Although
emo
is often thought of as a direct descendent of
punk
and
alternative
, the genre's tricky song structures oftentimes teeter toward
prog
territory. Case in point:
Puzzle
, the fourth full-length by Ayrshire, Scotland's favorite sons,
Biffy Clyro
. While the riffs and singalong choruses bear a resemblance to
Nirvana
the Foo Fighters
, it's no secret that the members of this trio obviously know the ins and outs of their respective instruments -- this is certainly not the sound of a band still finding its footing.
"Saturday Superhouse"
somehow manages to not sound far removed from all the fresh-faced
MTV
darlings, while also including enough interesting bits to not sound like a mere mainstream
rock
rehash. Harder to pin down tracks such as
"Who's Got a Match?"
bring to mind the quirky
pop
of
Supergrass
, and
"Semi-Mental"
is comparable to
Weezer
-- if they spent more time studying their
Rush
records instead of
Cheap Trick
ones. Released in the U.K. several months ahead of the U.S.,
already has a head start in the buzz sweepstakes -- it's a certified smash overseas (nearly topping the album charts at number two, while
almost reached the Top Ten on the singles charts). ~ Greg Prato