Frank Yang Cosmic questions: What makes an artist put a respectable if underappreciated solo career on hold in order to play drums for a band that's sold hundreds of thousands of records and gone platinum in the UK? And what makes that same artist leave that band in order to not resurrect their former solo career but start a completely new one? Okay, the first one is kind of a no-brainer but the second one is more of a puzzle, one that Baltimore-born, Los Angeles-based Josh Tillman is uniquely positioned to answer. He was plugging [...]
Following the release of Nootropics and a couple of weeks before their appearance at Forbidden Fruit Festival in Dublin, Lower Dens ' bassist Geoff Graham took a few minutes to answer our questions and explain the concept behind this new album. He talks about how technology and the human evolution are connected, for the better and the worse, but also about the influences and new sounds coming through these ten cold yet moving tracks. Your new album is called Nootropics , known also as 'smart drugs', how did you get [...]
Baltimore dream-rock band Lower Dens ' sophomore album, Nootropics , eschews traditional pop themes (love, death, overcoming adversity, etc.) for more cerebrally challenging confines. The album, whose title refers to substances that enhance a human's cognitive powers, focuses heavily (but not solely) on transhumanism, a scientific movement that calls for technology to improve mankind's phsyical, emotional, and psychological capabilities. This may not result in easily absorbed romantic odes, but this context is perfectly suited for the band's swirling, expansive blend of darkly tinged pop music. [...]
Nootropics is an album built like a glacier. Layers of chill slowly fall upon one another, blending into the last section, over and over, until collectively they form something striking. The latest effort of Baltimore-based band Lower Dens , Nootropics presents a similar atmosphere to another Baltimore-based band – Beach House. On the opening track, "Alphabet Song," vocalist Jana Hunter could easily be mistaken for Victoria Legrand. The album itself is a slow ride, tracks sliding into each other, swirling with drones and simple guitar work. According to Hunter, "Alphabet Song," "and singles "Brains" and "Propogation" [...]
The metamorphosis of Jana Hunter as a performer and lyricist is an expansive one. The Texas born musician has been working for the better part of the last decade, releasing most of it under her own name. While the “freak folk” subgenre was thrown around to categorize her particular type of howl in her earlier releases, it was her penchant for painfully honest lyrics that brought her the most attention. It wasn’t until she relocated to Baltimore and made up the musical collective Lower Dens , where she could [...]
Le Point FMR du dimanche soir en petite forme. Fosse clairsemée, public qui traîne les pieds, l’humeur générale semble un peu assommée par le soleil dominical de l’après-midi passée en terrasse. Quelle idée d’aller s’enfermer pour écouter une sorte de pop (?) atmosphérique et lancinante dans la pénombre et la fumée, alors que dehors y a encore du ciel bleu et à la télé des matchs de foot importants il paraît (moi j’en sais rien, mais on m’a dit que.)
disco naïveté: introducing: Lower Dens: disconaivete: You know that one band you see pop up at all...
You know that one band you see pop up at all the blogs you read and love but never end up listening to for some unknown reason? Well, I have that with Lower Dens . Excuse me: I had that with Lower Dens. Should have known I'd love them though, as Beach House love them and I love everything Beach House do. Finally got around to listening to their latest full-length Nootropics and I'm instantly impressed with the Baltimore-based outfit's moody dream pop. Someone called them Kraftwerk meets Beach House, which seems about right. [...]
“And now for something completely different.” These words, immortalized by Monty Python, would be the best way to introduce the strange and unique sounds of the relentlessly touring five-piece outfit known as Lower Dens. Originally the brainchild of Baltimore based noise rocker Jana Hunter, the group has released their second full-length album on Ribbon Music: Nootropics . A nootropic, also known as smart drugs or neuro enhancers, is a kind of chemical used to enhance cognitive functions like memory and intelligence. That being said, the intellectual sophistication of the album demands as much attention as the album [...]
Lower Dens "Candy" There's an odd tension at the core of Lower Dens' new album Nootropics , as though the songs simultaneously evoke claustrophobia and the feeling of being all alone in a wide open space. It's an isolating, lonely sound, but they find beauty and drama in it. "Candy," a cut that reminds me of mid-Seventies Brian Eno, is the closest they come to a traditional rock song in terms of structure and affect, but it's far too floaty to convey corporeal physicality. Jana Hunter's voice is the key here – she sounds nearly [...]
Douglas Martin is considering a move to Baltimore. Maybe. We all have our preconceived notions of what great artists do and how they go about adding to their canon of great work. I think the most important thing an enduring artist can do is fuck with the expectations of their audience while satisfying themselves creatively. Many contemporary artists do this many different ways, but the beacon of reinvention and exploration I always end up pointing to is Jana Hunter. The Texas-via-Baltimore-via-Texas singer/songwriter started out as a folkie on the back of a Devendra [...]
We’re not too sure why these figures in white are there, but regardless, Lower Dens' dark new video for “Propagation” is nothing short of blissful.
Forecastle Festival has added more acts to its 2012 lineup, including Cloud Nothings, Lower Dens, Abigail Washburn with Kai Welch, Rebelution, Keys N Krates, Trixie Whitley, and Cherub. These new additions join a lineup which already packed My Morning Jacket, Wilco, Bassnectar, Girl Talk, Sleigh Bells, Beach House, Andrew Bird, and Flying Lotus. Check out the full lineup at Festival Outlook . Forecastle Festival runs July 13-15th at Waterfront Park in Louisville, Kentucky. Single-day, three-day, and VIP passes are now available via the festival's website . Also, don't forget that tomorrow is [...]
Their name conjures up what you'd expect " Beach House " to sound like - wispy, ethereal music that floats and swirls along, transporting you to a ocean side spot as you dip your toes in the sand, watching the ocean waves gently roll in. Next Tuesday, the Baltimore-based act will release their eagerly anticipated follow up to 20102s critically acclaimed Teen Dream , with their fourth full-length effort Bloom via venerable indie-label Sub Pop. The album is currently streaming via NPR's First Listen series . The dream-pop duo, who will play a record [...]
Lower Dens Nootropics Ribbon Music [2012] Fire Note Says: Lower Dens sophomore record Nootropics is a true modern day take on what Kraftwerk started 40 years ago! Album Review: "Space - The final frontier" seems like a good way to start out when talking about Lower Dens sophomore outing Nootropics . It is an album that uses space, sound and complex song structures to [...]
Alabama Shakes : Lee's Palace, Ontario, Canada (April 17, 2012) Julia Holter : Le Poisson Rouge, NYC (2012) Laura Gibson : Epitonic Saki Session 2012 Lower Dens : SXSW 2012 Raincoats, The : London Acklam Hall (May 10, 1979) Wild Flag : Coachella 2012
Baltimore's Lower Dens can set up and take down their equipment very efficiently, and probably anywhere. After years of touring, Jana Hunter and bassist Geoff Graham have also realized a pretty high level of vocal ... read more
Death Cab for Cutie is about to embark on what seems like its annual summer tour. See them at Liberty Hall this time.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
Ex-Fleet Fox Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty Words : Drake Lelane Welcome to the merry month of May, where promises of summer melt under clouds of impending rain. That's Seattle, though... it's enough to drive a Pacific Northwesterner south, like it did with J. Tillman, formerly the drummer for Fleet Foxes. Holed up in the sunnier environs of Laurel Canyon with "enough mushrooms to choke a horse," Tillman took a different approach to songwriting, adopting some Harry Nilsson along other idioms previously made famous in Laurel Canyon. The result [...]
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MP3: Daft Punk – “Horizons” (RAM Japanese Bonus Track)
Listen to producer Jacques Greene’s “On Your Side,” featuring How To Dress Well
Daft Punk – “Doin’ It Right” ft. Panda Bear
