Eoghan Mac Reviews: The Rifles - The Great Escape
- Feb 06, 2009
Just imagine this. Paul Weller has a house, probably a semi, and he's renting his spare room out to The Cribs. Paul decides to invite the Gallagher brothers around for a glass of bubbly and as it happens he decides to have a garage sale that day. The Coral are driving by, purchase a nice lamp and they all decide to form a band. If this were to happen then they would produce something that sounds incredibly like The Rifles latest album The Great Escape. Other than that this album doesn't need a review. Â I'm quite boring anyway... (please read on though)
The Rifles follow-up album to No Love Lost begins quite quietly, so quietly that you may even decide to turn the volume up. I warn you, this may result in temporary deafness as the first track, Science In Violence, explodes into a magnificent ear orgy of guitar riffs and banging drums. The chorus is a memorable chant of "The world is ours and ours alone" as if The Rifles want to show the world exactly what they're capable of.
The second track, Great Escape, sounds distinctly like The Jam but at times does sound like something Hard-Fi could produce. Fall to Sorrow is the catchy first single but definitely not the stand out track, that award goes to the opener Science In Violence, and Sometimes could easily be passed off as a Cribs track with its football terrace chants.
The Great Escape is not all ladish chants and loud noises however. Toe Rag is an acoustic sing a long that gives Joel Stoker (lead singer) a chance to display his lyrical skills as he claims that nothing changes "except for the name of the day". Dabbling with the meaning of life Mr Stoker, serious stuff. Winter Calls is a love song with a delectably danceable acoustic intro and chorus (reminiscent of The Coral) as Stoker sings "if you don't want my heart let me know".
The mix of loud anthemic tracks with acoustic sing-a-longs creates a very complete and balanced album which is a tribute to the band who have obviously worked hard, desperate to reach the mainstream. For those of you who like any of the bands previously mentioned, you will like this album. I do not lie, this album is very good, although if you ask me that in a few weeks my answer may be different.
PS: Paul's having another garage sale next week, all invited. Â Â 8/10
MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Amazon / Spotify
The Rifles follow-up album to No Love Lost begins quite quietly, so quietly that you may even decide to turn the volume up. I warn you, this may result in temporary deafness as the first track, Science In Violence, explodes into a magnificent ear orgy of guitar riffs and banging drums. The chorus is a memorable chant of "The world is ours and ours alone" as if The Rifles want to show the world exactly what they're capable of.
The second track, Great Escape, sounds distinctly like The Jam but at times does sound like something Hard-Fi could produce. Fall to Sorrow is the catchy first single but definitely not the stand out track, that award goes to the opener Science In Violence, and Sometimes could easily be passed off as a Cribs track with its football terrace chants.
The Great Escape is not all ladish chants and loud noises however. Toe Rag is an acoustic sing a long that gives Joel Stoker (lead singer) a chance to display his lyrical skills as he claims that nothing changes "except for the name of the day". Dabbling with the meaning of life Mr Stoker, serious stuff. Winter Calls is a love song with a delectably danceable acoustic intro and chorus (reminiscent of The Coral) as Stoker sings "if you don't want my heart let me know".
The mix of loud anthemic tracks with acoustic sing-a-longs creates a very complete and balanced album which is a tribute to the band who have obviously worked hard, desperate to reach the mainstream. For those of you who like any of the bands previously mentioned, you will like this album. I do not lie, this album is very good, although if you ask me that in a few weeks my answer may be different.
PS: Paul's having another garage sale next week, all invited. Â Â 8/10
MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Amazon / Spotify
