There is a temptation here to present Ra Ra Riot as some kind of intellectual pop hothouse of futuristic ideas, discussing the artificial intelligence predictions of Ray Kurzweil and the sci-fi futurist writings of William Gibson while riding from gig to gig in the tour bus. “It has happened,” says violinist Rebecca Zeller. “Probably more in the van than in the bus.”

To be sure, Kurzweil and Gibson can be found in Ra Ra Riot’s new album, Beta Love. Their writings on cyberspace and life-enhancement technologies inspired the band’s lead singer and lyricist, Wes Miles. Although Zeller downplays this cosmic content. “I’m not quite sure we’re trying to project anything,” she says. “We’re just trying to make music, make a living. The themes behind the lyrics, it’s not like we all sit around and plot what the record lyrically will be.” […]