Duke Shin

There have been sightings of a new, other-worldy band rising from the ashes of the Beta Band. But who are they? Who are these Aliens? The story begins with one of the original-founding members.

It took a while for America to find critical darlings the Beta Band and their ill-definable musical Haggis—folk, hip-hop, pop, reggae and jam-band elements, boiled and minced in electronics, then sewed-up and stewed within a psychedelic skin. The Scottish lads became a cult hit stateside after John Cusack’s obsessive record-shop owner declared that he would "now sell five copies of ‘The Three EPs’ by The Beta Band" in the 2000’s "High Fidelity." And just like that, "Dry The Rain" became an instant classic a few years after it was initially released.

Original Beta Band member and current Aliens front man Gordon Anderson co-wrote the gently intensive-yet-reassuring track, but due to his own battles with mental illness, had left the band before he could share in any of the successes, eventually being institutionalized for the better part of a decade. But the Beta Band ran its course, breaking up in 2004. Meanwhile, Anderson found his health improving, and he began recording solo as Lone Pigeon. Bursting forth from the musically fertile Fife, Scotland scene (think KT Tunstall, Adem & Fridge, Gordon’s own brother Kenny aka King Creosote and Fence Records) Gordon’s project proved he still had musical wings.

"These songs were sitting there, and [Gordon] was doing them under Lone Pigeon, and Lone Pigeon was getting better, but he didn’t really want to go out on his own onstage," recalls fellow Alien and Beta Band keyboardist/DJ John Maclean.

Speaking to us from London in between the Aliens’ summer festival appearances, Maclean is excited about his new band. "There was no real plan…we didn’t have a record company, we just put the money together ourselves and then recorded it on Pro Tools. Me and Robin [Jones, drummer for Beta Band and Aliens] didn’t want to jump straight into another band after Beta Band…[but] it just kind of snowballed. We did the EP, and then there was record label interest, and we said ‘OK, we’ll do an album,’ and before you know it, it came back to being in a band!"

The Aliens ended up recording a solid debut album in "Astronomy for Dogs." Although there are undoubtedly similar moments to the critical albatross of the Beta Band, the Aliens have successfully defined themselves as a new band, with sunnier tendencies recalling Gram Parsons and Brian Wilson at times, and an extraterrestrial folk-hop session channeling Polyphonic Spree on others. Lyrically, the album swings from the doldrums of lovelorn yearning and loss (like in the Ray Manzarek-rocking "Setting Sun," "She Don’t love Me no More" and "Honest Again") to the heights of dizzying psychedelic identity on "Robot Man" and "I am the Unknown." And given the name of the band, perhaps it’s the common thread of psychedelia that stands out the most. So where does it all tie in?

"We don’t really mean to be psychedelic," says Maclean after a pregnant pause, his affable Scottish brogue punctuating his thoughts. "When you’ve got so many influences and try to jam them all in one song, there’s a lot of funk, soul, rock, hip-hop, reggae…when you try to jam all these influences in one song it ends up having to be psychedelic, I suppose, because we’re not like a band like The Strokes or something that only has one or two main interests, and then plays music that sounds like those one or two influences. I suppose that’s why we end up becoming psychedelic." Maclean let’s his own words echo in his mind. "I don’t know the answer! It’s confusing to us as well!" he laughs, before resuming his theory on psychedelic music, unprompted.

"My favorite hip-hop albums are ‘3 Feet and Rising’ from De La Soul or ‘Paul’s Boutique’ from the Beastie Boys, you know they’re very, very, very psychedelic records, probably more so than a lot of psychedelia music."

Although most classic psychedelic rock are uninteresting to Maclean, he does find common threads in things like "Smile" from the Beach Boys. "People hearing unusual sounds and taking it somewhere else by the music, not just the guitar’s got a guitar, and the drum kit is a drum kit, but maybe try to make the drum kit sound like something else, or play it a different way…we’re in our mid 30s now, so we’re not sort of goin’ out getting mashed up and taking drugs, getting stoned and things like that, [anymore]. It’s funny now we’re all so straight—we always ends up making music where people call us crazy or stoned!"

The Aliens, with openers Augie March at Schubas, 3159 North Southport, (773)525-2508, on September 25, at 9pm. $12 advanced tickets, $14 at the door. John Maclean will also DJ the official afterparty, alongside MASH! DJs Nate Manic, Mr. Nathaniel and Duke Shin at Schubas Upstairs, 10pm. No cover.

(2007-09-18)

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