this is definitely the best. I'm not a massive fan of Bodies In Flight. It's good, but not fantastic. The Ideal Height is a lot better, though it features some horrendously bizarre lyrics "Circumstance predicts I slim the main." With Aplomb was the first track to REALLY get my attention when I listened to the album. Beautiful music, a breathtaking climax... Everything you could ask for except non-sucky lyrics. "Again these hands blow dry..." sings Simon Neil. OK... If that wasn't bad enough, he then goes on to sing about being "Soldered to a three-layer concrete brainwave castration". Whatever you say, Mr Neil...
A Day Of... is a short, fun song. Not the best song ever written but CERTAINLY not the worst. It's rather good. If not very good. However, Liberate The Illiterate/A Mong Among Mingers is better. This epic track features plenty of build ups, mood changes and even some non-sucky lyrics!!
Next up is Diary Of Always. Nice. Very nice. But it doesn't fit the overall theme of the album, so it ends up suffering a lot of skippage. Questions And Answers is the single. 'Salright. 'Sgood live. And that's it, really...
Eradicate The Doubt is, quite frankly, a mess. A whole bunch of riffs that don't seem to have any connection to one another thrown into the space of a few minutes. Overall I like it, because a lot of the riffs are awesome (particularly the standard Rock riff that recurs while Simon Neil sings "Think that the circus is friendly - it's more like a mutual interest in a nosebleed - think again!") The eventual climax is rather nice too.
When The Faction's Fractioned proves that... I dunno. But it's nice. It's good and it's nice. I like it. Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys, however, is certainly one of my favourite Biffy Clyro songs ever. The lyrics here are not only OK but - at times - beautiful! "In the shadows of her eyes you look like God... If even the stars fall from your eyes - revolve as they burn in the night - Reach with your mind, never goodbye..."
And, if that wasn't enough of a treat, this is followed by All The Way Down: Prologue & Chapter 1. This rather epic piece of work builds up to a stunning climax in which Simon Neil sings some rather good lyrics: "So I'll try not to breathe as I hold my head still, the light bends on my face, there'd be tears if I cried... So I'll just close my eyes and I'll see everyone that I'm leaving behind for the dawn of the sun and I'll try not to feel..."
Sadly, this is followed by A Man Of His Appaling Posture which, quite frankly, sucks. Shame.
Then there's Now The Action Is On Fire. Some good bits, some great bits, some not good bits. All connected together so tenuously it's just silly. The bonus track after it's quite nice, though. "You can't help being warm..."
So yes. It's an album with plenty of flaws but enough really nice bits to keep you interested. My main complaint is regarding the silly lyrics. It's clear that, when Simon Neil wants them to be, the lyrics can be stunning. Sadly, it seems, he rarely does.
So yeah. Don't buy this album if you value lyrics too much. But if you're willing to look past them, then you'll see that the songs on this album all have something good going for them. Even A Man Of His Appalling Posture has a good bit. Overall it's definitely a good album. My 4/5 star review is about right.