The Beta Band and Arcade Fire

The Beta Band were a great little band these past few years. 'Dry The Rain' is one of the most uplifting songs ever and Hot Shots II was a superb album in places and could have gone through the stratosphere. But it didn't quite have that anthemic zeitgeist enveloping quality. Eventually, mental illness and poverty broke the band up. Shame. Now the band have partially reformed as The Aliens and a new album is out


I had a listen and sorry guys but, meh. It's nothing special. God bless you for trying but as a commercial venture you stand alongside Gomez and the Super Furry Animals. A decent band at times but there are surer ways for the record buying public to Get Their Ya Ya's off.

At the moment The Arcade Fire are electioneering trying to shift copies of their new album Neon Bible. They are a decent band who put music first. The lead singer is an American rich kid who is married to the main instrumentalist in the band. Alas, every time he opens his mouth in interviews he comes across as a complete t***er. He tries to be appeal to some mystical wistfull ideal of the musician. The article in the Observer Music Monthly is not very flattering in this respect. What is funny is that the article is trying to build up his mystique. But, being written by the worst music journalist ever, Pretentious Paul Morley, the article could never succeed. This guy really is a drivel merchant. In the past he has attached himself to Joy Division and New Order and the stuff he has written there makes me cringe. An example of his style, describing Lou Reed watching Arcade Fire live;

'For song after song the infinitely impassive Lou doesn't move a muscle. He doesn't even seem to blink. He never taps his feet or shakes his head, and when a song crashes to a glowing climax he doesn't applaud. Perhaps he's working out what the trick is, if it can save him from the grave.'

*Retches* And his paragraph description of the band

'The group came from nowhere, like they were born yesterday, sonic sweethearts, a scholarly post-punk gospel choir merrily identifying the menace of the world, and it was a surprise. How they sounded, how they looked, the throbbing innocence, the way they swapped roles and instruments, hugged each other, hit each other, broke for cover, jumped for joy and swore on the Bible, the way they sang their hearts out whether there was a microphone near them or not, the way that Win sang, like a soft-hearted iron man, with dashing, rustic serenity, as if he still believed rock music and songs had the power to change the world, to burn down to reality, as if they could obliterate darkness with light and fury'

*Dashes for the bathroom*