Posts Tagged ‘new releases’

After a year of relative quiet from Scottish rock trio Biffy Clyro following last summers stopgap single ‘Mountains’, Biffy’s new single ‘That Golden Rule’ spearheads their hugely anticipated fifth album, ‘Only Revolutions’, and it doesn’t disappoint.

The ceaseless solar eclipse that has fuelled Placebo’s sixth album career has finally, as their latest offerings title would suggest, ended. Battle for the Sun sees the band deviate from their recent mournful meandering with synthesizers and instead expand upon their earlier sound, but with squeaky-clean production and stadium-sized ambitions.

For once undoing evolution seemed the viable option. However, don’t expect the raw minimalism of their debut, for this is anything but. At times the three-piece, including new drummer Steve Forrest, sound like a mini-battalion of cyber-punk bluster. Everything but the kitchen sink is thrown at it; sometimes it pays off fantastically, sometimes it falls flat.

Nevertheless, the melodrama has carried through consistently from previous albums. Thankfully though the mellowness hasn’t. This is a thunderous rock record and Placebo deliver many moments of amped-up, skull crushing finesse. The relentless attack of album opener “Kitty Litter” and the xylophone-sprinkled riffage of “The Never Ending Why” fulfil their alt rock obligation effortlessly. Despite clunky lyrics, lead single “For What It’s Worth” is a rousing, danceable stormer propelled by a newfound optimism. A bizarre Tetris sample leads into an infectious refrain, destined to be a highlight of their live shows.