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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - What is all the fuss about then?
On the front of this album is a sticker which proclaims 'this band will change your life'. Hmmmm. Not really though will they. Not in a Stones, Beatles, Dylan, Hendrix, Stone Roses, Smiths, Oasis kind of way. Typical Radio 1/NME hyperbole. This band is average at best. I wanted to like it but couldn't bring myself to. Now, I'm a sucker for long hair and beards on any rock band, that coupled with all the hype and the fact that I had some spare HMV vouchers to burn I thought I'd give this a try. I ... Read More
Rating: - If it were any other band..
After watching them at Reading 08 after seeing them back in 05 I thought it necessary to do this;
Puzzle is not an excruiatingly bad album as lots of these reviews are trying to make out. It is just very standard and thats not what Biffy fans expect..if this were an album by any other band I would not have minded but its the band who brought us Some Kind of Wizard, Bodies in Flight and The Go Slow etc. Puzzle just seems like it has very little effort put into it and has just been commercialized. ... Read More
Rating: - stop giving this album bad reviews
this is a brilliant album i hate when people keep going on about its not old biffy they still have there obscure brilliance please stop it becuase you are being to critical this album is AMAZING!!!!
Rating: - MON THE BIFFY!!!
An awesome album best album of the last year by far. My friend got me into Biffy a while back so was listening to the back catalogue for a few months before this album came out. "Living Is A Problem..." is an awesome opening track with the strings and the choir lifting the track to the next level after that we're off and flying. "Saturday Superhouse" and "Who's Got A Match" all fly by at break neck speed before the tempo is slowed is ever so slightly by "As Dust Dances". "A Whole Child Ago" harks back to ... Read More
Rating: - Class CD
The cd has a couple of singles on which are really well known. The music is extremely easy to listen to and enjoyable.
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