The Rifles

The long awaited first album by The Rifles hits the streets this week and it has been well worth the wait. Kicking off with the band's last single, 'She's Got Standards', the album gets off to a flyer and is followed by the fast moving, mod anthem 'Local Boy' which is one of the best singles to be released in the last 12 months.

The guitar hooks and melodic riffs continue at breakneck speed until we hit upon 'Spend a Lifetime' which shows the band's sensitive side, also seen later on with 'Narrow Minded Social Club' an acoustic classic which highlights Joel Stoker's reflective side and distinct and gutsy vocals. In between these two songs we are again treated to a feast of roudy post-punk gems including two previous singles, 'Repeated Offender' and 'When I'm Alone'. The finale is the surprise and unlisted insertion demo version of 'Fat Cat' which is the big favourite of the bands loyal and ever growing following and epitomises the band's music.

The Rifles music is heavily influenced by British bands such as The Kinks, Jam and The Cure and there should be no excuses made for this. It is all about the tunes and it is melody and tunes that are The Rifles strong points. No Love Lost has succeded in bringing the mod-ska-punk sound up to date and that is what makes The Rifles stand out from a host of other current bands. They are passionate and genuine in their beliefs and are exceptionally talented both musically and lyrically. One of the best albums of the year.