Rather unfairly, the Beta Band never matched continual critical acclaim with actual record sales, their partly undeserved image as taciturn, grumpy Scots forever stymieing their progress. Now, after a spell as King Biscuit Time, when his patchy attempts to combine conspiracy theories with British R&B fashions proved (perhaps unexpectedly) unmemorable, their perpetually unsatisfied singer Steve Mason returns with his first entirely solo album. It’s a great improvement.

Pleasure Pressure Point is a determined attempt to fuse the elegant spaciness of Kraftwerk and early Detroit techno with clattering Eighties electro handclaps and some downright cheesy pop elements.

Generally it succeeds, and offers a stark alternative to the more traditional psychedelic rock performed by his ex-bandmates in the Aliens. Mason’s drowsy voice, maybe the nearest Britain has ever come to Beck Hansen, is as appealing as ever, sounding less incongruous here than on his last project. He may not have an obvious hit to offer and tracks such as Mute Me and Subfuge are silly rather than deep, and perhaps should have been left in the home studio.

But tunes such as Just Keep Walking, driven by a solid electro bassline, the simple, catchy It’s Real and the rather glorious, none-too-clever single Tak! Attack! are undeniably impressive. At its best this enjoyable, unassuming album is coherent enough to bear comparison to Hot Chip, the current daddies of this particular sub-genre.

(V2, TMS £9.99, call 0845 6026328)

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