Ultimate Success Today Protomartyr Artist

If the guy stumbling out of a bar at 1:30 a.m. carrying a placard reading THE END IS NEAR decided to go into a recording studio and make an album, he'd probably sound a little like {|Protomartyr|} frontman {|Joe Casey|}. And if that man were very luc... Read more

If the guy stumbling out of a bar at 1:30 a.m. carrying a placard reading THE END IS NEAR decided to go into a recording studio and make an album, he'd probably sound a little like {|Protomartyr|} frontman {|Joe Casey|}. And if that man were very lucky, he'd have a band as good as {|Protomartyr|} backing him up; {|Casey|}'s measured, articulate rage and disgust may fuel their music, but the echoey fury of {|Greg Ahee|}'s guitars, the primordial throb of {|Scott Davidson|}'s bass, and the artfully implacable drumming of {|Alex Leonard|} communicate with a strength that matches {|Casey|} for thoughtful bad karma. {|Protomartyr|} create soundtracks for an apocalypse that's hovering just over the horizon, and while 2020's {|Ultimate Success Today|} was written and recorded before the multiple calamities of that year made themselves known, it's a brilliant encapsulation -- even more than 2017's {|Relatives in Descent|} -- of a time of dashed hopes and entropy as our culture goes into what feels like its final state of implosion. {|Protomartyr|} had pushed the possibilities of their musical format as far as one might imagine they could go on {|Relatives in Descent|}, and {|Ultimate Success Today|} finds them evolving by stepping their ferocity back just a bit to let new sounds and textures into their music. Celebrated free jazz sax player {|Jemeel Moondoc|} and experimental reed artist {|Izaak Mills|} took part in the recording sessions, and their contributions are inspired, adding a refinement to the music that in no way blunts its impact or lessens the feeling of anxiety that lurks around nearly every corner. In addition, cellist {|Fred Lonberg-Holm|} and vocalist {|Half Waif|} (aka {|Nandi Rose Plunkett|}) sometimes buffer the impact of the band, while reinforcing the unending feeling of dread at the same time. Though the additional musicians and more spacious arrangements give {|Ultimate Success Today|} a sound that sets it apart from the group's previous work, it is still inescapably the work of {|Protomartyr|}. On songs like Bridge & Crown, Processed by the Boys, and Michigan Hammers they create something honestly unique in sound and impact, and the relatively languid closer Worm in Heaven is a reminder that there's a tarnished idealism lurking behind this band's venom. {|Ultimate Success Today|} sounds timely in 2020, but this music would be a smart, compelling accompaniment for staring into the abyss as it begins to look back, no matter what the year. ~ Mark Deming Less