Biffy Clyro: 'Machines'

It may have taken what is approaching 12 years to reach some commercial and critical success that can match their fervent and adoring fans, but it certainly seems worth the wait for Biffy Clyro. While many Biffy-lovers will no doubt miss the eccentricities and wilder moments that graced their first three albums, the grizzled, heart-felt 'Machines' is a prime example of why their latest release, Puzzle, has managed to punch the band into the big league and shed their cult-band tag, which made them come across like the musical equivalent of a Star Trek convention.

Famed for taking the Pixies/Nirvana quiet dynamic and scrambling it up with Irn-Bru-ed Scottish madness and roaring vocals, the mellow aching-strum of 'Machines' may fit awkwardly in their live sets, but it's undoubtedly a highlight from an album that isn't shy of a great tune. The single delivers optimistic closure for singer Simon Neil on the subject of his mother's passing away, ("I've started falling apart I'm not savouring life / Take the pieces and build them skywards / I've forgotten how good it could be to feel alive / Take the pieces and build them skywards") which many fans suspect was the lyrical focus of their recent album. A tender, haunting tune that sounds like it was made in a murky, teenager's bedroom and is probably best listened to in the same surroundings.