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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Relatives in Descent

Protomartyr

2017

Relatives in Descent
Album Summary

This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.

Relatives in Descent is the fourth studio album by American post-punk band Protomartyr released on 29 September 2017. Their first to be released through Domino Recording Company, the album is much darker and more philosophical than its predecessors. While lyrically not a concept album, it is produced so that many songs flow from one to another seamlessly. Relatives in Descent received critical acclaim upon release, with many publications ranking it one of the best albums of the year. In a perfect score review for The Guardian, Ben Beaumont-Thomas called the album "sensational" and praised Casey's "soapbox poetry" lyrics, noting that it "never becomes leaden or pedantic" despite tackling serious issues. "While his band has grown into a post-punk monster," wrote Ben Salmon for Paste, "Casey, too, has moved beyond his personal frets and frustrations and developed into a lyricist capable of clear and compelling commentary. He's a voice worth listening to."

Wikipedia

Rating

2.89

Votes

104

Genres

  • Post Punk

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Reviews

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Jan 18 2024
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5

You know it's a great album when you get disappointed that it's over. Excellent balance between harsh a melodic ideas, deadpan vocals reminiscent of Nick Cave, and the flow of tracks from one to another was seamless. This was a great add that I probably never would have listened to otherwise, thanks!

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Jan 08 2024
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1

Good drum work but very sad sounding singer

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Mar 05 2024
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5

I must be careful not to cross over into glibness, but there's a review which captured Relatives perfectly but in which I come to exactly the opposite conclusion. Yes, it's a sad record, and yes, it has some nice drum recordings. In fact, the compositions feel led by the drums into a crashing city. The rubble thundering is from buildings tall enough to collapse eternally. Joe's writing is apocalyptic, funny, perfect for a lazy listener like me. Just this time around I found myself ready for the Flann O'Brien reference. This record is always a cathartic listen; It's also brutal. Couldn't have been a fun adventure recording, exactly, but I imagine I'll always be grateful to Protomartyr for doing it.

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Jan 26 2024
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4

An excellent record. The band has always been under the radar in Europe I think, but they are nectar for connoisseurs. This is probably their best work

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Feb 21 2024
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4

Always excited to hear a band from Detroit that I wasn't already familiar with. I liked this a lot, and I have a feeling it will be rewarded by repeated listening, so that's what I plan to do. Thanks to whoever added this! 4 stars.

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May 21 2024
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4

This album reminded me of Joy Division/New Order with a good dose of Sonic Youth style noise rock thrown in. The vocal delivery reminded me of Nick Cave at times as well. Overall, this was a good listen and it is a solid post-punk album. However, by the way the album sounded, I expected it to be older than it was. It seems to retread a lot of what came before.

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Mar 29 2024
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4

Intresting style. Quite enjoyed this album

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Apr 06 2024
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4

Great band! Dark and strange, eerie and unnerving. Catchy hooks and never cliche. And that bass, that bass!

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May 22 2024
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4

Big ups to whoever put some Protomartyr on the list. While this is definitely the band's most consistent LP, their entire discography is amazing – led by Joe Casey's trademark vocals and a distinctive post-punk sound, this outfit has created an unmistakable sonic signature that stands out among a crowded field. I'd listened to most of these tracks in isolation, but they really come together as a full LP. There's an innate sense of isolation and ruin, of things lost and left behind. It's amazing how evocative the songwriting is with just a little reverb guitar, simple pounding melodies, and of course Casey preaching/droning on top. Excellent album and a perfect addition to the more modern 1001 canon.

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Jun 07 2024
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4

This is another one I had to listen to several times to get into. There were a couple of great standout songs right away, but some of the other songs took me longer to appreciate. Standouts: Male Plague, Here is the Thing, Up the Tower, Half Sister Others: A Private Understanding, My Children Rating: 3.75

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Jun 08 2024
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4

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: A private understanding, Windsor hum, Up the tower, Male plague, Half sister

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Jan 18 2024
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3

I don't know how necessary I'd consider the album, but enjoyable enough and the smooth transitions were a significant plus.

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Feb 03 2024
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3

Definitely not bad. I enjoy the song structures, but I kind of want it to be a bit more "raw" a la The Fall. Like the vocals are a bit too pretty? Even though they aren't. I dunno.

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Feb 03 2024
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3

Protomartyr is a very cool name for music that is fine

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Feb 07 2024
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3

Noisy post-punk rock with aggressively muttery vocals, I didn't hate it but found it hard to really focus in.

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Mar 27 2024
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3

Saw post punk and thought I'd last one track. Pleasantly surprised

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Apr 06 2024
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3

This was really interesting to listen to. A more than meets the eye kinda punkband, which sometimes reminded me of Joy Division. Cool vibe!

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Apr 27 2024
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3

Pleasantly surprised. May check out some more.

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Aug 24 2024
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3

Musically, this captures many of the proper notes of old school post-punk, but the vocals don't really do it for me. I don't know if it bring anything new to the table, but it was pretty good. Fave Songs: A Private Understanding, Here Is the Thing, The Chuckler, Don't Go to Anacita, Half Sister

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Sep 28 2024
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3

This felt like something straight out of the early 80s. Pure post punk that I didn’t love but it wasn’t terrible I guess. It all blurred together but that was kinda by design on this one with each song running into the next.

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Jan 15 2024
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2

I like a good post-punk album, but this was a bit too raw and abrasive for me.

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Jan 17 2024
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2

3/10. Sounded like Nick Cave, but a little less harsh. Almost fell asleep in my chair 2-3 times trying to listen to this. Definitely not my thing

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Feb 03 2024
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2

More post punk. No thanks, I listened to three years of this mediocre forgettable stuff.

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Apr 20 2024
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2

Meh, post-punk crud. Does this stuff pride itself on all sounding identical? 2/5.

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May 19 2024
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2

It wasn't awful but I definitely did not need to hear it. It wasn't too long. Nothing really noteworthy about it. I have no desire to revisit. I will generously round up.

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Jul 13 2024
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2

I persevered through the first two unattractive and unappealing songs to My Children which lifted my ears and reminded me a lot of Joy Division. However, I it's all a bit mumbly and quite similar.

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Oct 04 2024
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2

2017 post punk with gloomy vocals. Rating: 1.5 Playlist track: Caitriona Date listened: 04/10/24

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Oct 07 2024
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2

Kind of a beat poet/rap delivery over generally interesting/mini-wall of noise alt rock instrumentation. The lyrical delivery is uninteresting, and there’s nothing particularly engaging or catchy with the music either. It is different but not particularly great. Kind of aimless. There’s nothing that is a major turnoff, it just gets old after 20 minutes.

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Sep 14 2024
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1

This whole album sounds like something made by a 2007 edgelord who just discovered garageband on his macbook.

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