The Rifles – “None The Wiser”

Album Reviews | Jan 16th, 2014

The Rifles None The Wiser album review

Record Label: Cooking Vinyl
Genre: Rock
Band Link: www.therifles.net
Buy on Amazon.com

The Rifles latest album is None The Wiser, and seems like it has been 2 years in the making. The band started up a PledgeMusic campaign in 2012, which I happily pledged for, and gave us sneak peeks for the new album. Their drummer and bassist left the band in 2010 but they have since returned to work on None The Wiser. The long wait has been well worth it because None The Wiser is already a favorite of mine! I would have put it on my Best-Of list of 2013 if it came out then. Either way, fans of the Rifles will have something to be happy about it when they listen to this album.

Freedom Run had a lot of great songs on it but I think None The Wiser is better. So basically, The Rifles’ albums keep getting better and better with each release. Freedom Run saw the band slow things down a bit and explore other styles. They explore different styles for this album but I think they also bring back a sense of that Mod rock sound that they had in their first two albums.

“Minute Mile” is a great opener that reminds me of “The Great Escape” a little. You hear that song and you just know it’s The Rifles. “Heebie Jeebies” is my favorite song on the album because it’s fast, catchy as hell and stands out from the rest. It could also be that I heard that song first out of the new songs.

While I love the rambunctious mod rock songs that sound like the Jam, there’s also the other side to The Rifles that venture into other areas as well. The catchy Beatles-ish song “All I Need” is a good one and could see that appearing in some romantic comedies (at least ones with good music in them). “You Win Some” is an interesting track because it doesn’t really sound like anything The Rifles have done before, yet it’s one of the best on the album. The final track “Under and Over” starts off as a stomp and clap type of song, but then goes into the Rifles usual fast tempo rock. But that’s not all, there’s a secret song that really ends the album! It’s a song that shouldn’t be overlooked because it’s just as awesome as the rest of this album.

It’s been a long wait for None The Wiser but the wait was worth it. There are so many good songs on here and I hope I get to hear them live at some point. I’m not sure if None The Wiser will be released in the US or when it will be released. The exchange rate isn’t too bad if you wanted to get it through iTunes.

Bottom Line: The Rifles’ 4th album is flawless
Notable Tracks: Minute Mile, Heebie Jeebies, All I Need, You Win Some, Under and Over
Overall Rating:

Topics:

, , , , , ,