The Agent Intellect

Protomartyr - The Agent Intellect
Critic Score
Based on 21 reviews
2015 Ratings: #93 / 1021
User Score
Based on 431 ratings
2015 Rank: #165
Liked by 30 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

91
Consequence of Sound

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.

88
Northern Transmissions

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.

83
A.V. Club

In the best sense, The Agent Intellect takes what made its predecessors good and builds on it.

82
Pitchfork

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.

80
The Skinny

Whether opaque, sprightly or just plain gung-ho garage rock, Protomartyr revel in a gnarled inspiration that often feels sincerely profound.

80
Q Magazine
The follow-up reins in some of the chaos and the songs are stronger for it.
80
Spectrum Culture
There’s a decidedly Midwestern quality to the darkly claustrophobic sound of Protomartyr.
80
NOW Magazine

The Agent Intellect is a multi-layered, emotive powerhouse of a record.

80
The Guardian

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. 

80
Loud and Quiet
If thematically some tracks are smaller-scale, musically things have been blown up.
80
Rolling Stone

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.

80
The Line of Best Fit

Even if the mood is fairly dour on The Agent Intellect, there’s a message of defiance and resistance.

80
DIY
The Detroit 4-piece seem to have cornered the market in soundtracking everything getting worse. Which is why ‘The Agent Intellect’ works so well; it starts with a slow drip and builds to a raging flood.
80
Under the Radar

The songs on The Agent Intellect are fuller, longer, and more meaningful.

80
SPIN

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.

80
NME
If these guys don't have the loftiest ambitions ever, it needn't matter when 'The Agent Intellect' makes post-punk feel like purest rock'n'roll.
80
AllMusic

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.

78
Paste
Essentially, it’s an album of spindly bass, needling guitar and economical drums. And yet, with Protomartyr’s inventive ensemble flare, it sounds like much more.
70
Uncut
Alongside matters existential, there are plenty of personal expressions here.
70
The Needle Drop
Protomartyr comes through with an eerie, moody post-punk record perfect for fall.
60
FLOOD Magazine
Protomartyr’s third album, “The Agent Intellect,” does a superb job evoking its title, the origin of which stems from a classical and medieval philosophy regarding the concept of active reasoning—it’s the conscious mental action of converting potential or passive thought into something human.
SnowyFighter
74

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

dearsongs
NR

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.

GoodCompany
91

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.

adrianiturralde
75

Fav tracks:
- Pontiac 87
- Why Does It Shake?
- I Forgive You
- The Hermit

Least faves:
- Cowards Starve
- Clandestine Time
- Ellen
- Feast of Stephen

CheerCthere
75

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

RealZzzz
43

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

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Added on: July 14, 2015