Steve Mason (ex-Beta Band, King Biscuit Time) quits music

nope. not doing his pr. amanda at sainted is. i love both aliens and king biscuit time. all fantastic people and artists.

going to leave it here though...

What is Aliens? I haven't heard of them (him?).

http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/da/26537

Some days I think this guy is a total and utter genius.

Never got anything this guy ever did. The Beta Band were like a trendy Gomez.

The Black Affair album is turgid stuff though.

Yeah? I've not heard it.

It's the sadness that gets me with this guy, utter, utter desolation.

Not sure I ever heard Black Affair album but I liked the first single. There is a new Aliens album and it is *way* too long and not great

he wrote some good lyrics, about depression, with the beta band, and i always liked his voice. never got round to the KBT album because the bits i heard sounded like depressed beta band songs minus the manic edge, i.e. hard work.

The best bits of the KBT album are as good as anything The Beta Band did, I think. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/king-biscuit-time/black-gold.htm

i don't believe you, but i'm sure i'll hear it one of these days :D

is the black affair album terrible? i veh nearly bought it last week.

I listened to it a couple of times, it had some really obvious rnb circa 2003 production and the vocals were just too mopey and really jarring. It struck me as the sort of record trying hard to convince that it was full of ideas while actually devoid of them.

"I Walk the Earth" by KBT is better than anything the Beta Band ever did. I just listened to Pressure Point and it's really quite bad on first impression. It's largely dull and lifeless and surprisingly generic (with maybe two standout tracks - Will She Come and It's Real).

I Walk The Earth is great and all, but I don't think it quite eclipses The Beta Band as much as some people say - it's as good as their best though. I think it gets kudos for being a little bit further afield, a little rare. Untouched by the hand of High Fidelity.

Untouched by the hand of High Fidelity.

This doesn't affect my enjoyment of TBB.

me neither, not one bit!

Me neither, but I think it affects some.

I also didn't hear The Black Affair album, but liked the first single. Just listening Hot Shots II now after seeing that Yoshimi vs HSII thread by the way...

I always wished there had been more stuff like I Walk The Earth. I wasn't aware of this Black Affair thing at all. I haven't heard anything past the Beta Band that has sparked my interest, though.

New album in own name; produced by Richard X. Fucking beautiful.

It is wonderful. I've been listening to it every day for the last week or so.

is the new one boys outside?

Yes.

'I Let Her In' is heart-breaking. <Sob>

Love this album right now.

not really much to add but this album is really great

Yeah it's very well balanced and replayable, so shiny and maudlin and yeah

Never really "got" the Beta Band tbh... what's the appeal?

they get u laid

srs answer: tough beats, big hypnotic sound, sudden segues into shroomy weirdness... only heard one track from heroes and zeroes, though, it sounded like bad moody blues or something.
couldn't really get into the KBS full-length, but the no-style maxi-ep thing totally rocks.

oh yeah and they wear spacesuits

"Boys Outside" really is lovely.

He's playing Edinburgh next month! Oh, I really must go.

Month after next, even. Figuring June already done for, my mistake.

"Boys Outside" has been criminally ignored in end of year polls. I myself am guilty of overlooking it when I think about 2010. Great, great record.

Big big thanks to Pitchfork for the heads up on Mason's latest Monkey Minds in the Devil's Time. Fantastic record, easily as good as his Beta Band output. If you liked Boys Outside, you really need to hear this new one.

Personally I think the new one has some wonderful and heartfelt songs but suffers from the filler tracks in between. I know it's all part of his concept for the album but ultimately I find them to be a distracting influence.

So he didn't quit music then?

he could no more quit music than Internet Alan could quit the Internet

I like this a lot. It's interesting how much it sometimes sounds like Steve Winwood or the like. I could completely imagine the last track "Come To Me" as an old FM classic rock staple.

This is a great little number:
https://soundcloud.com/#speedywunderground/sw001-i-go-out-parts-1-2

He did a collaboration with Cian Ciaran of Super Furry Animals: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/06/vote-indie-general-election-song-dont-give-it-away-politics-swing

New record 'Meet The Humans' due on 26/02/2016.

First song sounds good! Same production style as Monkey Minds, which I loved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJUJTGUH0mc

It sounds a lot like Jigsaw Falling Into Place by Radiohead, verses at least, but it's pretty good. Better than the shonk he was putting out a few years back at least.

Tour and album next January pic.twitter.com/wuBw4gHzjO

— Steve Mason (@SteveMasonKBT) September 18, 2018

Thursday, 27 April 2006 15:40 (twelve years ago)

New album in own name; produced by Richard X. Fucking beautiful.

Has Richard X. Fucking produced anything else?

Banger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA25KkXBlng

Another new one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHtny_ycVyg