Hot Shots II

'Hot Shots II' continues the Beta Band's play with epileptic beats and creepy melodies as they again rearrange a record collection stocked with Pink Floyd, Talk Talk, the Beatles, and the full Astralwerks catalogue.

For their second album, these three beardy Scots and a ginger bloke from Portsmouth have left the battered acoustics and penny-whistles to their legion of imitators, choosing to enlist C-Swing - aka Colin Emmanuel, crisp-beated knob-twiddler for pop starlet Jamelia - at the production helm.

"The Beta Band evokes the lushness of '60s AM pop-stars the Association in its soft vocal ensembles while demonstrating an instrumental prowess ('Eclipse') that recollects the lo-fi sonic buzz of Flying Saucer Attack. Not only does this natural ability make the band the logical choice to support Radiohead's 2001 North American tour, but it also explains its prominent role in the filmed version of High Fidelity as the beloved object of record-store geeks' affection."
-CDNOW

"a dizzy magical voyage of self discovery. 8/10"
-NME

"Mystical and magical, this has to be the most interesting working band in Britain today. 5/5"
-Jockey Slut

"Hot Shots II is a very fine thing. 4/5"
-Uncut

"a relaxed and silken stream of poppy, trippy, chill out gems"
-Time Out

"A near masterpiece...a scorcher. 4/5"
-The Mirror

"Every song has something that confirms their reputation as one of the most influential and important bands in Britain today."
-CD of the week / The Guardian

"Album of the year potential 5/5"
-The Express