The Agent Intellect
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = The Agent Intellect
| type = studio
| artist = Protomartyr
| cover = The agent Intellect.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2015|10|9|df=yes}}
| recorded = The Key Club in Benton Harbor, Michigan{{Cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1814757/qa-protomartyr-on-their-new-album-the-agent-intellect-why-does-it-shake/franchises/interview/|title=Q&A: Protomartyr On Their New Album The Agent Intellect + "Why Does It Shake?"|date=July 14, 2015}}
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| length = 44:11
| label = Hardly Art
| producer =
| prev_title = Under Color of Official Right
| prev_year = 2014
| next_title = Relatives in Descent
| next_year = 2017
| misc = {{Singles
| name = The Agent Intellect
| type = studio
| single1 = Why Does It Shake?
| single1date = 14 July 2015
| single2 = Dope Cloud
| single2date = 25 August 2015
| single3 = I Forgive You
| single3date = September 28, 2015
}}
}}
The Agent Intellect is the third studio album by Detroit post-punk band Protomartyr, released on 9 October 2015.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hardlyart.com/artists/protomartyr/shop|title=Shop for Protomartyr|first=Hardly|last=Art|website=Hardly Art|access-date=2020-05-26|archive-date=2019-12-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224184444/https://www.hardlyart.com/artists/protomartyr/shop|url-status=dead}} The first single from the album, "Why Does It Shake" was released on 14 July 2015, along with the formal announcement of the album's title, release date, cover art and track listing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2015/07/protomartyr-agent-intellect-why-does-it-shake-stream/|title=Protomartyr Announce 'The Agent Intellect' LP With Shuddering 'Why Does It Shake?'|date=July 14, 2015|website=Spin}} On 25 August the band released the second single for the album, "Dope Cloud".{{Cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2015/08/protomartyr-unveils-new-song-dope-cloud-listen/|title=Protomartyr unveils new song "Dope Cloud" -- listen|date=August 25, 2015}} on 28 September the band released the third single for the album, "I Forgive You".{{Cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2015/09/protomartyr-shares-new-song-i-forgive-you-listen/|title=Protomartyr shares new song "I Forgive You" -- listen|date=September 28, 2015}} On September 28, 2015 the album debuted on NPR First Listen.{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/09/30/444234375/first-listen-protomartyr-the-agent-intellect|title=Review: Protomartyr, 'The Agent Intellect'|website=NPR.org}}
The album is named after an ancient medieval philosophical questioning of how the mind operates in relation to the so-called active intellect, also known as agent intellect and other names.{{Cite web|url=https://protomartyr.bandcamp.com/album/the-agent-intellect|title=The Agent Intellect, by Protomartyr|website=Protomartyr}}
Release
{{Music ratings
| MC = 85/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-agent-intellect/protomartyr |title=Reviews for The Agent Intellect by Protomartyr |website=Metacritic |accessdate=October 13, 2015}}
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-agent-intellect-mw0002859262 |title=The Agent Intellect – Protomartyr |website=AllMusic |accessdate=October 11, 2015 |last=Deming |first=Mark}}
| rev2 = The A.V. Club
| rev2score = B+{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/review/protomartyrs-winning-streak-continues-its-second-a-226252 |title=Protomartyr's winning streak continues on its second album in two years |work=The A.V. Club |date=October 9, 2015 |accessdate=October 11, 2015 |last=Ryan |first=Kyle}}
| rev3 = Chicago Tribune
| rev3score = {{rating|4|4}}{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/kot/sc-music-protomartyr-ent-1009-20151009-column.html |title=Protomartyr finds hope amid rubble in 'The Agent Intellect' |work=Chicago Tribune |date=October 9, 2015 |accessdate=November 1, 2018 |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot}}
| rev4 = Consequence of Sound
| rev4score = A−{{cite web |url=https://consequence.net/2015/10/album-review-protomartyr-the-agent-intellect/ |title=Protomartyr – The Agent Intellect |work=Consequence of Sound |date=October 8, 2015 |accessdate=October 8, 2015 |last=Cosores |first=Philip}}
| rev5 = The Guardian
| rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/01/protomartyr-the-agent-intellect-review-postpunk |title=Protomartyr: The Agent Intellect review – epic, dirgy portrait of gravelly malaise |work=The Guardian |date=October 1, 2015 |accessdate=October 7, 2015 |last=Hutchinson |first=Kate}}
| rev6 = NME
| rev6score = 4/5{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/protomartyr/16281 |title=Protomartyr – 'The Agent Intellect' |work=NME |date=October 8, 2015 |accessdate=October 11, 2015 |last=Gardner |first=Noel |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011033451/http://www.nme.com/reviews/protomartyr/16281 |archivedate=October 11, 2015}}
| rev7 = Pitchfork
| rev7score = 8.2/10{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20966-the-agent-intellect/ |title=Protomartyr: The Agent Intellect |work=Pitchfork |date=October 7, 2015 |accessdate=October 7, 2015 |last=Keyes |first=J. Edward}}
| rev8 = Q
| rev8score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite journal |title=Protomartyr: The Agent Intellect |journal=Q |issue=352 |date=November 2015 |page=115}}
| rev9 = Rolling Stone
| rev9score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/protomartyr-the-agent-intellect-20151007 |title=The Agent Intellect |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=October 7, 2015 |accessdate=October 7, 2015 |last=Kelly |first=Zach}}
| rev10 = Spin
| rev10score = 8/10{{cite web |url=http://www.spin.com/2015/10/review-protomartyr-the-agent-intellect/ |title=Review: Protomartyr See Life Through to Its Lack of Conclusion on 'The Agent Intellect' |work=Spin |date=October 6, 2015 |accessdate=October 7, 2015 |last=Unterberger |first=Andrew}}
}}
=Critical reception=
The Agent Intellect was met with positive reviews from contemporary reviewers. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 85, which indicates "Universal acclaim", based on 20 reviews. The Guardian critic Kate Hutchinson thought: "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. As poignant as those images of a decrepit Motor City, once brilliant, now decayed." Sam Lefebvre of Paste magazine described the album as "an album of spindly bass, needling guitar and economical drums." Lefebvre further added "And yet, with Protomartyr’s inventive ensemble flare, it sounds like much more."{{cite web |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/10/protomartyr-the-agent-intellect-review.html |title=Protomartyr: The Agent Intellect Review |work=Paste |date=October 6, 2015 |accessdate=October 7, 2015 |last=Lefebvre |first=Sam}}
Kyle Ryan of The A.V. Club thought that: "The Agent Intellect is an impressive addition to the band’s small discography, and it hints that bigger, bolder work may lay ahead.". AllMusic thought that: "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.". In a review for Rolling Stone, Zach Kelly thought that: this LP feels like a testament to perseverance, with world-weary humor and introspection providing flashes of clarity".
