Nootropics - Lower Dens
Nootropics Image
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: The second album for the Baltimore-based indie rock band led by Jana Hunter was produced Drew Brown.
  • Record Label: Ribbon Music
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Rock, Indie Folk
  • More Details and Credits »

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Paste Magazine
    May 2, 2012
    88
    Nootropics, 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.
  2. NOW Magazine
    Jul 12, 2012
    80
    A 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.
  3. Mojo
    Jul 18, 2012
    80
    You're left with the impression that Lower Dens are both big sounding and very clever. [Jun 2012, p.85]
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  4. Q Magazine
    Jun 20, 2012
    60
    It'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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See all 25 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. pandachrist
    10
    This album is a beauty! I get the Beach House and Radiohead comparisons but you can get so much more out of this if you give it a chance. I didn't enjoy the Twin-Hand Movement on first listen but eventually came to love it. Nootropics brings you into a whole different world. I wasn't blown away on first listen but I knew I was listening to something special but I could not pin it down. The more listens you give this baby the more beauty it reveals. Fantastic record!… Expand
  2. jyo_tirmaya
    9
    This album is like a Beach House album, but it's "weird" and I like it better. There was something too pretty about Beach house. Lower DEns adds more gothic beauty in their music (and being a goth a decade ago that means a lot). Overall, this album is a strange trip, but one worth taking if you have the guts to do so.… Expand
  3. JBBu
    9
    This one of the best of the year so far....with many of the ethereal end of post punk references (early 80's Cocteau Twins, the Cure, Breathless, etc.) mixed with contemporary sensibilities, it shines.… Expand

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