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Thursday 24 December 2009

Best Of 2009 - #8


Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions
9/10

I cannot call myself a proper Biffy Clyro fan, as I am not too keen on their first three albums, but their fourth attempt (Puzzle) and this new one have blown me away. The Captain opens the album fantastically, as guitar meets brass band to create an odd new sound. That Golden Rule is one of the best here, especially when it turns into a massive instrumental at the end. Bubbles deserves to be a single, with its catchy guitar riff, and when the solo comes in, it's awesome.
My first thought about God & Satan was that it sounded a lot like Machines from their last album. Except I prefer this one. A much quieter tune compared to the first three, but good nonetheless. Born On A Horse is the oddest song on this relatively inconsistent album, but still is very catchy. Mountains, the band's single from summer 2008, turns up here, and manages to fit nicely in, with its anthemic chorus "I am the mountain! I am the sea! You can't take that away from me!"
Then we move into the second half of the album. Shock Shock starts off with the lyric "Well you scratch and you scratch, til your face comes away..." which is an interesting choice for the opening lyric. But that aside, this one has a chorus that'll have you singing along, and the guitar riffs in here are fantastic. Many of Horror comes next, and is not the one I would have chosen for the next single. It's a slow song that slowly builds up, and when it gets there, it sounds magnificent and can pack a powerful emotional punch towards the end. Then we come to Booooom. Blast & Ruin, my least favourite on the album. It's a fast, guitar-driven affair with a catchy chorus, but parts of it just don't get to me like the rest of the songs do.
Cloud Of Stink is led by fast-paced drums before a powerful guitar riff smashes its way into the song. This is a very fast song and is also one of the best. Know Your Quarry is a slower one, with the great chorus "Because tonight, we raise this sun, and we shine it over everyone.." Fantastic stuff. Whorses is the final track, and builds up slowly. The best bit is when the drums come in. And when you think it's over, they come back for one final chorus before the song fades away.
Overall, brilliant. A few minor problems for me here and there make me give this album a 9/10, but it's brilliant nonetheless.

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