I gave the newie from the Aliens a spin yesterday and it’s a much more expansive, chilled out album than the predecessor. Here’s the review I wrote of that back in March 07.
The Aliens – astronomy for dogs
If
you’re expecting Astronomy for Dogs to be the fourth Beta Band album in
all but name, you’ll be disappointed. There is a great deal of sonic
experimentation going on, but its generally within the confines of much
more traditional structures, and some tracks are all out retro
space-rockers clearly heavily inspired by the likes of the Beach Boys,
the Beatles, and Primal Scream. But the sheer enthusiasm of the
delivery, the strength of Gordon Anderson’s songwriting and the subtle
but unpredictable electronica and sound effects weaved throughout means
it improves with each listen. The singles ‘Robot Man’ and ‘The Happy
Song’ are as upbeat as a lorry full of lottery winners, but the
gorgeous, languid melodies of ‘She Don’t Love Me No More’ and ‘Honest
Again’ are evidence of the broken heart behind The Aliens’ almost
otherworldly cheerfulness.
Clear-Minded Creative 