Biffy Clyro have consistently put out decent records since their 2002 debut, even though they only really touched greatness with the consecutive releases of Puzzle and Only Revolutions in the late 2000s. A Celebration Of Endings very much follows in that path, being another really solid, enjoyable record of Biffy doing what Biffy do. It's completely what you would expect from a Biffy record, but it's still a great time regardless.
I was initially a little worried as two of the four teaser singles really didn't do anything for me at all. These two tracks, Instant History and Tiny Indoor Fireworks, felt like the band had succumbed to the most tired of pop rock tropes; which I didn't get as the band have done pop rock brilliantly in the past (tracks like Howl and Bubbles just to name a couple). Instant History comes straight out of that Imagine Dragons style of faux-epic, genreless nothing music and I have no idea why the band decided to try and make a song like this. It's not the worst that this type of music has to offer, but it's a really bland and simple song that has no depth at all. The guitars are mixed slightly higher on the album version which makes the track slightly better I guess. Tiny Indoor Fireworks sounds like 2000s power pop perfect for a trashy teen movie, and the tune at the core of it is pretty decent; but the track is plastered with these garish, annoying whoops and heys and it completely overwhelms any of the good elements of the track.
The other two teasers, on the other hand, are the best tracks on the record. Weird Leisure is classic Biffy, being a super heavy and off kilter but also super melodic and anthemic at the same time. The verses have this massive syncopation in the time signature which give the song a really ear-grabbing bounce to it. The song is about one of singer Simon Neil's friend's cocaine addiction, and has some really scathing yet honest lyrics in it. "You focus on others and just pick apart their dreams / It's fucking mean" is one of the most brutal. Yet the song comes full circle, detailing that this guy recovered and elaborating that Simon (or anyone else) could easily fall into the same trap. End Of is straight up, simple post-hardcore thrashing and it is so cathartic and relentless - it's great. The track details the fractured relationship between the band and someone they used to work with, and just doesn't hold back lyrically or sonically.
The opening and closing tracks are also high points on the record. North Of No South, the opener, gives a uniquely Scottish perspective on the UK leaving the EU. "You had a choice and you chose to believe it" Simon anthemically howls over loud triumphant guitars and soaring backing vocals. Cop Syrup is the heaviest and least 'pop' song here. Simon literally screams "fuck everybody, wooo!" over and over, on top of super heavy instrumentation. But in the middle of the track there is an extended orchestral section that sounds really great. The song closes out the record at its most massive and epic. The Pink Limit is also a pretty good track on the record. It has a manic energy to it as the band just go wild. The drumming on the track is thunderous, and the guitars are hectic and sporadic.
The other tracks on the record aren't that bad in comparison to the best moments, but generally follow the Biffy formula to varying results. The Champ has a kitchen sink mentality which means it never really settles. It starts as a dramatic piano and strings type song, before shifting into a more standard pop rock sound from the second verse. Then there's an emo-ish downtuned bridge that comes completely out of nowhere and then its back to the pop rock for the climax of the song. Its very all over the place. Opaque tackles the theme of betrayal by a close friend much like End Of, although in the form of a slow acoustic song. It's a very genuine and sincere song, but sounds exactly like slow acoustic songs in the band's back catalogue. If you've heard Machines, you've heard this. Worst Type Of Best Possible sounds straight out of Puzzle, although doesn't quite stack up to the songs on that album in terms of quality. It's a fine song, but one we've heard Biffy do better before. The last track to mention is Space, which is the most run of the mill alt-rock, string laden, power ballad. It's inoffensive but completely uninteresting to me.
A Celebration Of Endings is another solid album from Biffy. It's not their strongest offering, but the fact that no other band really sounds like them means it's still really enjoyable to me. Aside from a couple of hiccups, it's just Biffy doing what Biffy do, and it still works.
Top Tracks: North Of No South, Weird Leisure, End Of, The Pinkest Limit, Cop Syrup
7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment