Coming out of the same Philadelphia underground music scene that spawned such bands as
Man Man,
Need New Body, and
An Albatross,
Make a Rising is certainly not your average, run-of-the-mill rock act. Although it's tempting to categorize the group as "experimental" (especially since their songwriting is completely unpredictable, where random orchestra blasts and musical detours come and go), it's not a cut-and-dried case, as
Make a Rising also specialize in penning alt-pop ditties. Picture an amalgamation of
Captain Beefheart, Sun Ra Arkestra,
the Beach Boys circa
Pet Sounds,
Radiohead, and
the Flaming Lips, and you'd still only be touching the tip of the iceberg. The quintet's full-length debut,
Rip Through the Hawk Black Night, was originally recorded in 2003, sold at shows in 2004 (during which time it was named as one of the year's best by the Philadelphia City Paper), and given a proper domestic release via the High Two label in 2005. Strap yourself in and get prepared for a wild and wooly sonic ride, especially on such standouts as "Look at my Hawk" and "Lovely It May Seem."
Make a Rising is certainly not your average band, and as expected,
Rip Through the Hawk Black Night is not your average rock release. ~ Greg Prato