Drums

Week Thirty-Four: Biffy Clyro- a Celebration of Endings

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Upon doing my research, I was astonished to discover that the band from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, has been around since 1995, with their debut album “Blackened Sky” released in 2002. I didn’t know of them when the 2008 single “Mountains” was their first to break into the top ten of the singles chart. I only started to know of them after their 2009 album “Only Revolutions” and singles called “Many of Horror” and “the Captain”. Indeed, I was taking my mind off a particular personal matter and helping out a mate DJing and going clubbing, and Biffy Clyro was played almost anywhere I went back in 2010. They have constantly reminded me of A Day to Remember and Alkaline Trio, albeit with an American sound mixed with original Scottish vocals. Since then, their stock has risen, and they are regulars on the festival scene.

This is their ninth studio album, and they were only well-known in the mainstream after 2008. When you listen to this record, you can recognise straight away that you are listening to Biffy, albeit they have given new hope to budding musicians (Especially guitarists and guitar bands.) to show that guitar music is still alive and, therefore, will encourage people to play the instrument still. They have decided to go experimental, too, which is always a good idea for music; it’s always good to freshen up your ideas and sounds. “Celebration” is a testament to that. I never have and never will believe that guitar-based music is dead. From what I see and hear upon discovering new music, it tells a very different story to what the critics have you believe.

“North of No South” opens the album and is gargantuan in sound. It starts with a ferocious tempo that, for the majority of the record, features heavily with crashing drums, rapid guitar riffs, dramatic orchestral sounds, and angelic choirs. “The Champ” is the only reflective moment with this fable of a relationship falling apart wrapped around a piano ballad, and “Space”, which you can see is the moment the phones are held aloft when the band finally get to tour this album to an audience in packed out arenas, stadiums, and festivals.

As the album ends, we enter “Cop Syrup”, which is six minutes and the longest track on the record, with just seventeen seconds of the hidden track “Less is More”, where Simon Neil sings a bit before the song ends. The first six minutes felt like listening to Tame Impala with its psychedelic and experimental feel. If I didn’t know I was listening to Biffy, I would think it was Tame Impala playing an instrumental track. It’s quite refreshing to hear that material by Biffy because it isn’t what they are known for and might indicate the next project.

Song recommendations: “North of No South”, “Celebration”, “Cop Syrup”

8/10

Week Thirty-Two: Fontaines D.C.- A Hero’s Death

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I remember hearing about the buzz of this band from Dublin a few years back from some folks I follow from Scotland on Twitter, so I first assumed they were an up-and-coming band from Glasgow or Edinburgh. Imagine my surprise when I finally listened to one of the many videos shared on that platform via YouTube. The track, funnily enough, was also the title of their debut album “Dogrel”. I have to say, I loved the energy, but the lyrics were…beyond basic. Their lead vocalist, unfortunately, didn’t impress me much, and I wondered what was the point of having Grian Chatten in the first place. His vocals sounded like a drunk punter slurring through a song on the karaoke machine. Despite that, his flat vocals work pretty well in the punk genre. Let’s face it: Johnny Rotten was hardly blessed with amazing vocal ability. I can’t think of many punk vocalists who can sing. Billie Joe Armstrong, maybe? After hearing the title track, I gave their debut album a full listen and was impressed with the picture they painted of their beloved Dublin City. I found the album had more structure lyrically than just that one song. Even if you’ve never been to Dublin or Mother Ireland, you have a good idea of what life is like from “Dogrel”. As much as I have never found the lyrical content impressive, I appreciate the energy the music provides; it is a bit like IDLES. There are minimal lyrics but fantastic energy in the instrumentation.

That’s enough brief history on the band and their debut; let’s review their second and latest album, funnily enough, also named after the track “A Hero’s Death”. They didn’t bother relying on the success of “Dogrel”; as you can imagine, they decided to intentionally head into another direction with the whole instrumentation and lyrical content. After all, writing about living in Dublin becomes quite challenging when you last visited before being on the road to promote your previous work. Grian has said that the band would have felt like they were frauds talking about life in Dublin again, as they haven’t been there much to experience it the past year, and therefore, it wouldn’t be fair on the listener to buy an album, which didn’t represent anything

authentic, thus making the listener lose interest in the band.

Instead, the band has talked about the places they have been on the road and what they have experienced and seen. As you can imagine, life on the road isn’t always sweet when you’re constantly sharing space on a tour bus, and this album certainly shows that as it discusses their excessive drinking, loneliness, depression, and fighting with each other because you are sick of the sight of each other during a long and arduous tour. I recommend a good documentary on life on the road and how this is depicted perfectly. It’s about Keane, so go and look online or buy their DVD. This album is more downbeat and lacks the energy of “Dogrel”, but I suppose that would always be the premise to replicate their mood on tour. For example, “Living in America” is very slow and melancholic. Then the tempo is switched up on “A Televised Mind.” the latter is not great lyrically, but you can feel the energy from the rhythmic pulsing of the guitar and the thumping bass of the drum. Once again, the title track is minimal with its lyrics (I believe, from what I remember hearing, it just repeats “Life isn’t always empty” for the duration?), but the instrumentation does it justice.

