With Ellipsis, Biffy Clyro’s seventh record, Simon Neil and his bandmates for the past two decades—bassist James Johnston and twin brother Ben Johnston on drums—wanted to make sure that they weren’t becoming too predictable. Ellipsis covers familiar sonic territory for Biffy—blistering hard melodic rock with a touch of ’90s alternativity and a quick taste of sweet-tart pop—while offering a furiously contemporary energy. Biffy Clyro will be editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our feature.
Simon Neil: To say that Adam Levine and Maroon 5 changed our lives would be a gross understatement. The same year that my band released our debut album, Blackened Sky, Maroon 5 released the era-defining Songs About Jane. There is no doubt which record had more of an impact on us. Things would never be the same again. As with anyone with a love of music and a beating heart, and a will to try and change the world, Songs About Jane changed the way we felt, the way we looked at each other, the way we looked at wildlife, the way we perceived organised religion, the way we baked and the way we lived. It was human nature, man! And it changed the way we all made and interpreted music. From the rush of opening track “Harder To Breathe” to the unstoppable rage of “Sweetest Goodbye,” this record is a witch’s cauldron of pop, hip hop, house hop, witch house, bauhaus, glitch rock, cock rock, nub rock, re-rock, country rock, postmodern jazz, retro-electro with a modern edge and everything in between. Mount Vesuvius could not be ignored, and neither could this searing creation. Honestly, listen to it again! Honest …
