The Beta Band was odd, perhaps somewhat weird, but always extravagantly eccentric and creative, constantly supplying highly original pop songs and consistently exemplary albums throughout the 90s and early 00s. Beta Band said adieu in December 2004, ending a nearly decade long career; though it wasn’t goodbye for keyboardist John Maclean and drummer Robin Jones who have teamed up with original Beta creator, Gordon Anderson, who left the band early on due to illness, to form The Aliens. The reunion is a neo-psychedelic exploration of much of the same territory the Betas concocted, and unfortunately suffers too much from trying to reinvent what the Betas had already created. There was a good reason the Betas, frustrated and bewildered, ended their career at a final show in Edinburgh: they did not feel their creative direction, no matter the critical praise or the fan delight, was heading in the right direction. Maclean and Jones, teamed with Anderson, have felt it necessary to revitalize the old sound, further exploring its sonic potential, but the product is often too long winded (72 minute running time) and sporadic (psychedelic stompers lead into whimsical pop and then to confounding weirdness). Astronomy for Dogs is a brave attempt to return the spirit and excitement of the Betas, but it’s just not the same, nor is it really all that different.
--Wes Barker
