None of their fans were particularly surprised when Biffy Clyro barrelled into the top slot on the album charts last year with Puzzle, but you can bet there was some head-scratching from puzzled record executives; they’re not what the majors usually consider to be “marketable product”. Which is another stick in the wigwam of reasons that the industry can’t seem to tie its own metaphorical shoes at the moment… but I digress. A number one album from Biffy Clyro – no surprise, then, that Beggars Banquet have decided to trundle out a compilation of their early singles.
Imaginatively titled Singles 2001-2005, it does exactly what it says on the tin – every single Biffy Clyro released during their tenure with Beggars is collected here, and assembled in straight chronological order without the intrusion of any celebrity remixes or other pointless extras. So kudos to Beggars for not falling into the “OMG exclusive DVD extras boxset!!!” trap - Biffy Clyro’s material doesn’t need that sort of embellishment. That said, whether anyone else’s material really needs it either is a subject for debate.
The question one must ask of a retrospective collection is: “who is this meant for?” Beggars are canny enough to know there’s little point in them pitching for the die-hard veterans of the Biffy Clyro army, who have probably got the vast majority of these singles already. No – Singles 2001-2005 is an invitation to the new disciples to investigate the roots of the band that recorded Puzzle. So how will it sound to them?
Put it this way - I don’t think it will come as a huge shock. The interesting thing about the chronological arrangement is that it lets you hear how a band’s sound developed over time, but the secret of Biffy Clyro’s success is that they’ve always sounded like themselves, if that makes any sense. That said, there is a definite progression from album openers “27″ and “Justboy” (which could be mistaken for Idlewild clones if heard in isolation) to the frantic schizoid jabber of “There’s No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake” and the anthemic post-hardcore epic of “Glitter and Trauma”. In an inversion of the usual route to commercial success and acclaim (and a stark contrast to the aforementioned Idlewild, for example) Biffy Clyro have become tougher, more angular and complex - perhaps even more metallic – as time has passed.
The constant is their ear for melody and hooks. Biffy Clyro songs always have at least one moment of crystalline pop genius somewhere within them – and often in the place you’d least expect them to appear, or in a form that doesn’t work on paper. When “Joy.Discovery.Invention” launches into huge chords after its gentle beginnings; the jagged discordant guitar hooks of “Toys Toys Toys Choke, Toys Toys Toys” (the first appearance on Singles 2001-2005 of the sound that many latecomers probably most associate with the Biffy); the break-neck chords of “Eradicate The Doubt”; the spine-tingling layered chorus outro of “My Recovery Injection”… none of this is pop by any conventional yardstick, but they all still seep irresistibly into your consciousness.
Of course, the track listing of Singles 2001-2005 is impossible to criticise by definition; they’re all here, after all. So the question becomes: “are Biffy Clyro’s early singles worth the time?” If you’re interested in music as a process rather than a product, the answer is definitely “yes”.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: alt-rock, alternative, Biffy Clyro, post-hardcore, Singles 2001-2005
