Lower Dens - Nootropics
Drums. Drums. Drums.
Review
Drums. Drums. Drums. If you like drums and ethereal vocals this is your
lucky day. Nootropics - that's no-eh-tro-pics
for those of us who don't have a lot to do with smart drugs - is the
second album from Baltimore-based songwriter Jana Hunter and her
slightly modified collection of musicians.
Despite already being a force to be reckoned with over the North Atlantic, Hunter and Lower Dens are still very much underground in the UK Indie scene. In the spirit of blind investigation Itchy put their new single, Brains, on and waited to be impressed...
And the sheer professionalism is clear in every track. There's nothing to hint that the Hunter wrote most of them with a keyboard she could barely play in a tour bus, playing 200 gigs in 12 months. Honestly, it's not surprising that so many people are already hailing Lower Dens as groundbreaking. The clear and current experimental message is not something that can be easily dismissed.
We can pretty much guarantee you that the next couple of albums will be ones to treasure, and if you prefer the road to perfection then Nootropics is a nice change from the 'blurry and imagined' music in the British folk and experimental music market. They're solid and real and your gran will not understand them in the slightest. This is probably their biggest selling point - they're so obviously good that if you don't really click to their tracks then you start wondering what you're missing.
Which is fine, because they've got a bit of European touring to do and no real musician ever finishes learning. On the other hand, if you don't enjoy Lion In Winter Pt. 2 there may be no hope for you... sheer genius. Try putting it on for a long road trip in a packed car because it'll provoke more than a couple mixed reactions and kill plenty of monotonous road time.
Lower Dens have caught your ear? Check them out online at their webpage, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter at @lowerdens.
Laura King
Despite already being a force to be reckoned with over the North Atlantic, Hunter and Lower Dens are still very much underground in the UK Indie scene. In the spirit of blind investigation Itchy put their new single, Brains, on and waited to be impressed...
And the sheer professionalism is clear in every track. There's nothing to hint that the Hunter wrote most of them with a keyboard she could barely play in a tour bus, playing 200 gigs in 12 months. Honestly, it's not surprising that so many people are already hailing Lower Dens as groundbreaking. The clear and current experimental message is not something that can be easily dismissed.
We can pretty much guarantee you that the next couple of albums will be ones to treasure, and if you prefer the road to perfection then Nootropics is a nice change from the 'blurry and imagined' music in the British folk and experimental music market. They're solid and real and your gran will not understand them in the slightest. This is probably their biggest selling point - they're so obviously good that if you don't really click to their tracks then you start wondering what you're missing.
Which is fine, because they've got a bit of European touring to do and no real musician ever finishes learning. On the other hand, if you don't enjoy Lion In Winter Pt. 2 there may be no hope for you... sheer genius. Try putting it on for a long road trip in a packed car because it'll provoke more than a couple mixed reactions and kill plenty of monotonous road time.
Lower Dens have caught your ear? Check them out online at their webpage, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter at @lowerdens.
Laura King
