Track Listing

1. Bodies In Flight
2. The Ideal Height
3. With Aplomb
4. A Day Of
5. Liberate The Illiterate
6. Diary of Always
7. Questions & Answers
8. Eradicate The Doubt
9. When The Faction�s Fractioned
10. Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys
11. All The Way Down...
12. A Man Of His Appalling Posture
13. Now The Action Is On Fire!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1547 in Music
• Released on: 2003-06-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on the evidence of The Vertigo of Bliss, Ayrshire's Biffy Clyro have matured massively since their debut album, Blackened Sky. While retaining a highly refined melodic sensibility that manifests itself mostly in their effortless vocal harmonies, they've added a metallic heaviness to their sound, and bravely given themselves full range to experiment.

The Vertigo of Bliss is never predictable, hardly even stable. Most of the tracks here are in constant flux. Pastoral acoustic guitars, fuzzed bass and sweet strings slip in and out of the mix, leading on to the next folksy interlude, wild jazz break or punky firestorm. One example of this is "With Aplomb", where a pretty acoustic riff is gradually submerged in lush strings and vocal harmonies, before the band engage in a series of brief solos rising to a kind of Elizabethan rock climax recalling Ritchie Blackmore. Elsewhere "Diary of Always" is a bizarre ballad driven by a Laurie Anderson-style vocal pulse, while "Now the Action Is on Fire!" mixes turbulent guitars and staccato strings, like a cross between John Cale and Ozzy Osbourne.

This is not to say the album is difficult or messy, rather that great care has been taken to embellish and enliven songs that were already fairly strong, and is an ambitious and intriguing effort. --Dominic Wills

CD Description
Second album from Glasgow indie rockers, following 2002's 'Blackened Sky'. It features a more streamlined sound than before, with more melody and less dramatic shifts in tempo anddynamics. The album was allegedly recorded in one day with producer Chris Sheldon (Feeder, Therapy, Foo Fighters) and includes the singles 'The Ideal Height' and 'Questions And Answers'.

Customer Reviews

The Vertigo Of Bliss - Not As Elusive As It Seems
"The Vertigo of Bliss" is the follow up to Biffy Clyro's debut "Blackened Sky" from 2001. Released this year amid an increasingly tiresome mainstream and an infuriating bent on reality, this album is a perfect device for scrambling one's perceptions and funnelling them through a meticulously constructed pipeline of concepts, emotions and themes.

Branded with the usual , Biffy Clyro are "nu-metal", "emocore", "punk", butwhatever the hell is written about them matters little. The Opening track ("Bodies In Flight") sets a precedent of Biffy at their frantic best. Mixing a monstously loud array of distorted guitars ("Now The Action Is On Fire!") with a tender, lilting celtic clean tone; Biffy Clyro weave melodies that tease the ear before flattening the listener with a hammer punch of caustic guitar riffage ("A Day Of...").

Which is no mean feat considering that Biffy are a somewhat understated three piece from deepest darkest Scotland. Formed in "mid-1990s" from frontman Simon Neil and his rythm section of the Johnston brothers , three way vocals are the order of the day. These are revealed as insprining harmonies ("All The Way Down: Prologue Chapter 1") and schizophrenic banshee screams ("Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys").

Singles "The Ideal Height" and "Questions And Answers" have gleaned fair coverage on MTV2 whilst gracing the Top 40 on both occasions, the new single "Eradicate The Doubt" out September 22nd will jab it's quarter inch fishing hook through your ear and point blank REFUSE to let go before exploding in a earth shattering manifestation of rage. The last few bars are VISCERAL. Think Glassjaw riffage minus the warped painkillers, mix it with the dynamic capacity of System Of A Down and you KNOW it works!

I advise that people listen to Biffy Clyro. They will be impressed, if not indoctrinated.

Bee Lee J Everson.

Creativity Explosion!!
OK I'm not about to gush about how 'fantastic' this band are and give a totally biased review through adoration. Indeed, I'm too old for that.

Simply put, to those who haven't heard them, and despite what some toilet paper music magazines would have you believe, Biffy are a breath of fresh air. In a time of predictable, trendy rock music, their songs (and live performances) show a creative flair which is distinctly lacking in most modern bands.

Not all of their songs are instantly 'accessible', having strange timings and quirky riffs, but it's these little turns which, in the end, make the album so enjoyable.

Vertigo of Bliss is perhaps less accessible than Blackened Sky, and has more of the beautifully twisty turny guitar work and epic song-feel of, say, Kill The Old Torture Their Young.

The token single is there, ironically perhaps the most average track on the album, and although it's alright, it isn't a good song to judge the rest by.

It also isn't fair to compare Biffy to bands like Nirvana or the Pixies as you can always make that comparison with any band. Biffy's formula of pretty-pick loud-riff has been done before, but there's an extra ingredient in there somewhere which makes them stand out.

I've seen the band play many times and always leave impressed, wondering what it actually takes to get people to go out there and support the most exciting band I've ever heard from the UK.

Mon the biffy!
While not quite as consistant as 'Blackened Sky', this is still a very strong album. They seem to have moved away from the 'chordal' riffing that filled up their first album and have replaced it with more experimental 'single-string' riffs. The point being; their sound has progressed, bost in terms of melody and song-structure.
When the Biffy rock, they're fantastically innovative and impressive ('Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys' and 'A Man Of His Appalling Posture') and when they decide to turn the volume down slightly ('Diary Of Always','Questions & Answers') they are still an incredibly powerful songwriting unit. The orchestra on 'With Aplomb' and 'Now the Action is on Fire' both enhance the song as a whole without giving it an overproduced feel.
This album is a complete gem, although I do personally think that the album is a track or two too long. Still, it gives us all hope for the future. British music isn't all retro-rock and watered down emo.