Review by Matt Miller
Revolutions of synth restrain pacing electronics—tension before a relaxing, almost casual delivery of the first of many cursed verses. Drums sputter and ignite an aggressive guitar riff before colliding with now fuming vocals. The chorus radiates the residual heat and cools before the process recycles itself, melding together the different elements, while adding subtle variations with general fluidity. The standout single, “Still Right Here” introduces Rise in a cycle of transitions from contrast to confrontation to ultimate cohesion with enough coarse texture in the final assailing…and know that I am still right here!... that it’s believable. Rise is not a perfect progression, subtle as often as sweeping, requiring listeners to lend both ears.
The straightforward sing/scream approach with a simple, pervasive rhythm in “Someone Like You” acts as a breakdown of sorts before building around the sung vocals in “She.” Guitars chafe the surface with a simple melody that eventually halts while the vocals oscillate peacefully around a quiet electronic rhythm. As the vocal foundation collapses, the guitar melody returns and a single guitar separates in opposition before reflecting the vocal melody as it resurfaces. The delayed movement of relatively simple instrumentation toward the range of previously established vocals sets up the coalescence of elements in the album’s second focal point, “In This Ocean.”
Foregoing scratchy guitar riff introductions, “In This Ocean” lulls listeners with a tightened beat that fluctuates between somewhat moderate and speedy before fusing with the prettiest vocal layers on the album. Guitars accentuate the rhythm early and have a smoother texture in the chorus, where all the elements merge and move the song and album forward. In four minutes “In This Ocean” cycles through a vast expanse of emotion from clarity to anxiety to hope to despair before seamlessly drifting into the brief and peaceful title track.
On the surface, “Everyday” and “Puppet” abrade where the previous series of tracks soothe, diverging into heavy guitars and angry political sentiments that may seem a little jarring, but encompass the entire concept of Rise. The former has an overall heaviness about it with a brief anti-breakdown (a fix-up?) that shifts back into the rhythm and vocal style of previous tracks. The latter has more of a traditional give-and-take, scream/sing, heavy guitar vs. convoluted synth sound in what becomes the perfect placement of contrast on Rise.
Perhaps one of the simplest songs musically, “More Than What I Am” rests on more of a lyrical foundation, linking the struggle of writing with the basic struggle of life to begin the album’s experimental home-stretch.
With incredible attention to craft two songs stand out with their simple attention to craft. The broken vocal layers of “Beyond” converge with the chorus over a background of solid rhythm and smooth guitars, giving a serene feel (albeit with some disturbing lyrics) that stretches into “Smile in the Dark,” which seems to rise, but completely unravels before the final track.
“Prayer” is somewhat of an epilogue, adopting a piano and vocal style in contrast to the rest of the album. Rise may leave listeners wondering what exactly it is to rise. In general the tone seems like more of a repetition of the abysmal plunge with some brief moments of clarity rather than an epiphany, but listeners can’t help but feel like they have gained something. The deviation from the manner and degree of elevation expected from the first track makes the concept real and fascinating.