Rise Above (JK Flesh album)

Last updated
Rise Above
JK Flesh Rise Above 2016.jpg
Studio album by
Released3 June 2016 (3 June 2016)
Studio Avalanche Studios
Genre
Length44:40
Label Electric Deluxe
Producer Justin Broadrick
JK Flesh chronology
Suicide Estate
(2016)
Rise Above
(2016)
Exit Stance
(2017)

Rise Above is the second studio album by JK Flesh, a moniker of English musician Justin Broadrick, and was released digitally and on vinyl on 3 June 2016 through the label Electric Deluxe under the designation EDLX.048. [2] It is Broadrick's fourth release under the JK Flesh title and continues the sparse, drum and bass style of Nothing Is Free , the EP released a year earlier.

Contents

Composition

Inspired by Broadrick's childhood in industrial Birmingham, [3] Rise Above's sound is characterized by heavy distortion, kinetic beats, and noisy production. [4] In keeping with the JK Flesh evolution, nearly all elements of industrial metal are gone from this album and replaced with starker, more synthetic sounds. [5] [6] John Twells of Fact wrote, "The doomy, distorted grind of Godflesh and Jesu is certainly still present, but woven into a wheezing 4/4 template that doesn’t sound a million miles from Andy Stott’s patented 'knackered house' or a Surgeon record on the wrong speed being played through a broken car stereo." [7] Chang Terhune of Igloo Magazine also drew comparisons between Rise Above and the work of Andy Stott. [8] Heathen Harvest likened the album's percussion driven approach to early industrial albums: "The predominant sound is that of the factory: machines, machines, and more machines." [9]

According to Broadrick, his vision for JK Flesh was only fully realized with Rise Above. [5] About the deliberate shift away from guitar and industrial beats, he said, "Wildly divisive, its lack of guitars and its adherence to 4/4 techno, has led to a misunderstanding of this project's intentions, but I find this is positive. I'm doing something ‘real', and I'm doing it because I need and love doing it. This shouldn't be easy for anyone." [5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Quietus Positive [6]
Resident Advisor Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Rise Above received positive reviews. Writing for The Quietus , Tristan Bath said "So frank and brutal are the whiteknuckled grooves and aggression on Rise Above it’s tougher than ever to imagine where Broadrick will go next." [6] Resident Advisor reviewer Justin Farrar wrote "It's a rare musician who could make music this bleak sound utterly engrossing." [4]

In another very positive review Ben Hudgins of Heathen Harvest called Rise Above "unadulterated machine music that’s been crafted by a master engineer." [9]

Track listing

All music is composed by Justin Broadrick.

No.TitleLength
1."Tunnel"6:06
2."Defector"5:32
3."Swarm"5:31
4."Conquered"5:12
5."Trinity"4:53
6."Rise Above"5:26
7."Cast"5:52
8."Low Alloy"6:05
Total length:44:40

Personnel

Taken from the Rise Above liner notes. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 Eede, Christian. "Justin Broadrick Preps New JK Flesh Album". The Quietus . Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Rise Above (digital liner notes). JK Flesh. Electric Deluxe. 2016. EDLX.048. Retrieved 12 June 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. Turner, Rob (July 2016). "JK Flesh - Rise Above". The Wire (389): 50–52.
  4. 1 2 3 "JK Flesh – Rise Above". Resident Advisor . Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Raggett, Ned. "Songs Of The 'Flesh - The Strange World Of... Justin Broadrick". The Quietus . Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Bath, Tristan. "Lead Review: Tristan Bath On JK Flesh's Rise Above". The Quietus . Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  7. Twells, John. "Justin K. Broadrick preps crushing new JK Flesh album Rise Above". Fact . Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  8. Terhune, Chang. "JK Flesh :: Rise Above (Electric Deluxe)". Igloo Magazine. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Hudgins, Ben. "Justin Broadrick Gets Robotic in All the Right Ways on JK Flesh's "Rise Above"". Heathen Harvest . Retrieved November 7, 2018.