The record as a whole begs for an assessment of all the flaws inherent in our existence, and to imagine a better, more suitable, logical way for humanity to live.” So says Lower Dens leader Jana Hunter about the band’s stunning new album Nootropics. It’s an ambitious work, and it delivers — heavily metaphorical, the symmetries and concordances of the lyrics run deep; the luminous lines of the music converge at a point in a future just out of view. Lower Dens has made music that reconciles fear and uncertainty by freeze-framing it and turning it into a thing of beauty.
Pronounced no-eh-tro-pics, the title refers to a type of drug used to enhance memory or other cognitive functions. That’s a reference to Hunter’s interest in transhumanism, the use of technology to extend human capabilities. It could just as easily extend to the music itself — even the band’s newfound keyboards achieve a human-digital synthesis that aptly mirrors the album’s themes.
Lower Dens released their beguiling debut album Twin-Hand Movement in July 2010. Like Nootropics, the full depth and range of its formidable charms unfold over multiple listens — it’s a grower, and accordingly, Lower Dens’ popularity and acclaim grew and grew too. They were asked to join bigger and bigger tours, with the likes of Bear in Heaven, the Walkmen, Beach House, and Deerhunter, and wound up playing around 200 shows in that grueling 12-month span, developing the kind of musical telepathy that only relentless touring can bring.
Somehow, amid all the travel, Hunter had to write songs for the next album. So she got a keyboard — an instrument she doesn’t really know how to play — plugged in some headphones, and began composing, writing most of Nootropics in the back seat of the Lower Dens tour van as it rolled down the interstates. “It helped me write a record that feels good looking out a car window,” Hunter says. But it also helped her to write a trailblazing new record.
And that’s what Nootropics is all about. The album is the second of a four-album cycle that the band had planned from the very beginning of its existence. Where Twin-Hand Movement was about community, using the band’s native Baltimore scene as a springboard and inspiration, Nootropics is the next step.
“This record goes beyond the community around us and takes a broader look at human history,” says Hunter. “We’re creating a world to help our species survive and make our lives easier, but if we continue down this path it will destroy us. And that might seem bitterly sad, but I prefer to see our options and our potential.”
“Alphabet,” “Brains” and “Propagation” form a triptych that states the album’s key themes. “Alphabet,” a reference to a 1920 dadaist poem by Louis Aragon titled “Suicide,” “looks at our entire history as a species,” says Hunter. “Brains,” with its sleek, metronomic pulse, examines our relationship to technology, in particular artificial intelligence, and the lush future-pop of “Propagation” explores the desire to procreate: “Is it a trap?” Hunter wonders. “A trap custom-fit to each individual?”
Along with guitarist William Adams, bassist Geoffrey Graham and singer-guitarist Hunter, Lower Dens has a new drummer, Nate Nelson (Mouthus, Crazy Dreams Band) and keyboardist Carter Tanton (Marissa Nadler, Drug Rug, and two fine solo albums), who also plays some guitar. “This particular ensemble,” Hunter says, “is my favorite group I’ve ever played with.”
The minimalism here is monumental: Like icebergs viewed through deep mist, elements in the music that seem subtle at first soon reveal themselves as colossal developments. Hunter’s luxuriant alto croon soars on “Nova Anthem” and lapses into a mysteriously submerged murmur on “Brains.” Throughout, Adams’ guitar scythes the songs with impeccable electric filigrees.
From its opening moments to its last, Nootropics is concerned with texture and timbre: the papery thump of brush on snare, soft subsonic thunderclaps, the glorious clamor of a wall of symphonically stacked electric guitars. And there’s the sun-dappled cloudbank of sound of the instrumental “Lion in Winter, Pt. 1.” “We’d done noise jams in practice to keep our ears fresh, so we developed this one with a bit of a plot to it,” says Hunter. “That recording is the best we’d ever played it. It’s one of my favorite things we’ve ever done.”
Themes of renewal mark the album’s truly epic closing track, “In the End Is the Beginning.” “We think we know what there is to know about our reality,” Hunter observes. “But there’s a real possibility that we don’t know much at all. Perhaps we’re in the process of acknowledging that and moving on to better things. And the narrator of the song is saying that he or she is ready for come what may.”
Spare and yet teeming with sound and portent, Nootropics rewards attentive listening. “You have to be paying attention,” Hunter says, “which is a lot to ask of people. But that’s the way I like it.”
Only time can tell if a work of art is visionary, but very few are even in contention. We’ll see if the darkly hopeful future forecast in Nootropics comes to pass. Stay tuned.
- Current bio, from the release of Nootropics [May 2012]
Swarming guitar fuzz, bass waves, Jana Hunter’s voice, and insistent drum throbs are the core components of Baltimore’s Lower Dens. Hunter, sometimes known for intimate, ghost-heavy weird-fi, is now writing and playing with a group that might get filed as new wave, or drone pop, or post-punk. With due deference to her solo work, we’re very glad.
The swarming wave-throb, coupled with Hunter’s lyrics and redolent, charred voice, wrecks.
