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Biffy Clyro was a band I kept being told I should like. A copy of Vertigo of Bliss was given to me and I tried hard to like it... being a bit of a muso I liked the tempo changes and 'challenging' structures but hey! where's the hook?? Mountains is pure genius: anthemic & emotional. I have a video in my head for these type of songs and it involves crowds of the downtrodden striding over the crest of a hill at sunset... beautiful...

Rating: 5 out of 5

Well I loved this song.

I don't really have an expectation of what I Biffy Clyro should sound like and I thought this was fantastic.

It's been repeating on my iPod pretty much constantly.

The chorus is infinitely sing-along-able and the whole song builds brilliantly with some really subtle changes of pace and intonation - and the final line with no instrumentation is a superb finish.

I'd certainly recommend it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

I had yet another listen to "Mountains" before writing this review, just to be sure. And, to be fair, I dislike it less than the first time I heard it. Having said that I hated it initially to the point where I was actually very upset, and to be honest, I still am. For, it would be incorrect to say that the song has "grown" on me, to be more accurate would be to say I have "got used to it".

Simply, being as obective as possible, this song is bland, uninspiring, underwhelming and really quite boring. Ignoring objectivity, as a huge fan of Biffy and in comparison to their earlier work: It's DREADFUL. For a Biffy song it is truly terrible. The vocals are average, occasionally weak, like the music they hint at the band's (they are all great singers) abilities rather than showcasing them. The music is samey, bouncing along (very much like "Who's Got a Match" which I liked, or worse, like some pseudo-indie-poprock chart nonsense) until perhaps the most underwhelming chorus in history, which brings us to THE LYRICS. Oh God, the lyrics... do I really need to say more? Biff were always attacked for their "odd"/"silly" lyrics and song titles, but at least if you bothered to investigate there was something behind them... I am a... no I just can't do it.

I am not asking for more of the "traditional Biffy sound", what is that anyway? Not one of their albums has been anything like the others and they are all outstanding (Puzzle perhaps a little less so, the seeds of overproduction and pop-song-sensibility were sown and started to sprout a little there, nevertheless it was still a very good album), so what has gone so horribly wrong?

I have never been so dissapointed by a song. Perhaps because Biffy were one of (if not the) best, most promising bands of today. Their music was emotional, hard-hitting, fun, raw, inventive, and sometimes a little scary. "Mountains" is none of these things.

The one good thing about this song is it makes me think of Puzzle with more affection (it now resides firmly in the "good Biffy" area), although sadly, it had to redifine what a "bad Biffy Clyro song" was in order to do it.

I am sure this will be voted one of the "least helpful" reviews, the most helpful ones being the inevitable 5 star reviews that accompany almost every product on amazon ever. I do not particularly mind, but before you vote - ask yourself: If (like me) you regard most of (if not all) Biffy's previous work worthy of five stars, do you really believe that this song is of the same quality as songs like Joy.Discovery.Invention? Justboy? Hero Management? 57? Bodies in Flight? with Aplomb? Now the Action is on Fire? Glitter and Trauma? Only One Word Comes to Mind? The Kids from Kibble and the Fist of Light? Who's Got a Match? Semi-Mental? If you do then this review is indeed unhelpful. It is just my opinion, but I'd be amazed if there aren't others - particularly old Biffy fans - who share it.

Rating: 2 out of 5

It's ok, it's just not Biffy is it?

Compare this to Now the Action is on fire, and it's like listening to two completely different bands. One willing to disregard everything that society expects in a song, in the process creating brilliant music, and the other doing everything that the music industry asks of them, in the process creating something that sounds like the Foo Fighters.

I like the Foo Fighters, but Biffy in their prime never sounded like them.

And to be fair, this song is weak in trying to that. The lyrics are abysmal, the chorus catchy yet boring at the same time, the production way over slick, structure more conventional than Greenday. The only decent part is the middle eight. And thats barely decent.

Live, this song is actually very good, but that's cause Biffy are very good live. They could play a 10 minute maraca solo and I'd probably enjoy it, but that doesn't mean it was any good. Singalong potential yes, brilliance... no.

I seriously hope Biffy aren't cashing in on their success with Puzzle and writing average radio friendly music like Mountains for their 5th album. They will keep all their Puzzle lovers, and probably gain quite a few new ones, but I'm pretty sure most of the classic Biffy lovers will be alienated completely.

Whats worse is that this is number 5 in the charts. Brilliant news for Biffy, a top 10 single at last, but did it have to be with Mountains??

Buy this is Puzzle was your idea of heaven, or if mediocrity fills you with excitement, but if Vertigo of Bliss is your favourite album, steer well clear.

Rating: 2 out of 5

In a way i believe this review will tie together to conflicting arguments of previous reviews.
4 times over the past 4 years i've stood in a crowd of hairy weirdos chanting the Joy.Discovery.Invention, or screaming the lyrics to Justboy- there's nothing quite like being surrounded by 1,500 like minded people singing in unison "i am hoping through the dark clouds, lights shall break and bring out bright skies"- anyone who's been there will know what i mean. Beautiful and uplifting.
And whilst the Biffy that i fell in love with would have gotten me laughed at by the same people who you'll find bopping along to this track nowadays, i don't begrudge them their success. They're an astonishingly hard-working band, didn't they play over 150 shows in one year a few years ago? And so they deserve every success.
I'm not going to cry that they've changed- you have to change or else you get repetitious. The White Stripes became mainstream and i still love them. What both bands have managed to do is retain enough of what kept them so very very special.
So is this song good?
Oh yeah it is.
It doesn't need 7/8 bridges or egyptian scales to be a good song.
I remember standing in line at a show before Puzzle came out and we were all very nervous about the new songs, after we'd heard they were gonna be a lot more radio-friendly. I tell you no-one went home disappointed with the preview of the songs we had that night.
This is an awesome song; succinct, concise, emotional- and a lovely evolutionary step towards the recognition that a band that has given be such enjoyment over the past deserves.
It's so blatantly Biffy- something that no-one else can pull off, but it can also hook my sister- a sugary pop fan.
Don't hit on it cos it's not their old stuff. I wouldn't want their old stuff again- i've moved on, the world's moved on. We're all well over half a decade older now, and it's time to hand the torch down to some younger chaps. I'm dead happy that Biffy never got stuck in a creative rut, or treading water in the minor leagues.

Rating: 4 out of 5