Steve Mason Monkey Minds in the Devil’s Time
Steve Mason
Monkey Minds in the Devil’s Time
Domino; 2013
As principal songwriter and vocalist for the Beta Band, Steve Mason set the now-defunct Scottish quartet on a peculiar course that eventually led them to critical and popular approval. Their Three EPs plied dangerous hip-hop waters and avoided crunchy folk shoals to announce something totally unique when it was released in 1998, and the collection remains one of the 
unsung musical masterpieces of that decade. Living up to the hype, however, proved difficult, and the Betas dissolved after some promising yet ultimately lackluster followups ending with the prophetically-named Heroes to Zeros in 2004. Mason’s bandmates went on to pursue other projects while he kept busy releasing a few titillating curiosities under various monikers while struggling with severe depression. Mason’s latest, the title of which is a Buddhist expression for an unfocused state of being, is, ironically, an exceptionally determined effort to lay his demons to rest, and while the 20 tracks seem like frayed parts of a diffuse whole at first listen, repeated plays reveal a concerted progression from selfish reclusion to selfless action. The first half is vintage Mason singing in melodic, somnolent tones, but the second develops an understated resolve to set the world right with some martial beats and swelling choruses. He still has a long way to go, but Monkey Minds is a firmly planted step in the right direction. — T. Bennison
