Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions Review

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 11.19.2009

Scottish-three piece Biffy Clyro is back with its best album to date. The best thing to come out of Scotland since..., well, ever.



Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions
Review by Daniel Wilcox

Simon Neil – vocals, guitar
James Johnston – bass
Ben Johnston - drums

Track listing:
1. The Captain
2. That Golden Rule
3. Bubbles
4. God & Satan
5. Born On a Horse
6. Mountains
7. Shock Shock
8. Many of Horror
9. Booooom, Blast & Ruin
10. Know Your Quarry
11. Cloud of Stink
12. Whorses

Biffy Clyro is a band that has worked its way to the top, playing twice as many live shows than most bands two, releasing consistently good records and rewarding its ever-growing fan base in the process. 2007’s Puzzle was the record that saw them really breakthrough and gained them a wealth of new fans. This success was superseded by the release of “Mountains” last year, a stunning slice of prog rock and pop that reached the UK Top 5. The track was originally released as a non-album single, but such is its popularity that fans were clamouring for it to appear on the new record, and it has done. As for the new record itself? Well if Puzzle was the breakthrough record, this is undoubtedly the record that cements Biffy’s status as the best mainstream rock band in the UK, and one of the best in the world.

The band’s progress is demonstrated in the fact that the band has managed to get Josh Homme collaborating with them. The Queens of the Stone Age man provides some additional guitar work on the mammoth “Bubbles,” which serves as the last track of a blistering three-track opening that is stamped with Biffy’s signature sound. Opener “The Captain” is a swashbuckling bonanza of pomp, whilst “That Golden Rule” is a sickly sweet romp that climaxes with a fantastic minute-long orchestral outro.

“God & Satan” sees the band tone it down somewhat, with Simon Neil questioning faith but in a majestic way; “is this the pinnacle of being alive… well I look up to God but I see trouble ‘cause this ain’t a miracle.” Neil’s unmistakable Scottish tones are only emphasized in this more laid-back, stripped down setting and thus it only makes sense that some of the record’s most poignant lyrics are heard; “I talk to God as much as I talk to Satan because I want to hear both sides / Does that make me cynical?” Of course, the sheer bizarreness of “Born on a Horse” rivals this lyrical genius, with weird lines making for some thought-provoking lyrics; “I’ve never had a lover who’s my sister or my brother before.”

Despite all of these fantastic tracks, I’m still not sure that anything surpasses “Mountains,” which is simply Biffy at its best. More specifically, Simon Neil’s song writing ability is off the charts here. It’s a huge, anthemic track containing elements of progressive rock and more conventional pop rock. The hook is undeniable. From the very first piano notes, this song is stuck in your head. The lyrics are as intriguing as ever (“I took a bite out of a mountain range…”) and the vocals are flawless. The track just builds and builds to this huge crescendo of Neil crying magnificently, “I am a mountain! I am the sea!” It just doesn’t get any better.

But the hits keep coming on Only Revolutions. “Shock Shock” has more of those progressive elements, but what really stuck with me about this track is the chorus, and Neil’s alarming vocal of “I don’t even know what the fuck we’re arguing about.” It’s a passionate vocal no doubt, but the huge riff mid-song and thrashing drums keep up with it. “Many of Horror” is another more laid back, down-tempo track featuring amazing lyricism and crisp vocals, “When my back is turned / My bruises shine / Our broken fairytale / So hard to hide.”

“Booooom, Blast & Ruin” carries more of a punk-rock vibe but still features some great lyricism and a big chorus. It’s probably one of the weaker tracks on the album but still an enjoyable listen, which tells you just how good Only Revolutions really is. “Know Your Quarry” is another slower track, weaker than the other two would-be ballads but still a fun song. “Cloud of Stink,” though horribly titled, is an absolute riot and apart from “That Golden Rule,” is the track most reminiscent of the band’s debut album, the grungy Blackened Sky.

The album’s closing take, “Whorses,” appropriately enough is driven by some galloping drums and one of the best vocal performances on the record. The chorus too, is as massive as anything else on this record and could be another potential hit for the band. In fact, the track shows how the band has perfectly managed to reconcile its early, less-mainstream and more recent, poppier sound. This very much comes off as a natural progression, rather than a misguided attempt to increase their fan base with more pop-orientated songs.

Essential downloads: “The Captain,” “That Golden Rule,” “Bubbles,” “God & Satan,” “Born on a Horse,” “Mountains,” “Shock Shock,” “Many of Horror,” “Cloud of Stink” and “Whorses.”