Brooklyn art rocker takes on the world with classic album rehash. World Wins.
There is, among critics, an unwritten rule that, no matter what their music taste or opinion, everything that they are given to review will be treated fairly, honestly and without bias. In the words of Greek philosopher, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (or singer, George Michael, as he's sometimes known), we "listen without prejudice". The other important staple is to have a wide a discerning knowledge of music so that one can compare, rate and grade against other works of the same type.
These are the very reasons why "Rise Above", based on Black Flag's seminal 1981 album, Damaged, comes as such a challenge. On the one hand we have a truly great, artistic concept (an record that is no covers album but a from memory interpretation of a loved classic) that has been done boldly and thoughtfully, but on the other you have a piece of work which is so challenging to listen to and is more likely to induce headaches than sweet nostalgia.
The underlying factor that makes "Rise Above" fail is the simple fact that it is too hard on the ears to be enjoyable. When Radiohead released Kid A in 2000, people were faced with a similar dilemma, but that had, amongst all of the electronic drones and techno loops, some strong, identifiable songwriting. "Rise Above" has none of that. Instead one is thrust into a nightmarish world of disjointed beats, wailing strings and ghostly vocals that echo the works of Prince when he was trying to get dropped by his label.
If "Rise Above" were the accompaniment of a piece of visual art that was to be displayed at the Tate Modern then it would be daring and provocative, something that you would stand and look at and admire. But, and this is the rub, it would not be something that you would choose to take home with you and listen to on headphones. Art is great and should be appreciated by all, but there is a time and a place for everything.
Yes, this is a brave step and something that should be admired but I fail to see how anyone could actually enjoy listening to this. There are no tracks whatsoever that stand out (hence my omitting to mention them here) but then again, this is more a body of work than a collection of songs. Maybe, if you are wishing to expand yourself and are willing to take on a steep challenge then there might be something here for you. But there is art rock out there that is just as clever and more accessible than this and most people will probably be better off starting there.