Biffy Clyro - Opposites

Three of the soundest men in rock - ready to converse about everyone from Refused to Sensefield to Kerbdog when they should be talking about themselves - are out to prove they're among the most ambitious and creative with this 20-song, 77-minute double album of ragers and weepers which, ironically, doesn't smack of egos at warp factor 10 but continues the earnestness Biffy Clyro have shown from their early days.

While split into halves (The Sand at the Core of Our Bones and The Land at the End of Our Toes) and featuring kazoos, bagpipes and a mariachi band, Opposites is not as madcap and listener-challenging as either the title suggests or the format allows for, but there are gems throughout and an exuberance which offers as much to young hearts running free as jaded ones in need of some jump leads.

For those who feel their attention may wander with too much of a good thing, there's a single album, 14-track edition - seven songs from each disc. However, the full version could turn out to be the most endangered of species in the time poverty of today: a slow-burner. That fourth star may only come out this summer.

Harry Guerin

Tracklisting: The Sand at the Core of Our Bones: Different People - Black Chandelier - Sounds Like Balloons - Opposite - The Joke's on Us - Biblical - A Girl and His Cat - The Fog - Little Hospitals - The Thaw
The Land at the End of Our Toes: Stingin' Belle - Modern Magic Formula - Spanish Radio - Victory over the Sun - Pocket - Trumpet or Tap - Skylight - Accident Without Emergency - Woo Woo - Picture a Knife Fight