#albumoftheday = BIFFY CLYRO: ELLIPSIS

Few rock or alternative albums you’ll hear this year are likely to excite you as much as Biffy Clyro’s Ellipsis. If you’re a big fan of Foo Fighters and you’re not already on board the Biffy fanwagon then you need to get on stat because their music never fails to be a vibrant and energetic thrill ride, Ellipsis their greatest achievement to date, a veritable magnum opus.

“We are the wolves of winter,” they proclaim on opening number “Wolves of Winter” and they might as well be howling because they sound fierce, like a wild animal unleashed on an attacker it’s sure to devour. (It should probably be the theme song for the second season of ZOO, a.k.a. When Animals Attack Humans.) The chorus continues, “And we live in a kingdom of blood.” It’s the best opening track to any rock album I’ve heard all year. Hell, that should come as no surprise – Ellipsis is the best rock album I’ve heard all year. You might call it alternative or alternative rock, but to me it’s just kick ass rock ‘n’ roll. “I’m just a fucking animal,” they proclaim a couple of tracks later on “Animal Style,” another insanely powerful track.

Things mellow out on “Re-arrange.” “I’ve got a lot of love / And I’ve got a lot of ways to show it / You should know by now that I’m broken / And I need your help,” sings vocalist/guitarist Simon Neil on the mellow ballad with mixes subtle guitars with addictive handclaps. It’s as soft and delicate as the previous three tracks are brutal.

Another highlight is “On A Bang,” one of the album’s more alternative tracks, which sounds like it could’ve been on Silverchair’s Neon Ballroom. “Now you know better / Why can’t you fucking do better?” begs Neil. “What is your contribution?” I don’t know what your answer for that is, but I’ll tell you that this band is one of the greatest contributions to the world of rock music ever.

Be sure to get the deluxe edition, as “Don’t, Won’t, Can’t” and “In the Name of the Wee Man” are two of the best cuts from the Ellipsis sessions, not to mention too of the most brutally honest and explicit. I can’t imagine listening to the album without them.