Along with their Baltimore peers Future Islands, Lower Dens have been peddling a compelling retro-futuristic sound and shtick. Their latest release contains the cerebral lyrics, sparse guitar, and motoric synth rhythms that you’d expect. However the lyrical content has moved in a new direction from that of their acclaimed 2012 release - Nootropics. So before getting into Escape from Evil we need some context! Let’s talk about Nootropics.
Thematically Jana Hunter, as the band’s chief songwriter, was exploring transhumanism (think Kraftwerk’s Man Machine) and the outlandish academic and futurist Ray Kurzweil. Kurzweil is the poster boy for the hypothesis of the technological singularity. ‘What in the name of dear science is that?’ I hear you say. In a nutshell it’s the idea that all of our tech-advancements will culminate in humans and artificial intelligence converging in a Philip K. Dick style melange of pharmaceuticals, silicone and, um.. wifi. Now, I don’t know about you, but this is exactly the kind of cyberpunk wet dream that I want from krautrock inspired futurists! In summary Nootropics was a robotic and euphoric exposé. It charmed with its uncanny and, at times, dark overtures (check out their track “Brains” on youtube). So, as you can see, it was always going to be a tough act to follow.
As such, the first Escape From Evil track to mark Lower Dens evolving sound is “Ondine”. Jana Hunter opens up the tune with a languid and sincere vocal delivery over a catchy stock bassline that you’ve heard before. Following this the songs moves into a genuinely earnest and pleading refrain ‘I will treat you better’. Emotive and sentimental, this is commercial synth-pop and Lower Dens do it very well.
On the other end of the scale is the brooding “I am the Earth”. It comes on slow with a lazy sci-fi menace that puts Pink Floyd in mind. Lyrically she works an ambitious metaphor where it seems Hunter is a disinterested planet Earth while her lover is the orbiting debris and organisms living on the surface. Heavy stuff. Sounds to me she’s been reading James Lovelock’s Gaia theory (If you feel like nerding out take a trip over to wikipedia). Basically his theory holds that Earth is an orgaism and humans are a parasite on it’s surface. Crucially the Earth will still be spinning long after Homo sapiens have kicked the bucket. Cue Hunter’s lyric ‘Just like so many things I will still be spinning here long after you’ve gone’. Maybe I’m on the wrong track here and Lower Dens will have a hearty belly laugh or head scratch when they read this, but hey, what are reviews for but a bit of interpretive guess-work?
After that “To die in L.A” has to be mentioned and not just for the glossy and stylish video. The song itself is catchy, kitsch and aloof; an odd mix that works well. A verse of solid bass being circled by some keys and cloying guitar makes way for a strong chorus - big chords juxtaposed with some guitar licks that carry a whiff of Johnny Marr. Hunter delivers a nice vocal hook on top as well: ‘time will turn the tide’ where the word tide is stretched across four chords like a surging tidal swell. Despite being rooted in major scale the tune retains hints of a dark atmosphere and a character that suits Lower Dens. Hunter also appears in the video reading a copy of Charles Duhigg’s ‘Power of Habit’ as such we could refrain ‘habit will turn the tide’.
The last stand out tune is “Non-Grata”. Rhythmically this is the one to dance to (in my case provided no one is looking). There’s a swagger to the vocals and a staggered amodal guitar riff that gives the tune a sweet edgy groove. As for the chorus ‘Baby lets roll up to heaven, lets make a getaway’ - Imagine an Elvis style lip curl with Bowie or Nick Cave’s posturing and you’re half way to the kind of charisma Jana Hunter is channelling. If Lower Dens were playing in my town I’d go to the gig for that alone.
All in all for me Escape from Evil is definitely a grower. The catchy tunes have legs and the darker ones are rich enough for multiple listens. Perhaps the relative evils of transhumanism with its cognitive enhancing pills and sinister riffing has been exorcised. Despite my teething misgivings this seems to be no bad thing. Lower Dens have snared a more commercial sound while maintaining their artistic integrity.
Release: 30th March 2015, Ribbon Music
Originally published here
