Starting with a prominent drum beat and dual guitar lines
reminiscent of Bloc Party, the vocals of Joel Stoker remind you The Rifles are
probably wearing Fred Perry shirts, and not ironically. It’s a cracking opening
line too on ‘Minute Mile’, “I shouldn't ever be the one you’ve taken for a ride
/ and I should never be the one you wanna criticise”. The build up from here on
is that of early 2000’s guitar-indie-pop, the formula that served so many bands
back then so well – rudiments on the high hats, open them slightly, roll across
the drums, everyone jumps in on vocals for the chorus, back to the main riff -
I still like it! It’s a more grown up sound than their previous records, with a
boyish charm in the form of Lucas Crowther’s guitar lines, an ode to early
Weller and currently his younger prodigy, Miles Kane (without the swamp-like
delay pedals all over the show).
‘Go Lucky’ is guitar-pop-by-numbers, referencing The
Libertines, Ordinary Boys and the now long-time defunct Thee Unstrung. You
wouldn’t be mistaken for listening to this thinking that this is 2004, Oasis
were still churning our records and Tony Blair was still in charge (not of
Oasis…obviously). Saying that, it’s nice! It’s a nice change to be reminded
that Indie doesn't have to be gloomy - you don't need heartache and misfortune
to write a good song. Uplifting although it may be, The Rifles do touch on
their bad luck, but with a positive spin, and it’s a great example of what a
lot of the thousand yard stare upstarts are giving us these days. It’s not a
dancefloor belter like Franz Ferdinand, who also take a similar approach to
their lyrical content at times, but it’s a great track.
That’s a theme of the record that I picked up on. No
matter The Rifles misfortunes or shortcomings, they're quite happy with what
they've got, and so they should be! The mod revival could very well be over
once Paul Weller decides he’s had enough, so unless The Rifles or Miles Kane
step it up a gear, that chapter of music may come to a close. With Mr Weller –
aka The Modfather – lending them his studio to record’ None The Wiser’, no
wonder they're so happy in the face of adversity. It’s the icing on their
stripper-filled birthday cake, and the record is a testament to their approach,
long-term effort and outcome of the record. It’s an all-rounder, even for the
naysayers who aren't really into that kind of thing. Pretty sure my Mum would
listen to this at least once.
The standout track
for me, and one that is trumping Franz Ferdinand for dancefloor credibility is
‘Catch Her In The Rye’. Imagine a supergroup consisting of Weller, The Cribs
and The Rifles then you've got this track. There are really fulfilling moments
on the drum rolls which Steve Harris (producer) has brought out, and the
staccato vocal track at 1:15 is absolute genius too. If The Rifles are not
nominated for a Mercury Prize for that one bit of songwriting, then I don't
know which way is up anymore. ‘Under and Over’ would probably be the encore
from the Weller / Rifles / Cribs supergroup, and it closes ‘None The Wiser’
excellently. It’s an advance on 2004, but keeping spirits high, and keeping
those tiny fringes in place but the mullets flying about.
It’s definitely a
progression, and now as we approach the release of record #4, things are taking
shape nicely. Rome wasn't built in a day, and Augustus had to wait for Caesar
to die before taking his throne. The Rifles have a way to go before Weller
either retires or dies onstage from endless touring (he won’t have a freak
gardening accident will he, let’s be honest), but when that time comes, if they
continue to improve at this rate, The Rifles will likely be in the right place
at the right time. Just be cautious of the Liberators (played by the loveable
Miles Kane in this scenario).
‘None The Wiser’ is out on January 20th on Cooking Vinyl.
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