October 23, 2015 by A.S. Van Dorston

Protomartyr – The Agent Intellect (Hardly Art)

Protomartyr - The Agent Intellect (Hardly Art, 2015) Protomartyr are a difficult band to get into. You can’t just absorb them in the background, as Joe Casey’s unmelodic monotone reinforces the grey grimness of their Detroit post-punk garage noir, which threatens to blur into undefined shadows unless you focus. Shine a light on them and the music becomes bolder where others would retreat, with Casey’s brainy but dark lyrics inspiring reviewers to break out the thesaurus to analyze and heap praise. Others have written about death and illness in Casey’s personal life with uncomfortable detail. I think the songs can tell the stories without the help of a press release. Balancing out the intense emotions and stories are moments of delicate beauty, such as the chiming lead guitar in “Pontiac 87,” and “Clandestine Time,” where Casey surprisingly clamps down on a quite lovely vocal melody. So he can sing, but chooses not to. The romance of “Ellen” would be greatly enhanced by stronger melodies. So far his approach generally meshes well with the music, but still, they remain easy to admire but difficult to love. For those who find thrills in deep despair and regret, there is much to wallow in here, along with some fine artistry to provide solace in a crumbling world.

Hand Of Dust – Like Breath Beneath A Veil (Avant!)

In Denmark, Hand Of Dust drop the subtlety and turn up the overwrought, seething vibe into overdrive. In general, this can be very entertaining, like early Birthday Party, though admittedly without the macabre humor. But rather than slip down a sinkhole of gothic bluster, they inject a potent dose of Western noir Americana, like Gun Club meets Sixteen Horsepower and Black Heart Ensemble. Case in point, “Roses In The Sawmill.” The twang, the pain! The atmosphere may only change shape slightly like smoke from dying embers from menacing to eerie, but it’s well done, charred to near perfection.

Kill West – Smoke Beach (Crang)

Down in Argentina, Kill West’s Smoke Beach suggests an affinity for the previous two bands just from the name and title. However, the post-punk content is negligible, with much more emphasis on psychedelic and shoegaze with a touch of garage noir, but not enough for it to fit in my Psych Noir piece. Their aesthetic is way too cool to be left unmentioned. Operating in a thick haze of reverb and wah-wah, an eerie fog that swallowed a beach party whole, switching to horror movie mode and getting at the true vibe of The Jesus & Mary Chain’s “Kill Surf City.” On “Signs,” they hit the road for some fun fun fun on the autobahn, the motorik riddim filtered through Suicide lens. With a promising EP last year, they’re just getting going, and show great promise along with similar minded psych noir bands like 10 000 Russos, Sonic Jesus, Devil Worshipper and Dead Skeletons. Ideal for a dark autumn playlist.