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Critic Reviews
91
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.
10y
88
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.
9y
83
In the best sense, The Agent Intellect takes what made its predecessors good and builds on it.
10y
82
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.
10y
80
Whether opaque, sprightly or just plain gung-ho garage rock, Protomartyr revel in a gnarled inspiration that often feels sincerely profound.
10y
80
The follow-up reins in some of the chaos and the songs are stronger for it.
5y
80
There’s a decidedly Midwestern quality to the darkly claustrophobic sound of Protomartyr.
3y
80
The Agent Intellect is a multi-layered, emotive powerhouse of a record.
10y
80
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.
10y
80
If thematically some tracks are smaller-scale, musically things have been blown up.
10y
80
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.
10y
80
Even if the mood is fairly dour on The Agent Intellect, there’s a message of defiance and resistance.
10y
80
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.
10y
80
The songs on The Agent Intellect are fuller, longer, and more meaningful.
Print Only
3y
80
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.
10y
80
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.
10y
80
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.
10y
78
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.
10y
70
Alongside matters existential, there are plenty of personal expressions here.
Print Only
3y
70
Protomartyr comes through with an eerie, moody post-punk record perfect for fall.
8y
60
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.
8y
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
After proving their worth on the previous record, The Agent Intellect feels like the band being granted permission to get even weirder, looser, and more Indie-rock sounding. The stiff riffs feel like a grittier Interpol with it's monotone ramblings evolving into transcendent breaks. The production is a bit warmer and muddled with a shallow echo that gives the group a real college radio friendly tone. It's morose and too fed up to fix it's hair for class.
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.
After proving their worth on the previous record, The Agent Intellect feels like the band being granted permission to get even weirder, looser, and more Indie-rock sounding. The stiff riffs feel like a grittier Interpol with it's monotone ramblings evolving into transcendent breaks. The production is a bit warmer and muddled with a shallow echo that gives the group a real college radio friendly tone. It's morose and too fed up to fix it's hair for class.
I have listened to Under Color so much, that I feel funny knowing it took me so long to actually try their other stuff.
So far I feel more fond of their more garagy sound, doesn't mean I do not like this one much less.
They might grow on me is one of my favourite depressive bands, their concrete-cold is wonderful.
Fav song: Pontiac 87
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Track List
| 1 | The Devil in His Youth 2:37 | 87 |
| 2 | Cowards Starve 3:36 | 84 |
| 3 | I Forgive You 3:01 | 77 |
| 4 | Boyce or Boice 3:37 | 77 |
| 5 | Pontiac 87 4:31 | 88 |
| 6 | Uncle Mother's 4:19 | 75 |
| 7 | Dope Cloud 2:56 | 76 |
| 8 | The Hermit 2:32 | 76 |
| 9 | Clandestine Time 3:07 | 79 |
| 10 | Why Does It Shake? 4:45 | 84 |
| 11 | Ellen 6:22 | 74 |
| 12 | Feast of Stephen 2:24 | 70 |
Total Length: 43 minutes
Year End Lists
| #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 |
| #100 | / | Rough Trade |
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Comments (3)
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1y
I’ve been so angered lately by this stupid fucking country that I live in and this album full of bangers is really speaking to me
