The Agent Intellect

Album review

"The Agent Intellect" is a concept in medieval philosophy related to the division between form and matter in the human soul, and while such notions don't play much of a part in the lyrics on Protomartyr's third album, 2015's The Agent Intellect, it's not hard to imagine lead vocalist and lyricist Joe Casey as a philosophy professor at some Midwestern college taking the stage at a tiny bar off-campus and delivering a series of rants and/or free associations as a student band whips up a thick fog of guitars and drums that pours out behind him. Protomartyr established their sonic formula on 2012's debut album, No Passion All Technique, and while the band has steadily grown and evolved since then, the essential framework isn't radically different on The Agent Intellect, only smarter and stronger, and guitarist Greg Ahee's waves of fuzzy thunder and rusty jangle are the meat on these bones. Casey's speechifying and Ahee's soundscapes are the yin and yang of this music, and even when the lyrics get buried in the mix, the guitar meshes well enough with the vocals that the mood remains constant even as the literal meaning gets shaken. Drummer Alex Leonard and bassist Scott Davidson are the ideal rhythm section for this music, strong and elemental but clever enough to find new angles and rhythmic detours that allow them to help the songs shake and move rather than just keeping a beat. 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; if you're looking for further confirmation that Protomartyr are one of the smartest and toughest bands of their day, this album is what you need.

© Mark Deming /TiVo