Let's face it, when the Beta Band threw in the towel few of us were surprised and a lot of us didn't exactly feel an overwhelming case of despair. However, they were responsible for The Three EPs, as well as some inferior but still far-out albums that had us constantly scrambling to define them (acidic-psych-folk-pop-hop-a-doo-wop?). There's no doubt that even the most casual of fans aren't curious about what members have been up to since. Steve Mason's been doing his experimental groove thing as King Biscuit Time, and now the Black Affair, but it's the band's two least likely suspects - drummer Robin Jones and sampler/synth wiz John Maclean - that have taken the more conventional route. As the Aliens, the duo have joined up with Beta cohort Gordon Anderson (aka Lone Pigeon) for a pretty enthusiastic example of '60s-splashed psych pop that sounds like they've consumed a lifetime's supply of Prozac. On the same wavelength as peers the Bees, this may not pack the mind-altering punch the Beta Band threw, but there's room to take this further into public consciousness than any of these guys have ever been. The album, Astronomy for Dogs is out March 19 in the UK on Pet Rock (via EMI) and will get a North American release some time in June.
The Aliens "The Happy Song"
The Aliens "The Happy Song"
