Here’s a re-cap of Surfing On Steam’s Favorite Albums of 2012 (20-11). The final ten picks are coming soon! 11. Lower Dens - Nootropics Nootropics is an album I regret not reviewing when it first hit the shelves. It’s heavy and personal. It lingers and haunts you like a bad decision, bad behavior in general. It’s the album I always wish Radiohead would have made, or maybe The Motels already made this record? Its music is filled with sparse atmospheric guitars and electronic colors. But no [...]
[directed by Alan Resnick + Noah Collier ]
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.
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 [...]
Lower Dens look to explore the fertile valleys of experimental new wave on their second full length release, Nootropics.
Lower Dens - Nootropics MMM 1/2 A nootropic is an enhancer, a substance that improves mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, and concentration. The second full-length album from Baltimore’s own Lower Dens acts in much the same manner as its namesake, dealing in ebbs and flows of distinct, persuasive textures and moods rather than pop hooks and formulaic predictability. It’s a catalyst for reflection, evocative and chillingly hypnotic at its core. Nootropics [...]
You might recognize Lower Dens on here recently from our very first feature we published last Monday, but now NPR is streaming the entirety of their forthcoming album Nootropics. The record is a darker, more hypnotic outing from the Baltimore group led by the ... Continue reading
I can't put my finger on it but there's something vaguely dystopian about the new cuts slowly leaking off Lower Dens upcoming sophomore album. Strangely enough it isn't even the actual dystopian future but instead an 80s film directors take on a world gone cold and awry. I see Michael Douglas, sword in hand, standing [...]
si avvicina la data di uscita - a fine mese, il 30 Aprile, per Ribbon Music - di Noontropics, il nuovo album dei Lower Dens , e dopo Brains , ecco una nuova anticipazione, Propagation :
Jana Bell seems to have stumbled on hard times. Where Lower Dens first album Twin Hand Movement bordered, at times, on the melancholic, it seemed pushed forward by an inner sort of joy. From what I've heard of the band's new album Nootropics, this joy has bottomed out. Where "Brains" felt like a stunning birds-eye [...]
Thanks to our busy time at SXSW , we were a bit slow on posting our mixtape this month. So, instead of the usual two-installment approach, today we deliver the whole thing. This should be more than enough music to distract you from your actual work on this Friday afternoon. 1. Chromatics - "Kill for Love" 2. El-P - "The Full Retard" [...]
I Wrote About Lower Dens' "Propagation" at Aquarium Drunkard.
Baltimore's Lower Dens release 'Noontropics' on May 1st through Ribbon Music, take a listen to the album cut 'Propagation'. It's a long way from the catchy lead track 'Brains', instead 'Propagation' winds through dark, ambient verses into a mournful chorus. The blogosphere is already tipping 'Noontropics' to be a front runner for album of the year. Download audio file (Lower Dens - Propagation.mp3) Pre-order Lower Dens 'Noontropics' here / Visit Lower Dens online / connect @ Facebook .
Baltimore dream-rock outfit Lower Dens release their sophomore album, Nootropics , on May 1st via Ribbon Music. You've already heard the first single, "Brains" . Now check out another album track, entitled "Propagation". "Propagation" and the non-album track "Hours" appear as B-Sides on the limited edition 103 vinyl for "Brains". It'll be released next week and you can pre-order a copy via Ribbon Music's webstore .
The first insight into the return of Jana Hunter's Lower Dens , Brains, proved a compulsively addictive listen and one that still commands attention today although now we've Propagation that may change somewhat. At least our impression of forthcoming LP Nootropics (alongside other formats, a rather sumptuous-sounding 'limited edition gold colored double LP with black swirl' is expected April 30th via Domino imprint Ribbon Music ) has been gently expanded... With a more memorable swell of a hook to latch onto than its predecessor, it's a typically sulky number from the Baltimore quartet that's awash with [...]
Lower Dens nos presenta otro adelanto de su nuevo material Nootropics , el segundo álbum de la banda que saldrá el próximo 1 de mayo. “Propagation” es una rola con una vibra bastante más relajada, a diferencia del viaje rítmico de “ Brains ” el primer sencillo deNootropics. Enjoy.
Go ahead and try classifying “Propagation”, a brand new track from Lower Dens . It’s attached to so many genres and memories but lives in an atmosphere guided by invisible forces. It’s gentle, driving and warm with solar flares that jump out of your speakers. How does a song sound like it’s sitting in a stationary position yet expanding every second? The band’s forthcoming album, Nootropics , will be released May 1 on Ribbon Music .
I avoided liking Lower Dens for the longest time. Perhaps it's because the songs never make a grab for the listener with ear-candied hooks or obvious pop constructions. Instead, Jana Hunter and company deliver some of the more subtle, meditative, and hypnotic pop music I've ever heard, arming themselves with quietly delivered melodies and repetitive almost geometrical lines of intersecting rhythm. Tracks like "Rosie" and "A Dog's Dick" will creep into your ear canal unnoticed one moment, and the next seemingly unfold and blossom. The music simply gets more interesting and enjoyable with each repeated listen. Lower Dens' second proper [...]
Lower Dens released a video for the excellent song Brains . The video was directed by Tristan Patterson. Their album, Nootropics , is scheduled for release May 1st on Ribbon Music . Watch the video and check out their tour dates below. Tour Dates: 2-29 Poughkeepsie, NY - Vassar 3-01 Hudson, NY - Club Helsinki 3-02 Middletown, CT - Wesleyan 3-03 Ithaca, NY - The Haunt 3-04 Albany, NY - Valentines 3-06 Ann Arbor, MI [...]
Baltimore's Lower Dens has shared a new video for "Brains", a cut from their sophomore effort, Nootropics (pronounced No-eh-tro-pics). The record is due out on the continually impressive Domino imprint Ribbon Music come May 1st. Until then, the label is offering a limited edition pre-order of the record in gold-colored double LP with black swirl (see above). And even sooner, you can grab their 'Brains'/'Propagation' 103 on March 27th. And for some instant gratification, check out their new video below. Click here to view the [...]
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