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Apr 27, 201280Nootropics is so mired in restraint it will fail to grab many ears on the first go-round. However, once listeners get their heads around the sound, it's a definite on-repeat player.
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May 1, 201282This is one of those albums that creates its own little sound world, and a lot of its appeal has to do with qualities like texture and atmosphere.
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Jun 20, 201260It's the vocals of Jana Hunter, an apprentice of freak folk luminary Devendra Banhart, that provides Nootropics' bewitching focal point, the group's gothic meld of gliding guitars and spectral synth noises resembling the Cocteau Twins on a comedown. [Jun 2012, p.107]
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May 2, 201280Nootropics is a slow burn that lingers long. [May 2012, p.78]
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Jul 18, 201280You're left with the impression that Lower Dens are both big sounding and very clever. [Jun 2012, p.85]
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May 10, 201270Weirder is better with this crew; witness the 12-minute apocalyptic dub incantation "In The End Is The Beginning," which locates sublime power in its spacey pessimism.
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May 1, 201275As a breathtaking study in grayscale minimalism, Nootropics is exquisite. But it dissipates the instant it touches air.
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May 8, 201280Sometimes trance-inducing, sometimes wildly dynamic, the album is a sumptuous, woozy feast that proudly dances on the lines between nirvana and reality.
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Apr 30, 201280The end result is an intriguing, ambitious set of songs that reward those who opt for full immersion, rather than cherry-picking tracks, with each listen.
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Apr 30, 201270It's undoubtedly complex, awkward and occasionally without direction, but it also produces moments of astonishing splendour, each with the capacity to bring neck hairs bristling to attention.
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Apr 27, 201280If you're willing to put the effort in, then you will be rewarded with an achingly beautiful and immersive album.
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May 1, 201270What's missing is the meditative joy they achieved in their rockier moments.
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May 30, 201280It is a delicate alchemy of tight metronomic grooves and carefully parsed instrumental interplay, to the point where nothing steals the show.
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Jul 12, 201280A few, like Lion In Winter Pt. 1 and 12-minute closer In The Beginning Is The End, test your patience, while others, like Nova Anthem and Lamb, become so surprisingly transcendent that they vanquish any and all tedium.
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May 2, 201288Nootropics, the latest record from Baltimore quintet Lower Dens, connects layered loops and trippy chants with catchy rock 'n' roll arrangements, delivering a pure punch of sonic bliss.
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May 3, 201270These are sleek soothing balms sombrely and meticulously crafted to usher the listener in.
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May 21, 201279A welcome new start for this talented band.
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May 9, 201274Largely favoring grayscale tones and sedated sentiment, Lower Dens' highs achieve with an understated ability to evoke emotion.
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May 1, 201280The panicked sensation of Nootropics gives way to catharsis as the surrealism intensifies to the point at which change is inevitable.
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Apr 27, 201288The dreamwave immersion and haunting power of Hunter's vocals invite comparisons to fellow Baltimore mood-wizards Beach House, but whereas Teen Dream aimed for beauty even at its darkest, Lower Dens keeps things weird.
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May 23, 201275It not so much a record that juxtaposes itself, but rather one that sways between the two sides of whatever spectrum you put it in.
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May 1, 201270The disc turns more experimental as it progresses.
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May 2, 201280Despite the lack of direct emotional content in the shrouded lyrics, the music has an ache to it, a yearning that suggests a desire to connect but an inability to make a connection.
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Apr 27, 201280Its refined edges, percussion heavy sounds and understated opulence find the band's sonic landscape revitalised.
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Apr 27, 201280Their minimalist throb is challenging at first, yet allowing the likes of 'Brains' and 'Propagation' to seep in is to be submerged in an invigoratingly ballsy album.