Only Revolutions

iTunes Review

Fusing punk aggression and prog-rock ambition, Scottish trio Biffy Clyro continue their decade-long creative ascent on the spiky and surprising Only Revolutions. This time, frontman Simon Neil’s songs are framed with jagged guitar riffage, pummeling rhythms and deft sting and brass arrangements. The tunes here are sometimes belligerent, often paradoxical and filled with palpable longing, both erotic and spiritual. If Biffy Clyro isn’t coming from a happy place, they nevertheless infuse tracks like “Born On a Horse,” “That Golden Rule” and “Boooom, Blast & Run” with blistering drive and a jittery sense of fun. Though the album’s songs are more compact than much of the band’s previous output, the complex “Bubbles” and the brooding “Cloud of Stink” are tinged with distinctly progressive colors. The relatively subdued “Know Your Quarry” and “Mountains” are no less compelling than hard-charging numbers like “Boooom, Blast and Ruin.” Only Revolutions manages to be a hook-laden, consistently engaging effort without sacrificing the band’s essentially dark vision or visceral bite.