CD REIVEWS: Black Gold (No Style); KING BISCUIT TIME.

IN their heyday, eclectic Scottish indie-rockers The Beta Band were mentioned in the same breath as Oasis and Stone Roses, but then they lost their folk-hop balance and called it a day in 2004. Now frontman Steve Mason is back with a close musical cousin, taking in Jamaican dancehall beats, melodic melancholy and psychedelic folk. Opener CIAM15, with MC Topcat taking on Bush and Blair, packs a percussive punch and upcoming single Kwangchow is jaunty pop incarnate. Best, however, are the layered vocals of Impossible Ride and the harmonies of It's All Over, proving Mason has more than one trick up his sleeve. PC