=Accolades & covers=
Pitchfork and Pretty Much Amazing ranked the track "Dope Cloud" the 98th and 89th best track of 2015 respectively.{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9765-the-100-best-tracks-of-2015/|title=The 100 Best Songs of 2015|website=Pitchfork}}{{Cite web|url=https://prettymuchamazing.com/features/best-songs-2015|title=The 100 Best Songs of 2015|first=Pretty Much|last=Amazing|website=Pretty Much Amazing}} Thrillist included it on their list "The 25 Most 'Detroit' Songs Ever Recorded".{{Cite web|url=https://www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/detroit/the-25-most-detroit-songs-ever-recorded|title=The 25 Most 'Detroit' Songs Ever Recorded|first=Megan|last=Frye|website=Thrillist}}
Oliver Ackermann of A Place to Bury Strangers included The Agent Intellect among his favorite albums of the year, calling it a "[f]ucking wicked record."{{Cite web|url=http://undertheradarmag.com/interviews/2015_artist_survey_a_place_to_bury_strangers|title=2015 Artist Survey: A Place to Bury Strangers|first=Mark|last=Redfern|website=undertheradarmag.com}} In 2017, David Bazan of Pedro The Lion fame covered "The Devil in His Youth" for the anti-Trump compilation Our First 100 Days.{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1937511/david-bazan-the-devil-in-his-youth-protomartyr-cover/music/|title=David Bazan – "The Devil In His Youth" (Protomartyr Cover)|website=Stereogum|date=April 26, 2017|accessdate=August 29, 2020}} Preoccupations covered the track "Pontiac 87" as the b-side of a split single with Protomartyr in 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2018/10/protomartyr-and-preoccupations-cover-each-others-songs-on-new-7/|title=Protomartyr - "Forbidden" (Preoccupations Cover)|date=October 24, 2018|website=Spin}}
=Year-end=
=Miscellaneous=
| class="sortable wikitable" |
| Publication
!Country ! Accolade ! Year ! Rank |
|---|
| Aquarium Drunkard
|US |Decade / 2010-19 |2019 |
| Spex
|Germany |Best Albums 2010-2019 |2019 |
| Dansende Beren
|Netherlands |100 Best Albums of the Decade (2010-2019) - International |2019 |
| Kalporz
|Italy |The Best Albums of the 2010s |2019 |
| [sic] Magazine
|US |Sub-Ed’s Top 100 Albums Of The Decade |2020 |
Usage in media
The song "Cowards Starve" has been used in the third episode of 13 Reasons Why's first season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.popsugar.com/node/43373199|title="Cowards Starve" by Protomartyr|first=Quinn|last=Keaney|date=June 5, 2017|website=POPSUGAR Entertainment}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Protomartyr
| title1 = The Devil in His Youth
| length1 = 2:39
| title2 = Cowards Starve
| length2 = 3:38
| title3 = I Forgive You
| length3 = 3:03
| title4 = Boyce or Boice
| length4 = 3:39
| title5 = Pontiac 87
| length5 = 4:33
| title6 = Uncle Mother's
| length6 = 4:21
| title7 = Dope Cloud
| length7 = 2:58
| title8 = The Hermit
| length8 = 2:34
| title9 = Clandestine Time
| length9 = 3:09
| title10 = Why Does It Shake?
| length10 = 4:47
| title11 = Ellen
| length11 = 6:24
| title12 = Feast of Stephen
| length12 = 2:26
| total_length = 44:11
}}
Personnel
- Bass Guitar – Scott Davidson
- Drums – Alex Leonard
- Guitar, Keyboards – Greg Ahee
- Vocals – Joe Casey
- Writing ["All Songs By"] – Protomartyr
;Additional credits
- Mastering – Sarah Register
- Recording, Mixing – Bill Skibbe
- Recording ["Additional"] – Derek Stanton
- Vocals ["Additional"] – Dina Bankole, Jenny Junior
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2015)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/6056375/protomartyr/chart|title=Protomartyr - Chart history | Billboard|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=October 23, 2015}}
| 3 |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Protomartyr (band)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agent Intellect}}