The Rifles

Great Escape

(Nettwerk)

For their sophomore effort, Britain’s The Rifles have decided to stick pretty close to the pattern used to garner so much critical praise for their debut. Owing a big debt to The Jam and just about every other dance-friendly garage rock band, from the Kaiser Chiefs to Gang of Four, The Rifles deliver poppy three-chord guitar riffs over big choruses and the occasional hand claps. There is nothing earth-shatteringly original about Great Escape (even the title borrows from one of Blur’s biggest records), but it’s an enjoyable record, nonetheless. The title track, along with “Fall to Sorrow” and the infectiously cheerful “Romeo & Julie” (which sounds more than a little like the Katrina and the Waves hit “Walking on Sunshine”) shows the band clearly enjoying their quest for rock stardom… even if it is achieved on borrowed riffs.