Lower Dens - Escape From Evil (Ribbon, 2015)

Lower Dens
Escape From Evil
Ribbon
2015

Rating: 8 friendly forces out of 10

I've listened to a lot of Lower Dens recorded output and even seen them live a time or two, but the band has really hit new heights with their latest offering "Escape from Evil."  This record is fantastically polished, a judgement that can be perceived as both good and bad but in this case it really works...the retro eighties New Order meets C86 vibe is strong here, and oh so catchy and listenable.  Baltimore might be the best city in the world for cultivating this sound these days, from Jenn Wasner's work with Wye Oak and Flock of Dimes to big dogs Future Islands; perhaps only Sweden's Mary Onettes do a better job at making cold eighties pop songs sound retro and modern at the same time.  "To Die in LA" was my quick favorite from the album...and I'm sure it's not just a coincidence that the name is so similar to the movie/soundtrack "To Live and Die in LA," an original from the era this album seems to be aimed towards.  This is going to get a lot of spins this summer, and will surely find it's way onto my "best of" list at the end of the year. 

Lower Dens - Nootropics (Ribbon, 2012)

Lower Dens
Nootropics
Ribbon
2012

Rating: 8 tin cans out of 10

Baltimore - so hot right now!  Add Lower Dens to the list of hot-shit band's coming out of the the home of "The Wire."  Actually, maybe you already added them after their debut "Twin-Hand Movement," a fine record but not nearly as impressive as this one.  You can feel the band's growth here, and while the elements that make up this new batch of songs might be the same the construction feels different - more confident maybe, more comfortable in their own skin, or some such claptrap.  To boil it down to it's simplest terms, this band is what you'd get if Blonde Redhead listened to a ton of Kraftwerk and Can and then wrote a new record under that influence.  Since they are also from Baltimore you'll also hear comparisons to Beach House, but for my money Lower Dens are far superior musicians and songwriters.  The opening three tracks "Alphabet Song," "Brains," and "Stem" (with the last two basically functioning as one track) are as strong an intro as an album can possibly have.  From there you're just sucked in.