Protomartyr / Under Color Of Official Right
Album: Under Color Of Official Right   Collection:General
Artist:Protomartyr   Added:Apr 2014
Label:Hardly Art  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2014-04-18 Pull Date: 2014-06-20
Week Ending: Jun 15 Jun 8 Jun 1 May 25 May 18 May 11 May 4 Apr 27
Airplays: 1 1 2 3 3 3 2 6

Recent Airplay
1. Jun 10, 2014: A-philiac
Bad Advice
4. May 27, 2014: A-Philiac
Want Remover
2. Jun 06, 2014: A Visit From Drum (Best of 2014)
Bad Advice, Tarpeian Rock, Maidenhead
5. May 23, 2014: A Visit From Drum
What The Wall Said
3. May 30, 2014: A Visit From Drum
Tarpeian Rock, Scum, Rise!
6. May 20, 2014: A-Philiac
Tarpeian Rock, Come & See, Want Remover

Album Review
DJ Muscat
Reviewed 2014-04-17
Styles: existential punk, post-punk, haikus

Wow. There's a lot of music with a punk/post-punk genus being made right now, but it's hard to find many bands that offer as distinctive a voice as Protomartyr do on their new CD. Most of this comes from lead vocalist Joe Casey, whose deep baritone and enthralling lyricism command attention like little else I've heard. Seriously. The lyric sheet could be released separately as its own book of poetry. Undoubtedly one of my favorite albums of the year and sure to accumulate an emotional resonance which will help it stay in rotation for years to come. Tremendous. FCC: 9 (slightly questionable). Favorites: 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14

Others: Iceage, New War, Eagulls, Holograms, Joy Division, The Fall

1. (3:39) **** Mid. Tense ambient intro before a wonderful guitar melody, pulsing bass, and pounding drums enter. One of the longer, more developed tracks on the album.
2. (2:18) Mid/Fast. Off-kilter drum beat with pretty funny lyrics about his bandmates.
3. (2:30) **** Noisy intro. Biting, fantastic vocal performance. Piano thuds come in toward the end. Abrupt ending. God I love this band.
4. (2:14) Mid/Fast. Storytelling feel to the lyrics. Singing fall a little flat sometimes.
5. (1:11) ** Brief and noisy with speak-sung vocals and driving drums. Excellent.
6. (3:12) **** Sparse instrumentation and deep lead vocals before breaking into a rhythmic pop song. Really phenomenal.
7. (2:03) ****** Holy shit do I love this song. Dance-punk feel with vitriolic lyrics that call out everyone from "gluten-free fascists" to "terrible bartenders". I've already listened to this song 20+ times. Says "bastard" but we're not in middle school anymore.
8. (2:41) **** Mid. Hypnotic, almost industrial, beat. Sultry bass guitar. One of the best vocal performances on the album. I'm running out of emphatic adjectives.
9. (1:09) FCC questionable "all this shit up to my ears" and "taking a piss". Storming, driving, rocker. Awesome, wordy punk song.
10. (2:38) **** Jittery guitar melody atop perfectly suited bass and drums. Builds into a cathartic burst. Great, emotional vocals.
11. (2:24) ** Loud, with typically poetic lyrics. More of the excellent same.
12. (3:57) **** Super melodic and swaggering. Longest track and definitely a keeper.
13. (1:52) ** Philosophical lyrics about violence but instrumentally upbeat.
14. (2:55) *** Distorted vocal sample transitions into a guitar heavy rocker. Subtle piano elements. Triumphant, massive, last song. Jesus. What an album.

Track Listing
1. Maidenhead   8. Bad Advice
2. Ain't So Simple   9. Son Of Dis
3. Want Remover   10. Scum, Rise!
4. Trust Me Billy   11. I Stare At Floors
5. Pagans   12. Come & See
6. What The Wall Said   13. Violent
7. Tarpeian Rock   14. I'll Take That Applause