Only Revolutions review

I thought I'd throw some new artists into the mix, so I've got a lot of new album reviews coming up. This is the 5th album by Biffy Clyro. I didn't know who they were until I saw them live in Portugal, but they were great live. Some of their most famous songs- and a lot of the ones they performed in Portugal- are on here.

Tracks:

1. The Captain: 8/10 a rousing and enormously catchy- if corny- tune with a brilliant pre-chorus of 'Whoa's.

2. That Golden Rule: 8/10 a confusing but punchy and enjoyably heavy second track.

3. Bubbles: 9/10 a fantastic and truly electrifying tune, this is one of the best rock songs of the 2000s that I've heard.

4. God & Satan: 9/10 it may be a quieter one, but lyrically it's probably the best on the album and it speaks louder than most of the heavier songs. A great song.

5. Born on a Horse: 8/10 this one shows variety in the music and it's also very catchy.

6. Mountains: 8/10 a good one, although overly commercial and probably the weakest one yet.

7. Shock Shock: 7/10 this one feels phoned-in, but only very slightly. It's still a solidly enjoyable banger.

8. Many of Horror (When We Collide): 8/10 the most famous song on the album is actually one of the best, as it manages to mix its commercial feel with genuine artistry pretty well.

9. Booooom, Blast & Ruin: 8/10 with a great title and catchy tune, this is a triumphant late album track.

10. Cloud of Stink: 7/10 a bit noisy and generic, but still enjoyable.

11. Know Your Quarry: 6/10 a pretty average one, though not devoid of catchiness.

12. Whorses: 6/10 a mostly good album finishes on a technically decent but disappointingly mediocre note.

Best song: Bubbles
Worst song: Know Your Quary

Summary: In no way are Biffy Clyro a phenomenal band, but they can be very good. This is a fairly commercial album in many ways, but that's not really a bad thing. There are some excellent songs in the first half which mix heaviness and artistry very well. The second half goes downhill a bit but it does have Many of Horror. This is an impressive, punchy and charismatic rock record which fully succeeds in being entertaining and occasionally in provoking thought as well. There are some really good songs here, and tracks such as Many of Horror, The Captain and particularly Bubbles were brilliant live.



Final rating: 8/10