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Jul 10, 2014While they undoubtedly keep their snarl and sneer (just look at that album cover), this is the cleanest and most melodic they have ever sounded. While those looking for cohesion may find this frustrating, it certainly makes Under Color of Official Right a dynamic and enthralling crossroad.
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Jun 6, 2014No matter how dark and overcast the basic mood of the album is, Under Color of Official Right never feels claustrophobic or overbearing, the production opening up just enough to make things expansive, almost majestic in their own way.
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May 30, 2014Though adept, it’s not entirely an original racket.
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May 23, 2014Encrypted menace, lonely tremolo, and herky-jerk rhythms abound on the Detroit quartet's second album.
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May 14, 2014Under Color Of Official Right packs a dynamic punch from starting to finish, never outstaying its welcome at any point.
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Apr 28, 2014With a sense of humor and punk tilt, Under Color of Official Right decidedly makes Protomartyr one of the better acts of its kind going on.
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Q MagazineApr 23, 2014More varied stylistically, it offers a powerful reflection of the band's consistently bleak worldview. [May 2014, p.116]
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Apr 21, 2014Mr. Casey mopes mightily as the frontman of the Detroit postpunk band Protomartyr, which on its darkly romantic and droll second album Under Color of Official Right (Hardly Art) has honed its sound.
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Apr 21, 2014eedly bass, tumultuous drums and big, dirty guitars careen beneath Casey's deadpan delivery, building riotously enjoyable labyrinthine passages that lead to nowhere, though Protomartyr make the journey feel essential.
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Apr 17, 2014All over their superbly funny second album, Protomartyr chase the post-punk guitar buzz of classic American bands like the Dream Syndicate, while also evoking raincoat-clad Brits like the Wedding Present.
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Apr 17, 2014This is the best punk rock record you’ll hear this year--never mind that it’s not wholly or even really a punk rock record.
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Apr 15, 2014Under Color Of Official Right rumbles along with tense basslines and drums that feel like they're trying to stay out of Casey's way, as guitarist Greg Ahee slashes a path forward.
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Apr 14, 2014Under Color of Official Right is built with a steely fortitude, treating its subjects with respect and bluntness even if there’s nary a hopeful or comforting prospect to look forward to.
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Apr 9, 2014Protomartyr has raised the bar high enough for any bands to follow, so high that most won’t even know it’s there.
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Apr 8, 2014There are tunes aplenty, making this second Protomartyr album a surprisingly pleasurable dose of swaggering anomie.
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Apr 8, 2014The 14 songs of Under Color of Official Right see an already incredible band moving even further forward in their development, approaching the same instant classic standards of their best contemporaries and turning in their most intricate work so far.
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Apr 8, 2014The disjointed nature of Under Color’s thrust somehow catapults its enjoyability.
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Apr 8, 2014The overall strength of Under Color of Official Right doesn't come from its big words, Detroit cred, or works-cited page; it's from lyrics that, while fraught with symbolism, feel emotionally resonant and, sometimes, viscerally unpleasant.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 31 out of 35
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Mixed: 2 out of 35
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Negative: 2 out of 35
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Oct 17, 2014
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Aug 9, 2014