The Black Market
Has Rise Against’s latest album conquered the fans?
In a week from now Rise Against will have released their latest album exactly six months ago (July, 15): The Black Market (TBM), which can turn out to be a decisive plot twist. I speak only for myself when I say Rise Against have surprised me (waiting for a political enraged album) by going further and releasing a political album (it’s Rise Against, what were you expecting?) that manages to pass their message ‘not-so-loud’ and clear. Indeed, TBM, the seventh studio album of the group from Chicago, is the living proof that you don’t have to speak loud to be listened. In it, Rise Against presents a sound polished as never before, far from the sound of The Unraveling [2001], but fortunately they haven’t gone Green Day and manage to stick to their soul. Step that, unfortunately, most punk-rock bands can’t take without stumbling… and selling themselves instead of their music. And you can feel it right in the first single of the album: I Don’t Want To Be Here Anymore (that you can find in the largest video-sharing website through the extension /watch?v=FqQsZ8g8KHQ), a rich and powerful track that stands out as one of the best tracks of the album… which is a hard job for any track of this album.
TBM may actually be one of the best albums of the group. Most fans though, waiting for an intense and enraged album, will be disappointed (that is simply not the direction chosen for this album) before being surprised. Track after track Rise Against get into your head and make you feel like you are part of a revolution in course… like it is also your fight… except for the second single of the album: Tragedy + Time. You probably don’t know but I really like Tim McIlrath’s group. Album after album they always manage to surprise me. Locked in a very defined musical style, Rise Against rarely wander away from their own strict line of punk-rock but, nonetheless, there is always a handful of tracks that rise above the evenness of the album to make me shout along with them. Reason why it is even harder for me to write that ‘Tragedy + Time’ is a sad, soulless and pop track that doesn’t belong here.
Rise Against make you feel like you are part of a revolution in course
Fortunately… is the only one in TBM. The remaining tracks will take you back to life and make you forget the last one. Particularly ‘A Beautiful Indifference’, ‘Methadone’, ‘Zero Visibility’ and ‘People Live Here’. Tracks that, for a moment, stray away from the fight without straying away from the line of the album. Confused? Imagine you’re watching a football game in the first row of the stadium when, suddenly, you’re transported to your couch to watch the same football game… away from the deafening chants of the fans. Well, the same principle can be applied to the first three tracks. Just as political as the entire record, they are simply dressed in a lighter message about learning from our mistakes and gaining courage to fight our fears. The message Rise Against shout from top to bottom in the TBM. ‘People Live Here’, on the other hand, is the lightest track of the album. A sad, introspective and powerful Tim McIlrath’s acoustic solo appealing to peace and comprehension before it’s too late, instead of a condemnation of the values our society is ruled by.
In the end, The Black Market is the logical evolution of Endgame [2011]. It may not be as intense and enraged as their antecessors but, once you listen to it, you will find the political fight Rise Against always print on their albums… only not as powerful as it once was. The best final remarks I can write are that The Black Market is a Rise Against album… and that should be reason enough for you to buy it. A consistent and well-produced album filled with good tracks that, fan or not, you won’t forget. 4 out 5 stars. MRR
TRACKS TO LISTEN INCREDIBLY LOUD I Don’t Want To Be Here Anymore, A Beautiful Indifference, Methadone
TRACKS TO FORGET Tragedy + Time