The band’s upcoming record, Twin-Hand Movement, is eleven perfect songs long. From opener “Blue & Silver” (anxiety mounts at a quick clip until the final climactic release) to “Plastic & Powder” (a churning, narcotic slow-burner) to “Hospice Gates” (penultimate album cut, proud weirdo anthem, possible creative zenith), not one is a space-taker. They’re rife with the survivalist paranoia you’d expect from residents of a post-urban port hole (and this particular songwriter), crafted methodically and beautifully, and carry you enthusiastically out into the rolling breaks of industrial filth-water.
Lower Dens formed in 2009, when Hunter set about finding a full-time band. They spent the rest of the year sweating in attics and basements, and only stepped out of the shadows to do a quick tour and record. Twin-Hand Movement was recorded by Chris Freeland (ex-Oxes drummer; proprietor of Beat Babies, Baltimore), mixed by Chris Coady (at his DNA, NYC), and mastered by Sarah Register (of the Lodge, NYC and the band Talk Normal.)
- Former bio, from the release of Twin-Hand Movement [August 2010]
Labels:
Gnomonsong
Ribbon Music
Members:
Jana Hunter
Will Adams
Geoff Graham
Nate Nelson
Carter Tanton
Past members:
Abram Sanders
Simple Life
Lower Dens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never enough time with you
Rip tide pulls me back down
I'm irrecoverable
No such thing as a simple life
Kill me or break me out
Edge of life, life and death are one and the same
As we step to our little dance
And chain ourselves to circumstances
I need to know if we ever had a chance
I saw you through a window
Angel eyes and tortured smile
You know there's more to life
So why can't I reach you
It's the end of taking time
No such thing as a simple life
Kill me or break me out
Break me down, bring me to the edge of death
Edge of life, life and death are one and the same
As we step to our little dance
And chain ourselves to circumstances
I need to know if we ever had a chance
Fuck me and wear me out
Wear me down, bring me to the edge of death
Edge of life, life and death are one and the same
Now let's begin our little dance
And chain ourselves to circumstances
Tell me, did we ever have a chance?
The lyrics of "Simple Life" by Lower Dens depict a sense of yearning and detachment, as well as a questioning of the complexities and uncertainties of existence. The opening lines convey a feeling of being submerged and struggling against forces that pull one down, leading to a sense of being lost or irrecoverable. This could symbolize the challenges and struggles that can overwhelm and hinder one's connection to oneself or to others. The repeated assertion that "No such thing as a simple life" suggests a resignation to the idea that life is inherently complex and difficult, hinting at a longing for simplicity amidst the chaos.
The singer expresses a desire to break free from something oppressive or confining, whether it be external circumstances or internal struggles. The themes of mortality and the blurred lines between life and death are explored through the imagery of being brought to the edge of death, highlighting a sense of urgency and intensity in the quest for meaning and significance. The reference to a "little dance" and chaining oneself to circumstances evokes a sense of fatalism and inevitability, as well as a longing for clarity and understanding about the possibilities and limitations of the situation.
The mention of seeing someone through a window with "Angel eyes and tortured smile" introduces a figure who embodies a sense of beauty and pain, with a perception of a deeper meaning or purpose in life that is somehow out of reach. The contrast between this vision and the singer's inability to connect or communicate underscores a feeling of longing and frustration. The repeated refrain of questioning whether there was ever a chance for a different outcome or connection suggests a sense of regret and uncertainty about missed opportunities or unfulfilled potential.
The final verse intensifies the emotional and existential stakes, with the singer expressing a desire to be consumed or worn down, bringing them to the brink of existence. The intertwining of themes of desire, destruction, and entrapment culminates in a plea for clarity and resolution, inquiring about the possibility of a different path or outcome. Overall, the lyrics of "Simple Life" delve into the complexities of human relationships, existential questions, and the struggle to find meaning and connection in a world that often seems overwhelming and inscrutable.
Line by Line Meaning
Coming to underwater
Being submerged in emotions or circumstances that are overwhelming and hard to navigate
Never enough time with you
Feeling like there is never sufficient time to spend with someone important to you
Rip tide pulls me back down
Feeling pulled back into difficult or negative situations, unable to escape
I'm irrecoverable
Feeling unable to recover or bounce back from a situation or emotion
No such thing as a simple life
Acknowledging that life is complex and never as straightforward as we may hope
Kill me or break me out
Desiring a drastic change or release from a difficult situation
I saw you through a window
Catching a fleeting glimpse of someone special, but feeling separated from them
Angel eyes and tortured smile
Seeing beauty and pain in someone's expression
You know there's more to life
Recognizing that there is depth and meaning beyond the surface of existence
So why can't I reach you
Feeling unable to connect with someone or access deeper levels of understanding
Fuck me and wear me out
Feeling exhausted or drained emotionally and physically
Wear me down, bring me to the edge of death
Being pushed to the limits of endurance and feeling close to breaking point
Tell me, did we ever have a chance?
Wistfully questioning whether there was ever a possibility for a different outcome or connection
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Jana Hunter, Nicholas Kenneth Younes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind