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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Rise Above
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 17 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 17 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Dead Oceans
Release Date: 11 September 2007
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Indie
Summary
Dave Longstreth reimagines Black Flag's album "Damaged."
Also By This Artist: Bitte Orca
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Tiny Mix Tapes
Sonically, Rise Above is just another healthy dose of what Longstreth does best. Anomalous harmonies, quirky time signatures, and spontaneous rock-outs punctuate the album’s 11 tracks.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
The result is one of the most formally radical indie records in recent memory. It also happens to be Dirty Projectors’ all-around best, not least because it most closely recreates the kinetic force of their live performances.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
Dirty Projectors leader Dave Longstreth clearly had more than a remake on his mind--a mind whose wandering ways will be worth following for years to come.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Rise Above will drop plenty of jaws, and, like Deerhoof, Dirty Projectors are restructuring rock on a compositional level rather than a sonic one.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Dave Longstreth’s vision has always been determined and unique; it has never been this clear or viscerally exciting.
Read Full Review >Spin
It just might be a masterpiece all over again. [Nov 2007, p.118]
The Wire
It's an extraordinary and compelling celebration of a hardcore punk classic. [Oct 2007, p.71]
Uncut
It's the clever orchestration that elevates this above postmodern gag, all fluttering pipes and chiming guitar. [Nov 2007, p.98]
Prefix Magazine
Rise Above is deliberately challenging and obtuse; its ceaseless changes and refusal to settle are its most important similarities to Damaged's abrasive and exhaustive loudness. Translating Black Flag's anti-intellectual screed into arty free-jazz concept is one thing. That it actually merits repeat listens is another altogether.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
One coup this unexpectedly friendly record makes me miss is when my favorite records used to have a string of highlights as moments rather than memorable refrains.
Read Full Review >Sputnikmusic
Maybe it doesn't have the relevance as the original album, and doesn't quite live up to the legacy, but it is intelligently composed and often moving.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
They comfortably hang in that frustrating chasm between jazz and pop. [Fall 2007, p.79]
Drowned In Sound
There'll always be a suggestion that Rise Above is just namby-pamby, pretentious, art-for-art's-sake bollocks, and those whose ears pricked up at the Black Flag connection may well be disappointed that it rarely bears any similarity to its 'parent' album, but either way, at least it's interesting.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
Dirty Projectors' David Longstreth deserves praise for the way he's reinterpreted "Damaged." [Dec 2007, p.116]
Paste Magazine
This is either one of 2007’s most refreshing or most grating albums, and there’s a hair’s breadth in between. Swerving but creative, Rise Above may wear on repeated listens but still it connects more than it should.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
Alas, it's unlikely that the applause will stretch to actually wanting to listen as the looping metallic effects, heart-attack drums and seemingly played-backwards female vocals confuse more than impress.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 6.8 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Alex gave it a0:
This album is fucking awful. Good reviews for horseshit like this are why music criticism is a dying art.
Mac Mac gave it a10:
my 2nd favorite album of 2007. amazing, especially depression, rise above, gimme, gimme, spray paint. at first i was with liz - i hated the album - but give it five or six listens and if you still hate it, that's fine. my guess is that you'll end up loving it.
p mmmmm gave it a7:
Interesting concept, good record. i enjoy the contrasting and conflicting sounds, and it often comes together very well, sometimes however it is a pretty challenging listen, and i don't love all of these moments. in response to liz - don't be ridiculous. pitchfork gave this 8.1, while other publications rated it much higher. why not criticise them? oh my god some guy on the internet who writes for one site is killing rock and roll!!!!!! i cannot understand why people seem to think it's 'cool' to bash pitchfork. it's just a website. oh i know, it would be a much better world if some people weren't allowed to express their views. yeah, that makes sense. rock on.
Ryan M. gave it a9:
I can't stop listening to this record. From a songwriting standpoint it's inspiring as hell - with the New Attitude EP and this record, Longstreth is finally figuring out how to combine his jarring compositional instincts with something like pop accessibility. The only thing that occasionally bugs me about the album: in light of its central concept - rewriting Black Flag's "Damaged" album using only the lyrics as an anchor - certain songs seem to miss the mark in kind of an ugly way. "Six Pack", for example, is a great composition, but the change of tone here is so completely opposed to the original that it comes off like it's mocking it. "Police Story" has a bit of this, too. Other songs, however, transcend like crazy - "No More," "Spray Paint (The Walls)," "What I See," "Rise Above," etc.
Thomas K gave it an8:
Very good. The guitars remind me of some excellent African guitar pop i've heard before. Took me a listen or two, but at this point I can't get it out of my head. Buyer beware for anything before this album, though. Still very good, but the real question is: can they write their own lyrics with the same degree of sucess? (This album uses only Black Flag lyrics, with a result that transcends the original product, in both poignancy and auditory bliss.) If allowed I would give this album an 8.5. It is strong. They are pushing the boundaries...
Rowan S. gave it a10:
The way that the instrumentation of this album flows, it is never led by a single instrument, the backing choir is so vital to the harmony that you find yourself singing not only David's lead vocals, but the choir's as well. You know a band is interesting when you realize that he is singing and playing guitar in different time signatures at the same time.
Liz gave it a3:
Trying too hard to be weird. Randomly assembled bits can pass off as masterminded these days? Pitchfork, once again, killing rock and roll, one boring art school project band at a time. How could they even call this "rock"!? You can't rock out to this. This is thinking music, made for critics, without any true grit or feeling.
