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, Rovi

1		Day Without End
2		Processed by the Boys
3		I Am You Now
4		The Aphorist
5		June 21
6		Michigan Hammers
7		Tranquilizer
8		Modern Business Hymns
9		Bridge & Crown
10		Worm in Heaven

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