The band does not apologise for their change in direction and even know they may lose fans by not keeping in line with the debut. They even acknowledge that some people will be disappointed with the second record, but unfortunately, life has changed, and this is who they now are, so they cannot write songs about living in Dublin anymore. In fact, “A Televised Mind” is a dig at those who want to be appeased. “A Televised Mind” seems to be about people stuck in their ways and refusing to accept change. It is like some Oasis fans who can’t take that Noel does the music he wants to do.

Dan Carey’s services proved very successful on “Dogrel”, so the band chose him again. This time, as mentioned in this review, the sound would be very different in line with the band’s fresh outlook. The first record was very compact, but Dan gives more of the spotlight on the music this time, so you can fully appreciate Carlos O’Connell and Conor Curley on the guitars and Tom Coll on the drums. There is also room for ballads like “Sunny” with a gothic-like sound.

It is also worth noting to get the sound they wanted, and they were listening to quite a lot of the Beach Boys while they were touring stateside. The band wanted to make a record that wasn’t straight down the line, and that the Beach Boys heavily inspired “A Hero’s Death”.

As much as I liked the record, I am once again left unimpressed with the elementary lyrics that anyone could make up on the spot and the flatness of Grian’s vocals. Now, he is quite passionate about his profession, but it doesn’t come through in his studio performances and onstage performances. It’s quite sad. The music has the energy, albeit at times on this record brings it down, but Grian remains at the same tempo throughout. It is good that the band is willing to experiment so early in their career, but they are in danger of losing their identity, which accrued them fans. They must maintain sight of what made them unique, or they will fall into the generic bands they are frequently associated with.

Song recommendations: “Sunny”, “No”, “A Televised Mind”.

7/10

Week Three: the XX- I See You

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Well, I couldn’t write a review during week two because Little Mix’s “Glory Days” was still strong at the album charts’ peak. There was a change, however, in week three, and here is my review of the XX’s “I See You”:

Dangerous:

The introduction is a message to let listeners know that the band is back with a bang (fanfare can be heard). The first thing I noticed about the opening track to “I See You” is that it has a UK Garage feel. There is even a break in it that includes the classic UK Garage sub-low bass that So Solid Crew used quite a bit, among others. The fanfare also makes a return during the chorus and the break.

Say Something Loving:

The pulse at the beginning will fool the listener because it fooled Me. The CD stopped working and was stuck rather than this being the intro to the song in what is the second single off the album. This song has a very laid-back melody, and Ollie’s vocals have remained strong. The song also has the classic signature feel, which has been present since the self-titled debut album.

Lips:

Singing that can be heard in the intro sounds choral (is that the word I am looking for to describe a Church choir?) The African continent certainly inspired the drumming used in the track. Also, there is a handclap that is deployed during the verses. The track ends before you get into it.

A Violent Noise: 

I found this track to be very chilled out. During the verse, you can hear a quiet, steady drum beat that compliments the song well. Despite the track’s name, the song is anything but ferocious.

Performance: 

The light plucking of the electric guitar and the soft bass compliment Romy Madley Croft’s voice superbly. The passion and the emotion is also perfectly executed for the song. Again, as I found on most of the album, it has a very light, delicate and artistic touch included in the song. Violins can be heard towards the end and at the outro.

Replica:

Now, we are at the business end of the album (which, despite remaining chilled out, I have enjoyed listening to). The break with the pulsing keyboard seems like a build-up, but when the song kicks in during the break, there is still only a steady guitar riff and the keyboard is accompanied by a piano before there are more vocals and the track ends.

Broken For You:

The guitar solo before the mini-break is very subtle and calm. I listened to the crash of a gentle wave during this song; it is that relaxed.

On Hold:

This track was the teaser late last year for the forthcoming album and was released as the first single off the album. I enjoyed the riff of the electric and the bass guitar. The repetitive lyrics of the chorus always meant that this track was destined to be released as a single. During the intro and after the chorus, a sampled quote is repeated.

I Dare You:

Again, the XX have stuck to their guns and carried on the theme that has so far featured on the album (steady, calm and very chilled out, albeit the opening track). In the chorus, that classic hook is evident, and I couldn’t help but feel that the harmony used was inspired by Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody”. Once again, the track is short and sweet, which also points towards a radio-friendly single.

Test Me:

The album’s conclusion has a very oceanic vibe as if you are deep-sea diving and exploring the wonders of the belly of the ocean and what it has to offer.

Overall Review:

I have been a fan of the XX since hearing “Islands”, and I thought the review would be quite elementary, but I must confess that I struggled somewhat as the album after the opening track doesn’t seem to deviate much. It is a good thing because, on the whole, it is yet again another good album by the band and fully deserving of its number-one placing, but it didn’t challenge me to write a longer review on each track. They say the XX is classed as Indie/Alternative, but I would say that “I See You” (albeit track one) sits comfortably in the chill-out genre. The vocals supplied by Ollie and Romy are again exemplary, and I can see the band continuing despite Jamie XX recently working on his solo material and DJing. I sensed that I was stranded on a desert island listening to the sound of the waves gently crashing onto the island’s shore, or I was exploring the wonders of the ocean whilst deep-sea diving. The album was short and sweet, with the play time lasting just 40 minutes. It also has plenty of radio-friendly tracks that can be used as future singles, for example, “I Dare You” and “Lips”. If you’re a fan of the XX, you will like this album regardless, but if you are not, you might feel that the album should have more go in it. 7/10