The Rifles - None The Wiser (Cooking Vinyl)
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| The Rifles - None The Wiser |
Release Date: 20th January 2014
I'm not a fan of guns on the
whole. If we could at least all go back to swords and axes that would even
things out a bit and make American High Schools a whole lot safer - seriously,
have you ever tried to lift a broad sword, let alone wield one? The Rifles,
however, are a different prospect however as their main weapon is bouncy,
jaunty, indie-pop with a very English sensibility. Album opener 'Minute Mile'
is a blend of Franz Ferdinand's attitude and Maximo Park's guitars although the
vocals seem a little bit low in the mix for an opening statement of intent.
'Heebie Jeebies' is more in the vein of the Fratellis in that it's a step up
from McFly but still a bit indie-lite for my liking. The rumbling drums that
herald the beginning of 'Go Lucky' are a thing of beauty and the song that then
unfolds is a quintessentially English indie tune pitched somewhere between the
House Martins and the Libertines, no easy feat. Taking a more relaxed approach
on 'All I Need', the Rifles do their best Kooks impression whilst forthcoming
single 'You Win Some' is a more slick, Radio 2 friendly track that could see
the band supporting James Morrison before the year is out.
I've just read back over that
first paragraph and realise it sounds like I'm slating these guys which I didn't
think I was. The problem, and 'Catch Her In the Rye' is a great example of
this, is that a lot of these tunes fill that post-Britpop space which is
already jam-packed with a whole host of perfectly good, mid-sized bands so I
don't know where the Rifles really fit in. There's a country ballad twang to
'The Hardest Place To Find Me' which shows glimmers of something a bit different
which is promising and 'Shoot From The Lip' has an 80s swagger about it that
stands out - the plucked strings are perfectly understated. The lo-fi meets
skiffle chug of 'Electric Eccentric' shows real imagination and ingenuity which
is making me feel that this is perhaps an album of two halves. This suspicion
is confirmed but the behemoth the closes the album that is 'Under And Over'.
This final track features so many ideas and approaches that you wouldn't have
expected when you heard the first couple of tracks which gives the listener the
impression that they've been on a real journey of growth and development with
the band. The Rifles are certainly ones to keep an eye on for the future (not a
phrase I use lightly) as if they follow the exit trajectory of this album and
ignore the first half then good things will surely come. Oh, and for a bonus
point, they're one of few bands I have reviewed recently that have bothered
with what used to be a staple - the hidden track. Made my day.
More information: http://www.therifles.net/
Live Dates:
28th April - The Globe, Cardiff
29th April - The Phoenix, Exeter
30th April - The Brook, Southampton
1st May - Waterfront, Norwich
2nd May - Shepherds Bush Empire, London
3rd May - Brighton Racecourse Modfest, Brighton
4th May - The Ritz, Manchester
6th May - Oran Mor, Glasgow
8th May - Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton
9th May - Junction 2, Cambridge
10th May - The Assembly 2, Leamington