Biffy Clyro Band • Page 2

got my advanced stream today. it's veeeeeery poppy and radio-friendly. sure, all their recent stuff is, but there's a ton of balladry and less bangers than their last couple of albums. "Small Wishes" will surely divide fans. all in all, expect a really fucking catchy pop rock album.

 

I'm imagining songs in the vein of "Pocket"?

 

hmm not quite. "Pocket" is very upbeat and bright, and i'd say there's nothing that bright here. there are more electronics and it's... overproduced? i don't hate the production but feels like there was a ton of work put into it.

i'm on my second listen now and having trouble making connections to their older stuff, haha. it feels very different for sure. will try to think of some comparisons to make.

a friend that was listening the first time with me said "Re-arrange" sounds like something Rod Stewart would do in 2016. it's a slow pop ballad with claps and "doo doo doo"s. "Herex" is "Accident Without Emergency" minus the very dramatic tones. "On a Bang" sounds kinda like "A Girl and His Cat" on the verses until the chorus kicks in and it's this huge angry thing. "Small Wishes" is a cute folk pop song that a ton of people are gonna hate.

 

I'm intrigued. Sounds like it might be very polarizing to longtime fans. I appreciate the fact that Biffy continues to try new things on every album.

 

yeah i interviewed Simon right after listening to it the first time and he mentioned how the last thing he wants the band to do is to accomodate themselves and "end up losing some of the magic." i completely agree and, while i would've probably liked Only Revolutions pt 2 more than this, it feels right to see them expand and become more accessible.

there's also an album full of b-sides (like Similarities and Lonely Revolutions) that's gonna be called just "..." or "Dot Dot Dot". dunno when it's gonna be out though, but i'm definitely very excited for this new chapter of the band. hope other fans can embrace it as well.

 

Wow, I really loved Similarities. Another b-side record would be awesome, maybe we'll get less radio-friendly/experimental tracks there. It's weird because they said they would do whatever they want with this album, and by that I thought they meant to be less poppy. So far Wolves of Winter or Animals do sound like big rock bangers with hints of progressive rock sound, and you say they also have more ballads and new stuff..
I like diversity on albums, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this

 

The closer this gets the more excited I am to hear the whole thing.

 

Biffy started getting bad at Only Revolutions. Most of that album is pretty crap. I really do enjoy Puzzle though, its IMO one of the best pop rock records of the 2000s. Got a vinyl copy at RSD last year.

 

New song "Medicine" is up. Nice little acoustic number.

I'll never understand how people thing this band became crap after "Puzzle". I think "Puzzle" is a masterpiece and everything after hasn't been to that level, but better than the first three and that's coming from somebody who saw them in a pub with 50 odd people during the Vertigo of Bliss era. Different tastes I guess!

 

New song 'Flammable'

 

I enjoy all their albums a lot, but there's a clear drop off in quality between the last two and the four that came before it for me. I love Puzzle a hell of a lot.

I'm excited about this one too, I think I'll avoid the two songs posted above and just wait for the full album in a few days.

 

It's probably an unpopular opinion, but I like Opposites more than I like their first two albums. However, I consider Puzzle and Infinity Land their best efforts. I really enjoy Only Revolutions as a whole too. They don't have one album that I would say is bad.

I'm excited for the new album, but I don't have high expectations. Still, I'm sure there are a few gems that we haven't heard yet.

 

I'm really looking forward to this now as it moves closer. Loving the three tracks out there, even if it's not the same as their first few albums they are still one of the best bands out there making this kind of music.

 

This album's definitely going to split people; it already seems to be doing so, especially with the use of the studio and the production.

I don't think they've quite pulled it off I'm afraid. The choruses aren't anywhere near as big and memorable, which is an issue, and they haven't nailed the balance between the electronic/production elements and the 'punch' that they obviously want to keep. I think part of the problem is that Simon's voice is so distinct that they absolutely cannot afford to bury it in the mix and that sadly leaves less room for the other elements. The chorus of Herex for example doesn't have as much raw punch as it should have in my opinion, I imagine because they wanted to to fit the electronic/atmospheric stuff in the background. On People, there's a disconnect between the intimacy of Simon's voice/acoustic guitar at the front of the mix and the atmospheric elements in the background; in the end it doesn't really go for big or small and like a number of the other songs on the album, it feels like something's being compromised.

I still think this is a good album. I really like Wolves Of Winter, Friends And Enemies and On A Bang and there's some other solid tracks as well but I don't think it quite lives up to Biffy's high standards.

 

Well I'm about half way through my first listen and it hasn't grabbed me at all. Pretty disappointed, I was really looking forward to this record. I'll give it a few more chances obviously but it's not looking good.

 

Not a big fan of Small Wishes, Re-Arrange is okay, love the rest.

 

Well I liked this. Agree with the over-produced elements that surround this album, but I guess that was expected from the direction they were heading. The rock songs, besides Wolves and Animal Style, don't sound as powerful, but the laid back/acoustic tracks are pretty cool (Small Wishes was weird haha) and as I said, I enjoy diversity on albums, so it's a good variety of songs. I expected a lot more of progressive/huge guitar riffs rock tracks, tho.

Only Revolutions and Opposites (even better, Similarities) surpass this by far, they're a cool mix of their old style and rock-friendly oriented sound with production on point.

 

After one listen, this is going to have to grow on me. Good on them for changing things up. Gotta let this one sit with me over the weekend.

 

They have digressed so much since Puzzle. What a bloody shame. I grew up listening to these guys.

 

Was expecting something heavier this time around based on Simon Neil's comments. In the Name of the Wee Man is the highlight for me, and is one of my favourite songs that they have done in years. Glad to see they have announced a b-side album again because Similarities and Lonely Revolutions are better than their A-side counterparts. Overall a decent album, but songs like Flammable and Howl seem awfully generic to me and I feel like I've heard them in previous albums.

 

I must say that even though I'm a bit disappointed with this album, I love Friends and Enemies. Like, a lot.

 

Saw them tonight, and they were absolutely unbelievable. I hadn't seen them live since like 2013 and they were just so fucking good, just so dynamic and energetic.

Setlist was understanably catered towards the newer stuff, but they did play Justboy, which was special. I used to see them live a decade or so ago, playing these shithole venues, so seeing them play Justboy in an arena felt really good.

They're the best.

 

Both Brand New and Biffy were incredible in London tonight. We got 57 rather than Just boy other than that I think it was the same set list as the rest of the shows. I managed to get to the second row for the whole thing soni had such an awesome view. I was pretty lukewarm to the new album (bar a couple of tracks) but the new material they played live sounded a lot heavier, On a Bang is an absolute belter live.

Here's Folding Stars which I filmed

 

Minorly interesting thing I found out today from reading the lyric book; Flammable was co-written with Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol.