Yes, I know I’m probably a poser. I heard of The Beta Band from the movie High Fidelity. Whatever – back off.
The Beta Band are interesting to me. They were only a band for eight years, and most people haven’t heard their music. However, their short-lived run as a band led to some really fantastic music. My personal favorite Beta Band release is The Three E.P.’s – it’s architecture is unlike most albums in that, like the title brilliantly denotes, it is their three E.P.’s from 1997 and 1998 compiled into one album.
The interesting thing is that, though it is compiled of three different projects, it doesn’t sound like it at all. It comes off as one cohesive release. Having listened to The Three E.P.’s a ridiculous amount of times, I don’t think I would get the same satisfaction from listening to the E.P.’s separately. “Dogs Got a Bone” goes right into “Inner Meet Me,” and “She’s the One” leads to “Push It Out.” The album is one of the few that impresses me on every track, so please excuse some selectivity.
The album starts off with a favorite song of mine – “Dry the Rain.” It starts low and continues to build. A drum sample leads into a full set, the Beck-style guitar part is joined by a horn section, and a repeating chorus builds vocal parts on top of each other, which eventually fades out. A great first track.
“Dogs Got a Bone” is a really heartbreaking song to me. There is obviously room for a sexual reference in the title of the song, but anyone who sings “Wish you were here, tied to the pier/Words disappear, every time you call me” has my sympathy.
The middle of the album, or, the second E.P. is where the band’s label of “trip hop” comes from. It’s definitely more experimental than the first set of songs. The shortest track is “Inner Meet Me” at just over six minutes. “The House Song” and “Monolith” are small, mid-album departures, but it doesn’t come off as a left field move. I actually think that it makes for a fun experience, because the album is constantly changing.
The last third of the E.P.’s is a perfect four-song collection of stabilizing songs. In keeping with the ever-changing scope of the album, the last four songs bring you back down to Earth. “Push It Out” is maintained by a single cymbal, covered with heavy piano chords and harmonies. “Dr. Baker” is an ebb and flow of piano/harmony sections and noise/sample sections – going back and forth between the two mesmerizes me every time I listen to it.
Because The Three E.P.’s is three separate thoughts, so to speak, there is a lot going on. But, the album is a wonderful experience. It’s like the first four songs are you sitting around with your friends, the middle for are deciding to go out for the night, and the last four are slowly waking up in the morning. However you put the E.P.’s together (if at all), they are a perfect compilation of tunes from an unfortunately short-lived band.
