Biffier than thou

Last time we saw this Glasgow three piece, they were being tipped for great things but couldn’t sell out a phone box. Now, thanks to Kerrang and relentless touring, they have a top 30 single and this album could quite easily go top ten. Why?

Infinity Land
Glitter And Trauma
Strung To Your Ribcage
My Recovery Injection
Got Wrong
The Atrocity
Some Kind Of Wizard
Wave Upon Wave Upon Wave
Only One Word Comes To Mind
There’s No Such Man As Crasp
There’s No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake
The Kids From Kibble And The Fist Of Light
The Weapons Are Concealed
Pause It And Turn It Up
Out on Beggars Banquet
Rating: 8/10
Reviewer: Paul Clarke

Well, it’s partly the hard work but it’s also the fact they are a genuinely clever band who play with time changes and power chords as if they were rawk veterans.

The aforementioned hit single, Glitter and Trauma (number 21 pop pickers), sums them up with an unsettling squeaky electronic intro, big chords and Simon Neil’s wonderfully committed voice. Oh, and brothers James ands Ben Johnson are one hell of a rhythm section.

Forthcoming single My Recovery Injection is way more catchy and, on the back of their next tour, will definitely crash into the top 20. But at this heart of all this goodness is an odd schizophrenia. On one hand they are a competent rock band so you can see why Kerrang might rate them but they are also a wonderful indie band. In a way, that is where they score best.

The Atrocity is a new form that I dub neo-rock-emo and this semi-ballad has touches of very early REM, while Some Kind of Wizard is out and out emo, before they dip into dull rock with Wave Upon Wave Upon Wave.

The song that hints at greatness for the Biffy boys is the simply stunning There’s No Such Man As Crasp. Scary isn’t in it as Simon Neil puts down a spine tingling vocal only performance that is the best vocal performance I’ve heard this year. Truly beautiful.

Infinity Land is their breakthrough album and they are ready to take on the Lost Prophets as Britain’s best new rock act. But they could also take on the indie kids too. Maybe that is a weakness but on this showing it doesn’t matter. A quantum leap from the last time they appeared on record.