The Rifles
No Love Lost

THE REVIEW

It's my fault. How did I miss this album? Now I have to go backward like a crab. Me, who has all the Jam's albums over there, one after the other. All of them, collections of unreleased tracks, extras, everything. Here comes the first band that picks up where they left off. No, sorry, that's not accurate. The Rifles pick up where The Jam left off with "All Mod Cons" and Madness with their second album. They shake it all up, and in the year 2006, serve us this mix that we had never heard before. There's no Brit-Pop that can hold here. Erased, surpassed. A Formula One that overtakes a Rickshaw. The others didn't even realize it. But now, with the release of the second album in 2009, everyone will have to rethink. What was that blur I saw pass by for a moment? The Rifles. A real pleasant surprise.

That's what it is. 1) She's got standards - A start with a bang. Shot in the true sense of the word. These songs are bullets. Never has a band found a more fitting name. All the novelty of the Rifles is already present in this first piece. The Jam of "In the City" merge with Madness. 2) Local Boy - Having already listened to the second album. I expect no drops. In fact, I expect even more speed as fits a debut like this. And they don't disappoint me. These songs are beat pearls. 3) One night stand - Three out of three. Here more Madness than Jam. Beautiful. 4) Hometown Blues - Well, the formula is the same as the other tracks. These guys churn out 45 spins like they were peanuts. 5) Peace and quiet - A fitting title for a nice ballad, right? Instead, drums kick in, lead guitar keeps the rhythm, and off you go. How beautiful is this track! Help! It's the track of their debut on 7". Here are the Jam, the dancing Saints, everyone. 6) Spend a Lifetime - Here it is, the ballad in the style of Sound Affects by the Jam. They'll place another one like it in the same spot on the second album. 7) Robin Hood - rhythmic guitar and then the piece explodes. Without mercy. 8) She's the only one - it's a semi rockabilly - nothing new here. However, the track does not lower the average. I can accept it. I liked the Stray Cats so it's fine by me. 9) Repeated offender - Here they are again, the Jam hand in hand with Madness. This really sounds new: But I get the impression they're gearing up for the final bang. To give me the KO. At the end of the album, I see a long track. This track is also very good. 10) When I'm alone - let's see what he does when he's alone. I'll tell you what he does. He jumps and dances. This is beautiful too. 11) Narrow minded Social Club - let's reveal the mystery of this long track. It starts acoustically, yet another Jam-style ballad from Sound Affects. After a couple of minutes of this track, there's a deadly silence. But it's not over! There are still three minutes left. Could it be flawed? Then starts a piece that's a whole other thing. A rhythmic and beautiful beat track. Panic. The track is not on the tracklist. High-altitude investigations reveal it's a purposely hidden track. Title: Fat Cat. Go figure.

I'll give this album a 4. Unfortunately, I've already listened to the second one. Alex