds across the globe salivate with just about every album they’ve ever released, yet they’ve remained ambivalent toward these highly acclaimed nuggets of brilliance. With Heroes to Zeros The Beta Band have finally made an album they are happy with, and rightfully so.
Gone are the long experimental pseudo-songs of their previous albums, and in their place are a dozen succulent straight-ahead pop songs or, at least, straight-ahead for The Beta Band. Make no mistake, every song on Heroes to Zeros is a heavily layered epic in its own right, but these songs sound almost minimalist compared to their back catalogue.
Some fans may argue The Beta Band have taken a step backwards with Heroes to Zeros. It is difficult to call it as good as say The Three EPS, but this new album should be viewed as a positive development–The Beta Band have now managed to condense their lush, intricate sound into undeniably catchy pop songs that aren’t about to leave heavy rotation in my stereo any time soon.