A Celebration of Endings

by Biffy Clyro

Overview

Following 2019's ambitious soundtrack Balance, Not Symmetry, Scotland's Biffy Clyro return with their ninth studio album, 2020's brightly attenuated A Celebration of Endings. The album again finds them working with producer Rich Costey, who'd previously helmed 2016's Ellipsis and who has worked with similarly inventive indie rock luminaries like Muse, Fiona Apple, and Supergrass, among others. Since their emergence as a wiry post-grunge outfit in the early 2000s, Biffy Clyro have matured into a reliably consistent power trio known for their prog-inflected anthems that balance pop hooks with kinetically aggressive rock arrangements. It's a sound they brought to fruition on 2009's Only Revolutions and one which they've continued to hone. In a post-millennial streaming world of individualized tracks, Biffy Clyro are somewhat of a throwback to the album-oriented alt rock of the '80s and '90s. Which is to say that while there are stand-out songs here, not every track is meant to play like an immediately gratifying three-minute earworm. There are those kinds of cuts here, including the propulsively galloping "Weird Leisure," with its crackling guitar leads and Queen-like harmonized falsetto backing vocals. Equally compelling is the rollicking "Tiny Indoor Fireworks," with its head-rush chorus about conquering obstacles, real or imagined, in which frontman Simon Neil sings, "I fire it up then blow it out/I build it up then tear it down/Summit the ocean, scale the lake/And I'll pray for the better days." Primarily though, on tracks like "The Champ," "End Of," and "The Pink Limit," they take a more sonically circuitous route, indulging in pummeling guitar riffage, off-kilter drum grooves, and Teutonic fuzz-tone bass bombast. There are also more languid moments as they expand their sound with orchestral flourishes, as on "Space" and the acoustic ballad "Opaque." Ultimately, A Celebration of Endings fits with Biffy Clyro's long-standing knack for combining stadium-sized rock uplift with an undercurrent of wry post-punk thrills. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	08/14/2020
Label:	Warner Records
UPC:	0190295273361

Tracks

1. North of No South
2. The Champ
3. Weird Leisure
4. Tiny Indoor Fireworks
5. Worst Type of Best Possible
6. Space
7. End Of
8. Instant History
9. The Pink Limit
10. Opaque
11. Cop Syrup

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Biffy Clyro   Primary Artist
Ben Johnston   Drums,Vocals (Background)
Mike Vennart   Guitar
Rachel Roberts   Viola
Peter Hanson   Violin
Bob Mathes   Conductor
Jonathan Williams   Cello
Jonathan Evans-Jones   Violin
Caroline Dearnley   Cello
Tessa Henderson   Violin
Perry Montague-Mason   Violin
Christopher Tombling   Violin
Magnus Johnston   Violin
Annemarie McGahon   Viola
Richard Ingram   Keyboards
James Johnston   Bass,Vocals (Background)
Gillian Grant   Violin
Kirsty Main   Violin
Balazs Renczes   Cello
Marina Sanchez Cabello   Cello
Peter Lale   Viola
Patrick Kiernan   Violin
Zac Rae   Keyboards
Natalia Bonner   Violin
Cathy Thompson   Violin
Bruce White   Viola
Deborah Widdup   Violin
Simon Neil   Guitar,Vocals
Steve Mac   Keyboards
Ian Burdge   Cello

Technical Credits

Ben Johnston   Composer,Group Member
Bob Mathes   String Arrangements
Bill McGathy   Management
Jonathan Allen   String Engineer
Joe LaPorta   Mastering
Adam Bartlett   Engineer
Conor O'Mahony   A&R,Co-Coordinator
Ben Durling   A&R
Richard Welland   Design,Art Direction
Thomas Robson   Cover Art
Ammar Malik   Composer
James Johnston   Composer
Mario Borgatta   Engineer
James Roberto Johnston   Group Member
Ash Reynolds   Photography
KT Pipal   Engineer
Ross Newbauer   Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Jenny Nendick   Contractor
Dalton Ricks   Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Neil Dawes   Assistant
Koby Berman   Digital Editing,Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Joseph Barnes   Assistant
Biffy Clyro   Composer,Producer
Phil Christie   A&R
Chris Laws   Engineer,Programming
Paul Pritchard   Assistant
Simon Neil   Design,Artwork,Composer,Lyricist,Group Member,Art Direction
Mike Casteel   Copyist
Steve Mac   Composer,Producer
Rich Costey   Mixing,Producer
Paul Craig   Management
Adam Noble   Mixing,Producer,Programming
Tim Summerhayes   Recording
James Rushent   Producer
Wesley Seidman   Engineer
Daniel Pursey   Engineer