THE WILDHEARTS "Riff After Riff"
by Jani Bon Neil

Cover: 5 Geordies out of 10
Not bad but not great either. It's says The Wildhearts at the top and "Riff After Riff" on the bottom with a skull in the middle of a heart with lightning bolts around it. It has a dirty, worn out look to it.

Booklet: 1 Geordies out of 10
This booklet is a total disappointment. It basically doesn't exist. It's only 4 panels and inside is just a centerfold style band photo. These guys aren't N'Sync so I don't think that's necessary. On the back are very brief credits and thanks and that's it. Would it have killed anybody to include the lyrics or do it up like they did on "The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed?" In this day and age of downloading, you need to give fans a reason to buy the CD. This also has a clear CD tray but no photo or anything under the CD, so I don't know what the point of that was other than to point out how plain it looks. There is just so much more that could have been done. Whoever is responsible for this needs to be flogged. Being it's their first US release since 1993 they should have gone all out on everything.

Songs: 10 Geordies out of 10
Since this is somewhat a reissue and I'm lazy, let me cut & paste what I originally wrote about some of these songs back in 2002:

"I'm not gonna lie - I've liked everything The Wildhearts have ever done. This CD is classic Wildhearts. Good riffs and along with the typical Wildhearts tempo changes and mood swings, which means one minute the song is going along and the next minute it almost sounds like a different song. They're great at doing that and I never find it boring. My favorites are "Looking For The One" and "O.C.D." which has an interesting middle section. All the songs have the potential to be stuck in your head after only a listen or two."

That's what I wrote 2 years ago and I stand by that now. The new songs are "Lake Of Piss," "If I Decide," "Bang!" "Action Panzer," "The People That Life Forgot," "Move On" and "Return To Zero." Plenty of good riff, catchy choruses, and how can you not like a band that writes a song called "Lake Of Piss?" If you're a fan of good riffs and hooks for days, then what's your fucking problem? Why don't you have this? Don't be an asshole, go find it and do yourself a favor. I wouldn't steer you wrong.

Comments: This is basically a reissue of the 2002 release "Riff After Riff After Motherfucking Riff" that was released overseas. It includes all those songs plus a variety of B-sides the band recorded for various singles they released in England. It's their first US release since 1992, which is good timing since the band is currently opening for The Darkness on their first US Tour. There isn't really a budget behind this CD since I haven't seen a single ad for it and probably nobody knows it's even out. It is, so go check it out.