Puzzle

It's been a less than Roman trail up to this point for long-haul, stubbly Scot trio Biffy Clyro. From the proto-grunge of their debut, through gathering melodic grandeur, progressive cross-genre experimentalism, brief indie accessibility and some truly heavy songwriting, to say they've surpassed expectations along the way is an understatement as large as the chasm between their original potential and subsequent accomplishment. They had doggedness and resilience from the off, they were a roughly musical Glasgow-kiss that left a mark and no doubt one or two fractures, but as persuasive as they might have been the Biffy Clyro of then could never have written the Queen vs. Fall Out Boy orchestral future-emo audaciousness of "Living Is a Problem Because Everyone Dies". That they did now should give Muse and Panic at the Disco cause for concern. What they've done with Puzzle then that they haven't exactly done before is marry their experimental bent with their swelling urge for accessibility, brilliantly. Acoustic "Machines" and rocketing "Saturday Superhouse" could be from the respective flip-sides of the Foo Fighters' double album, In Your Honour, only with that glint in the eye that long since evaded Grohl's mob. Hell, they even go a touch post-punk with bells on for a flash on "A Whole Child Ago". Is there nothing they won't turn their hands to and wring dry without breaking a sweat? Still waiting to find it. - - James Berry