HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Opposites – Biffy Clyro
By 2013, alternative sweethearts BIFFY CLYRO had long been knocking on the door of public consciousness. A band since 1995, the eccentric Scottish trio had firmly established themselves as ones to watch with their hybrid of math-rock wizardry and stadium-sized choruses. But it was their sixth studio album Opposites that not only opened the door, but blew the door off its hinges.
Ever since the start, the trio of Simon Neil [lead vocals/guitars], James Johnston [bass/vocals] and Ben Johnston [drums/vocals] had lofty ambitions. Even on their 2000 debut EP thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow, the quirky hooks and polyrhythms were all there. Then through those early studio albums Blackened Sky (2002), The Vertigo Of Bliss (2003) and Infinity Land (2004), they continued to grow as musicians and songwriters, the ideas continued to flow and the belief that BIFFY CLYRO was on track to become one of Britain’s best bands started to solidify.
Then with album number four, Puzzle, they opted for some more straightforward, poppier songs and saw considerable success as a result. Named 2007’s album of the year by the likes of Kerrang! and Rock Sound and going on to become a platinum selling album in the UK, BIFFY CLYRO looked to have cracked the formula. By swapping out some of the sudden time signature changes for more melodic hooks and singalongs, this new iteration of the band soared, booking tours with MUSE, THE WHO and THE ROLLING STONES. Only Revolutions took them another step further in 2009, as Mountains became their new signature song and Many Of Horror was temporarily hijacked by The X Factor as the winner’s single in 2010.
For many, BIFFY CLYRO had already ushered in a heroic return for harder-edged guitar music into the charts. The UK was still coming out of their indie rock obsession when the Scots announced their sixth full-length in 2011. Revealed to be the band’s first double album, the working titles for the albums were ‘The Land At The End Of Our Toes’ and ‘The Sand At The Core Of Our Bones’. It wasn’t until July of 2012 that the real title was revealed to be Opposites, with each disc carrying those prior names (which also happen to be lyrics within the song Sounds Like Balloons).
Lead single Black Chandelier carried the perfect mixture of old-school quirky BIFFY CLYRO that managed to neatly fold in their chart-bothering prowess. Before long, the song was in heavy rotation on Radio 1, and two weeks later, Opposites was unleashed upon the world. 20 tracks of BIFFY CLYRO through the ages and in all their polished modes; from the jagged, bagpipe-laden anthem of Stingin’ Belle to the sweet ballad of Biblical, and the daft Mariachi fun of Spanish Radio to the rousing Picture A Knife Fight, they offered everything up to the universe.
And the universe repaid in kind. Opposites became BIFFY CLYRO‘s first UK number one album, and the wildfire reception was enough to book them a supporting slot with FOO FIGHTERS at Milton Keynes Bowl (with higher billing than punk legend IGGY POP), as well as a spate of festival headline slots that saw them command crowds of thousands at Reading & Leeds Festival, Sonisphere and the annual Radio 1 Big Weekend. The rock world was in the palm of their frenetic, peculiar, anthemic hands and they’d firmly planted themselves in the upper echelons of modern British rock royalty.
Ever since Opposites, BIFFY CLYRO has been an unstoppable force, with their next two studio albums – Ellipsis (2016) and A Celebration Of Endings (2020) – also claiming the top spot in the album charts, and it truly seems as though Opposites was the album that allowed it all to happen. The album where they finally successfully bottled lightning, where all of their peculiarities were measured enough to not deter neutrals but still keep their OG fans happy, and where they consigned themselves fully to the history books forever more.
Mon the Biff.
Opposites was originally released January 28th, 2013 via 14th Floor.
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