Biffy Clyro - Revolutions (Live At Wembley)

Biffy Clyro - Revolutions (Live At Wembley)
Genre: Alt-Rock/Rock
Rating: 8/10

Biffy Clyro are something of a specialist subject for me. Having followed the band wholeheartedly since hearing Joy.Discovery.Invention on the radio back in 2002 I've seen the band flourish as success finally came knocking for the notoriously hard working Ayrshire trio. The first hint of mainstream success came in 2007  with the release of the bands long awaited 4th album Puzzle. Puzzle was a huge turning point in the bands career and saw them adopt a much more accessible sound which in turn saw the band break out from the underground and turn into a household name. Since then the band's reputation has continued to go from strength to strength with more commercial success when they released the Mercury prize nominated Only Revolutions in 2009. Revolutions is the culmination of their recent successes and a live cd/dvd document of the bands first headlining show at Wembley Arena.

The main criticisms of any live album comes down to two factors, sound quality and new material. The first limitation is always the performance itself. If the band are particularly good live then more often than not the Live aspect of the material will have little to nothing new to offer. As live albums are only generally sought after by completists and the more hardcore element of a bands fanbase the chances of hearing something new  is very slim unless the band is known for its sporadic improvisation live. If this isn't the case and the band are producing faithful renditions of their recorded material you'll often wonder what the point was in buying a bunch of tracks that you've heard before with the only difference being a few cheers and rounds of applause. Similarly if the sound quality is too poor you'll be left with an unlistenable mess but if the production is well done you'll wind up thinking again that you'd of been better off with the studio albums. These factors make any live album a difficult thing to get right. Revolutions however has just enough content to pull itself above the average live outing. Whilst the setlist obviously centres around the bands most recent material old favourites like "57" and the rarely performed live "Diary Of Always" make for compelling listening. The bands live energy normally adds a heavier edge to their performance with Simon resorting to screams here and there but this outing doesn't capture this element. The vocals are crisp and clean and the whole record is very well produced as far as sound quality goes. The band are also supplemented by Oceansize's Mike Vennart on back up live guitar allowing the band to compensate for the overdubbed guitar parts when they recorded Only Revolutions. The basic version available in most shops has a whopping 19 tracks and obviously the whole performance on dvd for about a tenner making it very good value. The only criticism is that this basic version actually cuts out quite a few of the more interesting tracks from the encore and set like infinity lands angular classic "There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake" which is even more brutal live. Other issues stem from the almost flawless performance the band make. Whilst this seems like an odd thing to whinge about the polished quality and faithful recreation of the tracks in a live setting makes the whole thing feel like a duplication of something you already have. Whilst the novelty of fans screaming at each end of the track may add a certain level of warmth to proceedings chances are you'll listen to the studio versions on a more regular basis.

Overall Revolutions does not disappoint. Whilst live albums in general can often be just another quick unit shifter before bands commit their time to another studio album Revolutions feels like an immense amount of effort and pride has gone into it. It serves as a perfect record of a band at the dizzying heights of their career and overall the amount of content ensures you won't feel short changed. That said it is far from Biffy Clyro's most left field release and some of the editorial choices in terms of track listing will only provide more anger to the fans who claim the boy's are selling out their hard rock roots.

Download: "Machines" "Many Of Horror"

Rival Consoles - Kid Velo

Rival Consoles - Kid Velo
Genre: Dance/Electronica
Rating: 9/10

Rival Consoles is the brainchild of London based IDM rising talent Ryan Lee West. West first appeared under this moniker back in 2007 with his debut The Decadent EP released through the highly regarded indie label Erased Tapes. The Decadent EP showcased West's raw talent mixing classical orchestral scores with frantic beats and sound effects creating a sound that was comparable to IDM icon Aphex Twin whilst retaining his own individuality. West followed this with a bold change of direction with his 2009 debut IO which saw him flirt with more mainstream contemporary dance only to inspiringly deconstruct it by incorporating his trademark tempo shifts and insane beats. West returns this year with his sophomore LP Kid Velo.

Whilst IO dabbled with some of the popular trends of dance music only to reinterpret them in new and interesting and engaging ways Kid Velo jumps off at the deep end and fully embraces it. This is in no way a criticism or a bad thing in Kid Velo's case however as throughout the record the Rival Consoles sound is still as unique and refreshing as ever. The main change in style would be the tempo shifts and beats. Whilst previous efforts were relentlessly busy and fast, switching from one time signature to another with little space to breath, the tracks on Kid Velo are given more space to flow. This makes the whole record a more accessible experience and means that not only can you listen to the music but for one of the first times you can actually dance to it without getting caught out by an unexpected change in tempo. Instrumentally the blueprint remains the same a solid mix of keyboards, synths and drum loops mixed with retro gaming and futuristic sound effects ensuring you know who's behind the music. Whilst most of the tracks are more serene than previous work West doesn't fully relinguish his fierce use of tempo shifts which is clearly evident on tracks like "Vos" and "Amiga". "Vos" is a typical Rival Consoles track starting slowly before fast scratchy drums clatter against inspired synth stabs and sound effects . "Amiga" pays homage to the music of classic arcade games turning a synth melody into an all out party banger which slowly grinds to a halt only to burst back to life again. Other highlights include the inspired "Guitari" which mashes up some funky guitar samples creating a dance tune that Daft Punk or Holy Fuck would be jealous of.

Overall Rival Consoles yet again delivers the goods. Whilst it is debatable whether this is West's best work to date it is certainly his most accessible. The best thing about this album is that whilst embracing the more commercial aspects of  modern dance music Kid Velo manages to steer clear of the obvious cliches and retain the Rival Consoles imprint making the music refreshing and vibrant.  Highly recommended.

Download: "Amiga" "Guitari"