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Jan 25, 201390Ultimately though, whether robotic or human, binary or organic, it is Ra Ra Riot's gift for addictive, romantic songcraft that gives Beta Love its heart.
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Jan 22, 201350Beta Love feels too much like the band's token electronic record. [Feb 2013, p.92]
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Jan 22, 201350Despite the experimentation, most of the album sounds as brittle as a demo.
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Jan 23, 201370Ra Ra Riot's third LP, Beta Love, is a lot like a colorful box of candy--a bright and infectious collection of songs that hooks you on first taste.
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Jan 22, 201370None of the tracks break four minutes. Yet there are clear moments of self-reflexivity that make the new direction an easy adjustment.
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Jan 22, 201330The band's decision to eschew their trademark orchestration in favour of a more synth-driven sound was, sadly, a mistake.
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Feb 20, 201364Ra Ra Riot devotees will also recognize this electronic turn. The change, although typical of seemingly every 21st-century band, is respectfully executed, retaining Ra Ra Riot’s unique style, making this third album far less superfluous than most indie-rock bands’ later efforts.
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Feb 25, 201340This album may have been a growing pain in their attempt to evolve past their initial signature baroque pop, but it sounds like they missed a few steps that needed to be taken.
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Jan 22, 201360Unfortunately, too many songs have that thin, cheap quality that so many indie dance bands were into a decade ago. Good thing they're so ridiculously catchy.
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Jan 22, 201352Ra Ra Riot are best when they stick with what they wanted to get away from.
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Feb 11, 201350For an album that embraces the theme of technology, Beta Love sounds stuck in the past, belonging to an era in which the novelty of overusing the synthesizer has not yet worn off.
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Mar 12, 201340Beta Love ultimately feels unfinished. [Apr 2013, p.109]
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Jan 22, 201340Beta Love is a fine album for the dance floor, a poor one for the headphones, and a disconcerting new direction for the band.
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Jan 25, 201350Racing through 11 disjointed songs in 30 minutes flat, Ra Ra Riot never give their material a chance to breathe. Instead, we're left with somewhat impressive ideas, squandered with impressive vigor.
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Feb 4, 201346The result is an unfortunately hollow album, recycled in its sound and empty in its emotion.
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Jan 22, 201342It tries so hard to please that it becomes perversely repellant.
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Jan 23, 201375Beta Love is the best of both worlds: surprisingly slick and danceable, while subtly amplifying their art-school charm.
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Mar 15, 201360Pop-radio metamorphosis hasn’t been fully achieved, and there are plenty of moments where pure beauty shines through.
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Jan 22, 201370When Mr. Miles gets too literal, as on "Binary Mind," you can begin to feel cornered. Far better is his bittersweet keen on "Angel, Please" and "For Once" and "Is It Too Much," songs of direct melodic and emotional thrust.
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Mar 13, 201340This is a confused mess of a record, with nonsensical lyrics, trite musical clichés, and not a lot else.