[.ca] Puzzle

THE BEST BAND YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF-UNTIL NOW!:
I've often written on how perplexing it can be for music fans when a band is hugely successful in the United Kingdom yet remain virtually unknown over here. How many of you are familiar with U.K. superstars Amy MacDonald, Arctic Monkeys or Kate Nash? Biffy Clyro is another perfect example of that phenomenon. Hailing from the southwest part of Scotland they have been playing together, in one form or another, since 1995 and up to the release of the "Puzzle" CD had recorded 3 other albums. Week after week and year after year, the band built up an ever-increasing fan base with their intense live shows. Even if Canada wasn't familiar with them, Biffy Clyro knew Canada. This CD was recorded in British Columbia in November of 2006. Even though the album was released over a year ago in Britain, and a number of successful singles followed, it's still fairly new to us. As far as the songs go, "Semi-Mental" was the first single released and it shows us a band that is well above most of their peers currently on the charts. Think of a Foo Fighters/U2/MXPX/Queens Of The Stone Age hybrid with a bit of 80's new wave thrown in for good measure. That comes remotely close to describing Biffy Clyro. There's a flow of energy and intensity captured here that raises this band well above the average radio fodder that we are spoon fed on a daily basis. "Saturday Superhouse" gives Emo bands a good dropkick off the airwaves; it's an amazing rock song. Contrastingly, "Machines" is a soft, acoustic number that is almost fragile in it's delivery. Throughout the CD, great songs abound; "The Conversation Is..", "Love Has A Diameter" and "A Whole Child Ago" are fantastic numbers. I performed an experiment of sorts with this CD, I played "Who's Got A Match?" numerous times around friends and family and within a few plays, they all got hooked on it. This is definitely the song that would break this band in Canada in a big way. It's one of the best songs I've heard in the past year. I first heard of Biffy Clyro last year while visiting relatives in Scotland and I just missed seeing the band perform live by only a week. Over there, the industry buzz and fan appreciation for this band was totally understandable. They are probably the best band you've never heard of-until now.

• Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies
• Saturday Superhouse
• Who's Got a Match?
• As Dust Dances 2/15ths
• Whole Child Ago
• Conversation Is...
• Now I'm Everyone
• Semi-Mental 4/15ths
• Love Has a Diameter
• Get Fucked Stud
• Folding Stars
• 9/15ths
• Machines
• Drop It \o*\c
• Making of Puzzle Documentary \oDVD\c\o*\c
• Semi-Mental \oDVD\c
• Saturday Superhouse \oDVD\c
• Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies \oDVD\c