The Biff
have undoubtedly slipped a bit since 2009’s Only
Revolutions, but this is more consistent than the
shouldn’t-have-been-a-double-record overreach of 2013’s Opposites, if, perhaps, rather less inventive. Ellipses
plays it pretty straight, with some great riffs and melodies, but few surprises. There’s plenty here to enjoy, though. Standouts include ‘Animal Style’, which is a
great punchy rock song, and ‘Re-arrange’: a beautiful little ballad with a
fantastically sweet, and memorable, chorus.
Equally, for all its quality, there are already three or four better Biffy Clyro albums out there. So it’s hard to get too excited about
this. Certainly enjoyable enough to fully
deserve its place on this list, but it was never going to get anywhere near the
top. There’s not a dud track here, but
there’s not a truly great one either – for my money no single track on Ellipses is as good as anything on Only Revolutions. Overall: fun but only ‘solid’ from a band as
capable as the Biff.
sample track: Animal Style