Review: Biffy Clyro - Opposites

Biffy Clyro – Opposites

It seems impossible that Biffy Clyro continue to go from strength to strength. Everything released prior to 2007’s Puzzle, their first when signed to Warner-owned label 14^th Floor, proved what kind of band they are: an extremely talented, creative and above all unique one. And this followed on when Puzzle was released in ’07, and even more so with the masterpiece that is Only Revolutions from 2009. So it’s fair to say that great things are expected from all kinds of music fans from the highly anticipated new double album Opposites. The Scottish maestros have also recently embarked on a tour across the UK’s major arenas, and will be headlining Reading & Leeds Festival this summer (which they have played many times in the past), so they’ve evidently come a long way from playing in small smoky Glasgow pubs all those years ago. As I said earlier, Biffy Clyro have gone from strength to strength indeed.

The new record is divided in two separate albums, under the sub-headings The Sand at the Core of Our Bones and The Land at the End of Our Toes. This is cleverly worked in to one of the songs on the first album, named “Sounds Like Balloons” in which Simon Neil screams out “The land at the end of our toes goes on and on and on and on, the sand at the core of our bones continues on.” The opening track “Different People” begins with a slow, slightly electronic build-up before breaking into the melodic, metal-influenced rock that has given Biffy Clyro their name as one of the most acclaimed rock bands in Britain over the last 10 years. The key single to be released from this new album, “Black Chandelier” is something of a ballad with the typical death-induced and dark lyricism present.

The remainder of The Sand at the Core of Our Bones is a fantastic work of art. Every song has its own unique selling point, if you will. No two songs sound the same. One track will be a metal-influenced, all action rock anthem, and the next a slow, acoustic ballad, and then some in between. Lyrically, it’s highly poetic and very well written. In terms of lyrical song-writing, one track that particularly stood out to me was “The Joke’s On Us”, which questions whether humans were placed on Earth after being saved by God or if he placed us there as a practical joke. Poetically, the song “Biblical” (also released as a single) works well with the lyrics: “You gave me magical, I gave you wonderful, let’s make this biblical and hang from our invisible chords.” Elsewhere, I really enjoyed the guitar work on a number of songs, namely “Different People” and “Little Hospitals”. Yep, they’ve done it again. The Sand at the Core of Our Bones is a little bit more of what made Biffy awesome in the past. You could say that they’ve taken more of a pop-influenced turn than before, with the word “baby” being used in a lot of the songs and being the first word sang in the opening track, but it definitely works. There’s something great about this side.

Sadly, I didn’t get the same vibe from the second album, The Land at the End of Our Toes. “Stingin’ Belle” is the opening track, and the only song I’d previously heard before listening to this record in its entirety. I wasn’t keen at first. I found the song, for lack of a better description, a little boring. However, on a second listen I enjoyed the guitar work and composition, and decided that this was a song I liked. I was a little let down, however, from what I heard on the remainder of the album. I could be wrong, but it seemed like this side had a lot less passion put into it than the first. It felt like the majority of the songs recorded were fillers: add-ons to complete the record and make a full album. The song “Victory Over the Sun”, however, was one that really stood out as a work of poetic art. It’s enticing from the start, as Neil sings “Trees will speak before you listen”, which instantly makes one think about the meaning this song might hold. There’s something really great about this track, which I unfortunately didn’t seem to pick up on any other on this side, and as previously stated, most of the songs seemed like fillers.

I could put it down to human error, not listening to the whole double-sided record properly, but I definitely preferred the songs available on The Sand at the End of Our Bones to those on The Land at the End of Our Toes. Biffy Clyro have, however, made available a compressed version of the album. I may have to listen to this in order to gain more of an appreciation for the second side. I’m not saying this is a bad record, by any stretch of the imagination. Christ, compared to the latest material from bands like All Time Low and Green Day (two bands I previously really enjoyed), it’s an absolute godsend. So, to sum up the sort of record Opposites is, it certainly is a good album, it’s just not Only Revolutions or Puzzle.

Album rating: 3/5