Only Revolutions [CD]

It is no secret that a lot of Biffy Clyro's longer-serving fans are disillusioned with the direction the band are taking. A move towards the mainsteam has seen them start to produce more polished, rounded recordings, compared to the heavy, angst-filled grunge that they wrote and performed so explosively on their debut album, 'Blackened Sky'.

Their musical journey has seen them grace aspects of prog, metal, and the brand of pre-emo which Pearl Jam and Weezer accomplished before them. Throughout their career as musicians, Biffy's creativity has to be their most delightful attribute. The time changes and instrumental fills, as well as the majestic and sometimes outrageous lyrics that grace 'Blackened Sky', 'The Vertigo of Bliss' and 'Infinity Land' make for genuinely interesting and thrilling music.

With 'Puzzle' came a sound more suited to, for want of a better word, 'pop'. Biffy had finally hit the mainstream, and to some extent, following the progression of their earlier albums, this was a natural move. 'Puzzle' blended the band's thirst for new ideas and concepts with frontman Simon Neil's grief and apathy following his mother's death, with a smoother sound which the band hadn't looked to release before.

With 'Only Revolutions' comes the band's triumphant proclamation that they have made it big on the rock scene. This album is packed full of massive songs, with huge choruses and heart-felt lyrics. It bleeds power and emotion from start to finish. Almost every song is anthemic in terms of content and quality. As a fan of Biffy's older material as well as their new, this album is just as good as any of the others- it is just different to how they began. And what is wrong with that? After all, there would be no point recording the same music over and over again.

'Only Revolutions' is the finished concoction of Biffy's trademark big choruses and heavy guitar riffs, with orchestral sections for an added dimension on a number of tracks- as used to great effect on 'Living is a problem' and '9/15ths' on 'Puzzle'- and a mainstream accessibility which is hard to pin down. It isn't the absence of irregular time signatures- 'Cloud of Stink' and 'Whorses' provide these in seemless fashion. It isn't the absence of powerful, dirty guitars- an immense instrumental section on 'Bubbles', which features Josh Homme, is testament enough to this, or indeed the thought-provoking lyrics, which are everywhere- 'Many Of Horror', one of the most poignant tracks on the album, being a prime example. Perhaps it is just an awareness that now the band are writing for the fans, rather than the relatioship being the other way round, with the fans being written as a result of the music.

Make no mistake, this is a superb album. A combination of brilliantly written songs, complete with heavy instrumental sections and pieces of melodic and lyrical genius (such as the beautiful 'God And Satan' deomonstrates), this album will appeal to any fan of rock music. The band's famed quirkiness and innovation (the irresistibly eccentric 'Born On A Horse') are there, as are the ingredients of any other memorable rock album.

Practically every song on the album could be a potential single release, such is the strength of each as an individual piece. However, this is perhaps a case of the album's strength being its weakness. It doesn't flow in the same what that 'Puzzle' or 'The Vertigo Of Bliss' does. 'Only Revolutions' is, perhaps, a collection of songs, rather than an album.

That said, it is a collection of exceptionally good songs. Loud, quiet, heavy, soft, love, anger- it is all there. Whether it is the pulsating instrumental breakdown in 'That Golden Rule', or the arms-in-the-air anthem that is 'Mountains', 'Only Revolutions' does fulfil almost every hope and expectation for such an album- except, maybe, the desires of the band's original fans. This is indeed a revolution: and it sure is a good one.

Now I'm going to try and review this album in isolation. This is going to be really hard because I've been a fan of the Biffy for a long, long time and my internal fanboy is screaming to slate certain parts of this album, but I will resist until later.

This a strong rock album; much better than a lot of the dross that is currently circulating the Chart toilet bowl. It has catchy sing-a-long choruses and well written, memorable songs. As a snapshot of modern rock it's brilliant and shows that there can be still very eclectic side to rock music. This album firmly shows two fingers to all the Sassenach indie bands that are constantly farted out on Radio 1 playlists. For general fans of pop/rock music this is excellent and I fully recommend that you buy it if you're looking for something different.

Now for the fanboy review....
If you're looking for old Biffy then you're not going to find it here. This band has changed greatly since their first three albums. This radio friendly, slickly produced album continues and enlarges what Puzzle started with tracks like The Captain and Mountains being instant radio hits. If you're very open minded about this then you will be able to appreciate what's on here, but don't think you're going to get much of what was on Blackened Sky, The Vertigo of Bliss and Infinity Land. Admittedly, Biffy Clyro were a niche band; they had a small following and a very, very alternative sound, so this is them trying to broaden their appeal. It will not sit well with some of the old fans, but personally I can appreciate what they're trying to do. It's not my favourite album by a long shot, but it does show originality and spirit that is sadly lacking in current popular rock music.

I have to agree with Teresa Brown's review above Biffy certainly are back and in full force! if you've bought the previous albums, and loved them, you won't be disappointed with this one. From the epic The Golden Rule to the sweet rhythmic sounds of Bubbles - a real winner.

If you've never bought a Biffy album before, then really you could pick any of them and you'd fall in love with Biffy. With this one you get a lovely little DVD, which shows Biffy in California making the album. Involves them recording, messing about, swearing (a lot) and walking around topless - always a pleaser for me!

The songs don't need to grow on you, they hit the mark first time. But, hey I'm biased, I love Biffy. Now do yourself a favour and buy the album!