Intellect highlights the band’s strengths, with Casey’s melodies punching through some of the sturdiest rock and roll arrangements since The National emerged with Alligator and Boxer.
In a way that’s difficult to describe, it never feels like Protomartyr is aping these groups, and they’re certainly not paying tribute. What remains on Agent Intellect is a band that truly believes in their sound, letting it exist in the now rather than rehashing their past influences.
In the best sense, The Agent Intellect takes what made its predecessors good and builds on it.
Throughout the album, the band rises to meet the weighty subject matter. On Right, songs arrived in brute slashes, but on Intellect they’re textured and spacious.
Whether opaque, sprightly or just plain gung-ho garage rock, Protomartyr revel in a gnarled inspiration that often feels sincerely profound.
The Agent Intellect is a multi-layered, emotive powerhouse of a record.
This isn’t spiky postpunk like their last album – it’s more unhinged: they’ve swapped hooks for a dirgy epicness, distortion bulldozes through, sometimes flaring angrily, punctured by driving, truly affecting drums.
The band's music is still built on Rust Belt koans, guitarist Greg Ahee's fanged leads, and an unmistakable musk of existential dread perfuming every pitiless hook.
Even if the mood is fairly dour on The Agent Intellect, there’s a message of defiance and resistance.
The songs on The Agent Intellect are fuller, longer, and more meaningful.
It’s an album so fully realized and of its own singular identity that despite its many obvious post-punk-era touchstones, there’s no mistaking the band for revivalists.
Protomartyr's music is smart without wearing its intellect on its sleeve, and physically strong enough to support the ideas lurking behind Casey's lyrics, and The Agent Intellect is an album that challenges both the mind and the body.
Not my favorite Protomartyr album but it’s a solid one. There just aren’t too many moments that jump out at me and get me to freak out, but it’s an enjoyable for sure. I honestly don’t have too much else to say. It might grow! Love this group tho
The Devil in His Youth - 7.5
Cowards Starve - 8.5
I Forgive You - 7
Boyce or Boice - 8
Pontiac 87 - 7.5
Uncle Mother’s - 7
Dope Cloud - 7
The Hermit - 8
Clandestine Time - 8
Why Does It Shake? - 7.5
Ellen - 7.5
Feast of ... read more
So excited for the new one, expecting it to be my fav so far for 2020.
Haven't listened to this in awhile but it seems like the right time to reimmerse myself. The Devil in His Youth is such a fantastic opener. Pontiac 87's swag is off the charts. Ellen is another highlight for sure.
The last album before they kind of move beyond the easily noticeable post-punk tag. Still though, these songs are amazing and do the post punk thing as well as any did this past decade. Still listen to this regularly.
Fav tracks:
- Pontiac 87
- Why Does It Shake?
- I Forgive You
- The Hermit
Least faves:
- Cowards Starve
- Clandestine Time
- Ellen
- Feast of Stephen
The Devil in His Youth- 7
Cowards Starve- 6
I Forgive You- 7
Boyce or Boice- 9
Pontiac 87- 8
Uncle Mother's- 7
Dope Cloud- 9
The Hermit- 9
Clandestine Time- 7
Why Does It Shake?- 7
Ellen- 8
Feast of Stephen- 6
Strong cool ish band, they can play alright but my god I was not interested in this, I was like 20% interested. There were a few like interesting moments throughout but overall it felt repetitive and samey. My fave songs are probably the devil in his youth, dope cloud, and why does it shake? (Only cus that last one seemed to go in a different direction and felt different enough. The sound never really progresses anywhere like at all, it’s always the same instruments and patterns n ... read more
1 | The Devil in His Youth 2:37 | 82 |
2 | Cowards Starve 3:36 | 81 |
3 | I Forgive You 3:01 | 74 |
4 | Boyce or Boice 3:37 | 70 |
5 | Pontiac 87 4:31 | 84 |
6 | Uncle Mother's 4:19 | 73 |
7 | Dope Cloud 2:56 | 70 |
8 | The Hermit 2:32 | 76 |
9 | Clandestine Time 3:07 | 76 |
10 | Why Does It Shake? 4:45 | 78 |
11 | Ellen 6:22 | 72 |
12 | Feast of Stephen 2:24 | 64 |
#11 | / | A.V. Club |
#12 | / | Paste |
#13 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#13 | / | No Ripcord |
#17 | / | PopMatters |
#20 | / | SPIN |
#22 | / | Treble |
#26 | / | Loud and Quiet |
#34 | / | Pretty Much Amazing |
#75 | / | Under the Radar |