Artist: Biffy Clyro
Release: Opposites
Discogs: 4110832
Released: 2013-01-28
Label: 14th Floor Records
Catalog#: 0825646550371 / 0825646550371
Format: Box Set, Limited Edition
Country: UK
Style: Rock, 

Tracklisting:

A1 / CD1-1. Stingin' Belle
A2 / CD1-2. Sounds Like Balloons
A3 / CD1-3. Biblical
A4 / CD1-4. The Joke's On Us
A5 / CD1-5. Black Chandelier
B1 / CD1-6. A Girl And His Cat
B2 / CD1-7. Opposite
B3 / CD1-8. The Fog
B4 / CD1-9. Little Hospitals
B5 / CD1-10. The Thaw
C1 / CD2-1. Different People
C2 / CD2-2. Modern Magic Formula
C3 / CD2-3. Spanish Radio
C4 / CD2-4. Victory Over The Sun
C5 / CD2-5. Pocket
D1 / CD2-6. Trumpet Or Tap
D2 / CD2-7. Skylight
D3 / CD2-8. Accident Without Emergency
D4 / CD2-9. Woo Woo
D5 / CD2-10. Picture A Knife Fight

For a scene repeatedly declared dead, rock still declines to lie down and be counted out. Scottish trio Biffy Clyro have been around for over a decade, slowly shifting from abstruse metal-flavoured prog punk to sleek arena anthems. Yet apparently poised for a major commercial breakthrough, they have opted to toss all their eggs in one great big basket, concocting that most unwieldy of old school rock formats, the double album.
Opposites presents two sides, 20 tracks and 78 minutes of loud, proud, in-your-face pop rock. I am not quite sure what the title represents because both sides are so much the same as to be virtually indistinguishable. Biffy don’t have the swaggering adventurousness of Muse or the arty pretensions of Coldplay but they’ve certainly got something. Every song punches its weight in terms of dynamics, energy and melody, adding up to a sleek anthemic rock positioned between the soft centre of Snow Patrol and the dark heart of Nirvana, with an underpinning of Celtic guitar riffing. It’s extremely effective yet there is something punishingly relentless about being hammered with the same blows over and over again. I am really not sure what Biffy hoped to say to listeners over 20 tracks that couldn’t have been said more effectively over 10. But then, I’m really not sure what Biffy are trying to say at all.
Vocalist, guitarist and principle songwriter Simon Neil hails from the poetic non-sequitur school of lyrics yet is blessed with the kind of raw yet tender voice that can wring improbable drama out of lines like “Where are you at?/ Is it trumpet or tap?/ Are you glued to the wall by this terrible snap?” What’s that all about? Yet somehow Trumpet or Tap is fantastically compelling, with a lean, syncopated verse peppered with cheeky backing vocals surging up to a fuzzy rock singalong chorus.
The album is chock full of this stuff and it is hard not to admire the band’s ambition and chutzpah. The problem is it doesn’t leave you longing for more, or pull you back in to savour a favourite moment. If you’re already a Biffy Clyro fan, Opposites might be your idea of a masterpiece. If you’re new to Biffy, it’ll just give you a headache
 
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