Rise Above - Dirty Projectors
Rise Above Image
  • Summary: Dave Longstreth reimagines Black Flag's album "Damaged."
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 17
  2. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

See all 17 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. MacMac
    10
    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. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. RowanS.
    10
    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. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. Liz
    3
    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. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 8 User Reviews

  1. Loveless [Reissue] - My Bloody Valentine
    Metascore: 96
  2. Ram [Deluxe Edition] - Paul & Linda McCartney
    Metascore: 93
  3. L.A. Woman - The Doors
    Metascore: 93
  4. On the Impossible Past - The Menzingers
    Metascore: 93
  5. Biokinetics [Reissue] - Porter Ricks
    Metascore: 93
  6. Bitch Magnet - Bitch Magnet
    Metascore: 91
  7. Reform Club - Claro Intelecto
    Metascore: 89
  8. Be Good - Gregory Porter
    Metascore: 89
  9. Crown and Treaty - Sweet Billy Pilgrim
    Metascore: 88
  10. 1992-2012 - Underworld
    Metascore: 88
  11. Undun - The Roots
    Metascore: 88
  12. Accelerando - Vijay Iyer Trio
    Metascore: 87
  13. R.A.P. Music - Killer Mike
    Metascore: 87
  14. Voices from the Lake - Voices from the Lake
    Metascore: 87
  15. The Earn - Yu
    Metascore: 86
  16. Europe - Allo Darlin'
    Metascore: 86
  17. Young Man In America - Anais Mitchell
    Metascore: 86
  18. Vee Vee [Remastered] - Archers of Loaf
    Metascore: 86
  19. Metascore: 86
  20. Locked Down - Dr. John
    Metascore: 86