''Hot Shots II'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by the Scottish musical group

The Beta Band The Beta Band are a Scottish musical group formed in 1996. Their style is described as being a blend of folk, psychedelia, electronica, post-rock and trip hop, often involving stylistic experimentation and occasional humour. They were praised ...

, released on 16 July 2001. Colin "C-Swing" Emmanuel and the band co-produced the album. The band's previous work had used dense experimentation but ''Hot Shots II'' had a minimal style influenced by R&B,

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

. Mason later said the album was "us doing what we promised to do and making something completely incredible, that didn't sound like anything else. Nothing else that's ever come after it has ever sounded like it. It's got good, fleshed out and complete songs on it."

Critical reception

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' placed ''Hot Shots II'' at number 118 on its list of top 200 albums of the 2000s. The album is also included in the 2010 edition of ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music criti ...

''. ''

Kludge A kludge or kluge () is a workaround or makeshift solution that is clumsy, inelegant, inefficient, difficult to extend, and hard to maintain. This term is used in diverse fields such as computer science, aerospace engineering, Internet slang, ...

'' ranked it at number 1 on its list of top 10 albums of 2001.

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2001 albums The Beta Band albums Astralwerks albums Regal Zonophone Records albums