Biffy Clyro - 'Blackened Sky' (Beggars Banquet)
3/5
By: Toby L
Biffy Clyro. Now, if you're a regular reader of any music-magazine or website that contains gig-listings, then you should realise that this name appears vaguely familiar. Well, there is a reason for that. After all, BC have been playing the UK live-circuit for what seems like an eternity, and when they first burst out on to the scene, they came across as a - fair enough - promising new act. However, more currently, their live-set has seen critics leaving venues frothing at the mouth, declaring them to be potential saviours of rock. Therefore, it's only fitting that, with the release of their debut LP 'Blackened Sky', the band's never-ending support-slots and extreme touring appear to have paid off.
'Blackened Sky' evokes the feeling that you're hearing a greatly influenced act, whose insatiable knack for melody crossed with a scope for exploring different textures and harmonies creates a distinctive portrait of vivid and open-minded instrumentation. And if that last sentence means absolutely nothing to you, then let's just leave it at this album being quite extraordinary for an inaugural full-length release.
Where Biffy Clyro go right is through their immediate appeal: there are three frontmen. It's such a simple concept, and you'd be excused for anticipating it to be a gimmick rather than a substantial and informed decision, but it provides the LP with enough diversity to contend with anything some of the alt-world's dinosaurs have released in the last twelve months. Although it shouldn't be about competing, however, there is a great feeling that the band are being lined up for something special to happen; after all, the production-credits feature Paul Corkett (Placebo, Nick Cave, The Cooper Temple Clause), as well as Chris Sheldon (Foo Fighters, Idlewild, Feeder). Couple this with rave-reviews from the top publications and a deal on Beggar's Banquet, and the results are that it just all seems too perfect...
The record isn't as perfect, incidentally, but it is good all the same. Sure enough, original debut and former 'Single Of The Week' for UK magazine 'Kerrang', '27', is an immediate dosage of lo-fi indie genius, which prompts an explosion after a minute and a half into a roaring, shouting rock-anthem. Blimey. And the similarly-titled, '57' - their most recent single - maintains the same structure whilst still sounding wholly unique, much like 'Justboy'... Hmm, well, whilst some of their breath-taking 45's might be quite possessive of the same dynamics, the rest of the album is far more broadly written, blanketing so many guitar-orientated genres that it's a wonder it works as such a coherent piece of work.
'Kill The Old, Torture Their Young' - the title remarkably indicative of what you're letting yourself into - is startling: a relentless, immediate furore of sound that you just may find exasperatingly rasping out of your speakers, at least until it evolves into a sweet lullaby fit for music in an old-person's home. The Idlewild leanings of 'The Go-Slow', however, are even more unexpected, with riffs flailing around hopelessly in search of consistency, and it's when you finally reach the whole record's end - in the form of a mellow 'Scary Mary' - that you can truly sit back and appreciate the vision and heavy input that this record has received during its making.
Biffy Clyro are not yet the amazing band that they're being groomed to be, but that's why they're being groomed in the first place - for they possess the genuine ability and creative ideas that allow mere musicians to morph into rock-stars. Until that moment has a chance to arrive, though, for the meantime, what we're left with is a band that music-fans shan't be disappointed by.
Biffy Clyro. As we said at the start, make sure you keep that name in mind - for it's only going to representative of a band that are set to improve and rise in stature from this moment forth.
Artists in this article: Biffy Clyro
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