Having made it to the 2nd album where so many bands over the last few years have failed,
The Rifles have opted not to divert course but to continue on down the same road that garnered them enough fans first time round to make this 2nd helping possible. Unfortunately I'm a bit of a believer in bands needing to show some kind of progression to keep my attention and stop me from flailing wildly into a fit. Luckily for
The Rifles despite this being much of the same I'm quite fond of their diluted Smiths/Jam combo, and I could play this once or twice in say a month and not feel the need to spontaneously combust - this is a good thing!
So what do we get for 11 tracks? Well, we get the same Mod overtones from debut '
No Love Lost' hence The Jam/Paul Weller comparisons but, I would also have to say that The Rifles have become a little more adventurous and tuneful a la Pete Doherty [if he wasn't a smack-head but was addicted to that fizzy candy stuff]. These are tracks about modern society from a certain perspective of course - all bands have a perspective nowadays.
'
Science In Violence' and '
The Great Escape' open proceedings in typically in your face style. More so the former than the latter where there is more of the group sing-along chorus as expected. A lot of the tracks continue with the straight ahead indie-rock formula such as '
Sometimes' and '
Romeo & Julie' whereas '
Toe Rag' takes a more somber tact for the most part before a mini-explosion unleashes some throbbing bass - nice! '
Winter Calls' is incredibly reminiscent of another track [I just can't place] that could be anything to be honest, same goes for '
Out In The Past' but I can understand that it's increasingly hard in this time of so many guitar bands to find a sound that's original. A lot of bands just settle for what sounds popular so this could be Arctic Monkeys or
The Rifles, if you know what I mean?
Average just about sums up this record. I don't dislike it, on the contrary, I'd quite happily listen to it but there is just no challenge. I wouldn't need to comeback to it time and again to understand it or figure out what's going on. Sometimes; more so now than ever before, I think that challenge is incredibly important and
The Rifles don't set me said challenge. They do, however, make a competent album that is quite enjoyable.
Track-listing:
1. Science In Violence
2. The Great Escape
3. Falll To Sorrow
4. Sometimes
5. Toe Rag
6. History
7. Winter Calls
8. Out In The Past
9. Romeo & Julie
10. The General
11. For The Meantime
UK Tour Dates:
March 14th Sheffield Leadmill
March 16th Oxford Academy
March 17th Southend ChinneryMarch 18th London Roundhouse
March 21st Hitchin Remix
March 22nd Leeds Stylus
March 23rd Northampton Roadmender
March 25th Southampton The Brook
March 26th Norwich Waterfront
March 27th Birmingham Academy
March 29th Glasgow The Garage
March 30th Nottingham Rescue Rooms
March 31st Manchester The Ritz
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The Rifles - Shes Got Standards [Video]
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The Rifles - Great Escape
