The Rifles

Great Escape

BY Michael EdwardsPublished Jan 22, 2010

The Rifles arrive to North American shores with the kind of fanfare that every much-touted British band seems to. They are naturally going to save rock'n'roll with their second album, apparently just like so many other bands before them have. And therein lies the problem: they sound like so many of those other bands. At least the Cribs have the distinctness of Johnny Marr's guitars to fall back on, whereas the Rifles would need to make an exceptional record to make them stand out. On Great Escape, they get it partially right. It isn't hard to see why Paul Weller has shown his admiration because it's obvious that the band own the Jam's box set and have listened to it a few times. Still, there are worse bands to emulate, and the majority of Great Escape is decent enough, but it's so very familiar that it passes without making much of an impression. There are some songs that try their utmost to plant a few hooks into the listener's head, but it's a losing battle, and chances are they will be another of those forgotten bands in a couple of years.
(Nettwerk)

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