Biffy Clyro - 'Many Of Horror (When We Collide)'
As any teacher of the English language will be quick to point out, words are important. And this holds true even in the upsy-turvy world of pop music. Granted, they're not the only thing that matter in a decent song - you can probably whip up an amazing playlist of songs which do not rely on lyrical brilliance in a hot minute, and if you don't, I will - but a nicely-turned phrase in a song is not to be treated lightly.
In some cases, words can be the only thing that separates the maudlin and the mushy from the beautiful and touching. And this is an excellent example.
(. Because Biffy are worth it.)
Verse one, line one...
"You say 'I love you boy', I know you lie
I trust you all the same, I don't know why"
Well, I dunno about you, but as far as I'm concerned the rest of the song could be a double-speed mash-up of Basshunter's greatest hits with a loop of Sean Kingston singing "bum bum bum, look at my bum bum bum" over the top, through a mouthful of cotton-wool and autotuned to hell and back, and it would still be worth it.
As it happens the rest of the song doesn't quite match up to such an arresting opener, but it's not all Biffy's fault. 'Many Of Horror' has a slight touch of the Epic Rock Ballad disease that a lot of bands catch, where they attempt to re-write the chorus to Blur's 'The Universal', with full orchestral accompaniment and the wild desert wind in their hair.
It's a noble ambition, but one which sometimes brings back less than astonishing results. Frankly, I blame the bands who don't do it very well, and the TV dramas that support those bands - we don't have to go over the list again, do we? - for spoiling a perfectly good idea.
In the end, it's really the things that only Biffy can do - Simon's accent and voice in general, the skew-whiff guitars, the folky twists in the middle eight - which lift this from the workaday into the astonishing.
OK, so they don't get very FAR into the astonishing, this time around, but they're pretty damn close, and it's their words which fuelled the rocket.
Download: Out now
CD Released: January 18th
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(Fraser McAlpine)
Comment number 1.
At 12th Jan 2010, flatknees wrote:i loved puzzle but when i first heard golden rule i wasnt a fan at all.. i felt it was too obvious.. the captain not much better.. but recently i listened to the album a couple of times and now im hooked on it.. this is a pretty good track but i thought the next single would be bubbles or born on a horse, great tunes.
just shows you should always give things a second chance i guess.
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Comment number 2.
At 12th Jan 2010, harrythedog10 wrote:Really like this song, it has a massive commercial edge but doesn't feel like they're 'selling out'. Then again what can I say, I've only paid attention to Biffy since Puzzle so I'm not a die hard fan.
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Comment number 3.
At 12th Jan 2010, DanRhyn wrote:I think I am a "die-hard fan", I first saw Biffy in 2003 and what drew me to the band originally was the way they mixed their unusual time signatures, bizarre song structures and occasional screaming with a good sense of pop; some big choruses, great melodies and memorable lyrics.
With the last two albums they've certainly taken huge steps with the pop aspect of their sound, and this song is one of several which prove that, but that's no bad thing and their albums retain enough of their own individuality to (hopefully) appeal to all of their many fans.
Bands need to evolve their sound over time to stay relevant and stay interesting, and Biffy are doing that perfectly, Only Revolutions is a fantastic album and I for one can't wait to hear what they do next.
Mon the Biff, as they say.
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Comment number 4.
At 12th Jan 2010, BloggingLiam wrote:When I saw a Biffy song review as the latest on here, I was shocked. This song has been around for what feels like FOREVER. Won't chart well as a result. Infact I've heard it so much Im kinda bored of it now.
Not a massive Biffy fan. I never got into their earlier (according to music snobs much better) stuff, only started listening when they released Puzzle. They are good, but I'm not that fussed.
I did like this song 3 months ago though.
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Comment number 5.
At 13th Jan 2010, spirit wrote:I quite like this song , but I absolutely LOVED Captain .
Biffy and their management ,and everyone at Warner Brothers and 14th Floor Records wanted to see me in the video for Captain , being whipped on a boat and crying out in pain , for the duration of the song.
It was a polite no.
Simon looks far better bare chested , than I do anyway .
I also had the impression , that they would have wanted at least a hundred takes until they were happy with my performance too !
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Comment number 6.
At 13th Jan 2010, jonesybcfc wrote:My life has not been affected in any way previously by Biffy Clyro, but i like this.
However i do have a self-confessed obsession for big choruses. I LOVE The Universal, and proof that a chorus can make a song even with crap verses, i LOVE Stop Crying Your Heart Out - Oasis
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Comment number 7.
At 14th Jan 2010, CurtainJerker wrote:Stop Crying Your Heart Out is an extremely washed-out retread of Slide Away, which is amazing.
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