January 13, 2003
Blackened Sky Review - Popmatters
From:
BIFFY CLYRO
Blackened Sky
(Beggars Banquet)
US release date: 6 August 2002
UK release date: 11 March 2002
by Jason MacNeil
Biffy Clyro started out as a teenaged group in the mid-'90s in a small village in Scotland. Influenced by Nirvana and Guns 'N Roses V.1.0, the duo of Simon Neil and Ben Johnston discovered what a distortion pedal should and shouldn't do. Some university years ensued with studies concentrating around their music more than books, resulting in more ink and more coverage in the indie music scene. After being discovered at the annual T in the Park in 2000, Biffy Clyro honed their sound to include a lot of independent favorites like Fugazi and Aerogramme. Now with its debut effort out and still in their youthful twenties, the group has made a debut album that starts off as a cross between the pop hues of XTC and the bland jock rock of Nickelback. Confused? Well, you should and shouldn't be.
The leadoff song, "Joy.Discovery.Invention" has a lovable harmony between each of the three members, all of who sing lead. There is no buildup to what transpires though, a loud and brooding "nu-metal" sound that is a bit over the top. Taking it down a notch or four for the bridge, the group sounds like they're onto something, but get lost in some sonic sludge. It's a good song generally, but the dichotomy is far wider than imagined. "27" has a nice and melodic chord progression in the vein of current U2 while Simon Neil gives a very good performance. Possessing a deliberate building style, the guitars don't sucker punch the listener and are far better off for it. Keeping the guitars in for the remainder of the track, the band hits all cylinders and resembles musicians far older than their youth.
"Justboy" has an infectious Incubus-like pop rock groove that gains steam. A bland chorus has the sing-a-long effect in spades, but isn't the payoff one might anticipate. It grows on you though for an excellent homestretch. Biffy Clyro often aren't shy to take chances, thus the uneven quality to the record shines on the inane and heavy opening on "Kill the Old, Torture Their Young". Resembling the latter day Manic Street Preachers in its reflective mood, the band returns to a pensive and lightweight pop rock format. But the drums are heavy enough to hint at what's to evolve (devolve?). Beach Boy vocals behind a harder rock sound rarely work, and here is no different. After the five-minute mark, the song veers off into an interesting instrumental section. "The Go-Slow" is perfectly polished emo-punk a la Jimmy Eat World, demonstrating the band's myriad of influences. Although it's void of the hook like "The Middle" or "Sweetness", there is enough in the chorus to put it over the bar. "Christopher's River" is the record's highpoint, a gorgeous mix of melody and brawn that isn't overkill. The harmonies also add a lot of texture to the tracks.
"Convex, Concave" is a murky Pearl Jam attempt that speaks of innocence before moving into an almost elementary school tempo and formula. The drumming comes to the fore but for all of the wrong reasons, too dominant at times while too small in others. The guitar 90 seconds in save it temporarily but it goes off on a weird musical tangent. It also sounds like a phone is ringing in the distance, so be forewarned it isn't your own. Too grandiose and prog-rock, therefore resulting in its downfall. "57" brings Remy Zero to mind as well as the Goo Goo Dolls. "Hero Management" is a soft pop tune with a "woe is me" structure, a touch of alternative guitar that the Cure personified decades ago. Again there are brief moments of genius, particularly the middle instrumental portion, a blend of punk and rock progressions.
The last quarter of the record is a mishmash of various influences that shows the best and worse of the band. "Solution Devices" is again Linkin Park "nu metal" despite the Biffy Clyro bio stating they aren't "nu metal". "Stress on the Sky" is tidier in its production, pieces of Primus and Incubus melded with some blood-curdling wails that do little for the number. Biffy Clyro offer a little bit of something for everyone, which is something few acts are capable of. What this means for future projects and a loyal fan base is hard to determine. Generally a credible first step despite some lapses in judgement.
Posted by Chris at 02:54 PM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2002
Kill The Old, Torture Their Young
This will kill…
Open your head, turn your back away, from me
Sensations, collapse under broken hearts
When time’s like just when you fall asleep
And I thought to lose my way and glimmer and die
That’s just what I thought today
And I thought to lose my way and suffer and die
That’s just what I thought today
Where now, I'll get back, I'll get back, where now, I'll get back, I'll get back
(Where now, I'll get back, I'll get back) Something's wrong with us…
I'll get back…
Posted by Chris at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2002
Blackened Sky Review - MusicOMH
From: Music OMH
Ten long years ago, Nirvana bestrode the musical globe like a plaid shirted collussus clutching a battered guitar. Although it was all to end tragically, with a bagful of heroin and a shotgun, Kurt Cobain may take some solace in death in the amount of bands that Nirvana inspired. The Pixies may have mixed loud guitars with pure pop sensibility beforehand, but it was Nirvana that broke into the mainstream and paved the way for a bunch of kids to pick up a guitar and form a band. Biffy Clyro are one of those bands.
The Scottish three-piece have been creating increasing ripples of excitement in the music press with singles such as Justboy and 27, and great things are expected of Blackened Sky. It's certainly not an unqualified success, but in parts it does go some way to justifying one claim that they're the "most exciting new band in Britain".
The Nirvana legacy hangs heavy over Blackened Sky, from the "quiet verse - loud chorus - quiet verse" template to some anguished screaming on the fantasically titled Kill The Old, Torture Their Young. Sometimes it works brilliantly, as on the opening Joy Discovery Invention, while other tracks are not as successful, such as the rather run of the mill Solution Devices.
There is no lead frontman in Biffy Clyro - all three band members share the vocal duties. All three vocals are pretty similar though, so there is no disjointed feel to the album.
Rather bizarrely, some people have compared the band to Blink 182 and the wave of 'nu-metal' acts from across the Atlantic. This does Biffy Clyro a huge disservice, as their songs are more musically adventerous than the likes of Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park could dream of. The aforementioned Kill The Old... for example is six minutes of pure adreanlised confusion from the angst-filled screams of "Open your eyes...turn your back and run from me" at the start, to the slowed down tempo and harmonies later on.
If there is a problem with this album however, it's that the band sometimes lose the balance between light and shade. It's all very well having some very dark tracks with lovelorn lyrics, such as the excellent single 57, but it would be nice to balance this occassionally. Possibly the standout track on the album is the infectious Justboy which brings to mind the best moments of Buffalo Tom. More tracks like this and the closing Scary Mary would have transformed this album from a good one into a great one.
You get the impression listening to this album that Biffy Clyro are a fantastic live act, but an exhausting band to listen to in your living room. There's no sign of any kind of breakthrough song here, such as Feeder produced with last year's Buck Rogers, but if you take the time to explore this Blackened Sky you'll find a few shining stars worth exploring.
- John Murphy
Posted by Chris at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)
October 01, 2001
Justboy
Justboy single released today, on CD and 7" vinyl.
Justboy is the band's second single under Beggars Banquet , and is taken from the band's forthcoming album, Blackened Sky . This was one of the band's mainstays at the point it was released, and was supposedly seen as the lead track for the album, rather than the 'anthem in waiting' - 57.
Posted by Chris at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)