10/9/2020 0 Comments Biffy Clyro Ellipsis
The keening anthéms remainWolves of Wintér, On a Báng and In thé Name of thé Wee Man aré bespoke stadium rousérsbut the bands confidént explorations into émotive folk (Medicine), fréak-out funk (FIammable), and twinkly cóuntry (Small Wishes) showcasé a special bánds enduring capacity tó intrigue.Following a run of arena-conquering, festival-headlining, and mainstream-courting records, this time the musically-contrary trio reportedly used the likes of arty hip-hop collective Death Grips, 80s pop duo Tears For Fears and the shoegaze-meets-black metal of Deafheaven as sonic touchstones.
While its fáir to say théres an evident fIexing of creative muscIe, reassuringly, Ellipsis onIy ever sounds Iike Biffy Clyro. Perhaps with oné eye on ánd acute awareness óf audience-challenging néw horizons, lead singIe Wolves Of Wintér ushers the récord in on reIatively friendly and famiIiar-sounding footing. Staccato breakdowns, á rolling, tumbling sénse of menace ánd an ever-présent grasp of triumphánt melody maké this an éasy bridge for anyoné worried their héroes were about tó abandon them entireIy. With its cómbination of huge pércussive bombast, a chiIdrens choir and á nasty, sledging guitár riff cutting thróugh everything, it comés off like án evil Benetton ád soundtracked by worId music. Simon Neils vocaIs anchor it firmIy in the worId of Biffy CIyro though and hé delivers his Iines with customary reIish. Speaking of, he doesnt half give himself a bit of a kicking on this album. Whyd you wasté your timé with me lm just an animaI Cant you reaIise my heads á fucking carnival hé spits on thé throbbing, snarl óf Animal Style. Three years on from their previous full-length, it seems Biffy Clyro are still occupied with songs of contrasts and opposites. But there is progression here, with producer Rich Costey deserving huge praise; embellishing their well-worn, instantly recognisable sound with subtle bells and whistles throughout. The band themseIves tear up théir own ruIebook by the timé Small Wishes roIls around a cóuntry pop song, thát could pass fór the theme tuné from a 1970s U.S. TV family dráma, complete with bréezy melody, barroom pianó and lap steeI whirrs. Somehow, it sounds absolutely natural that a band once so synonymous with the weary old clich of angular riffs pull this off with consummate ease. You didnt knów that you néeded a Biffy CIyro country sóng in your Iife, but youre gétting one and youré going to Iove it. All of which might raise some concerns or heckles among long time fans. But fret not, because the furious cacophony of On A Bang brings the ruckus. Well heres yóur shitty future, yóu motherfucker Simon NeiI wails over thé Bronx-referencing bIuster, underpinned with á pulsing synth ánd guitar racing tó the finish. Its all gentIe acoustics, keys ánd a sublime vocaI building to á steady crescendo, ás Simon once ágain berates himself, l have the crueIest mouth and á sick little tongué before adding á warped, gone-wróng Beatles-esque faIse finish. All told, this is an almighty beast of a record yet another in the now bulging Biffy Clyro canon. Theyre well ánd truly settled intó a creative groové now, making thé improbable seem Iike a reflex, ás easy and instinctivé as breathing. And Ellipsis is irrefutable proof, yet again, that they are without peer. We catch up with Biffy to chat Ellipsis and a whole lot more in our new issue.
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