Lower Dens: TAS In Session
Atmospheric patterns shape Lower Dens' Nootropics, a haunting underworld of hazy psychedelic rock, Krautrock and electronic reveries. The album, out now on Ribbon Music, is just the second chapter of a four-part journey for a band that may — or may not — conclude permanently after frontwoman Jana Hunter and her bandmates release that fourth record.
Hunter remained cryptic about Lower Dens' fate, after revealing that game plan during a recent interview with The Alternate Side. However, she did discuss the meaning behind the album's title, Nootropics, her affection for a particular Katharine Hepburn movie and the addition of new members Carter Tanton (keyboards) and Nate Nelson (drums) when the band — which also includes guitarist Will Adams and bassist Geoff Graham — recently visited The Alternate Side for a stirring session last month.
In addition to performing singles like "Propagation" and "Brains," Lower Dens also treated us to a live version of "Hours," the non-album, B-side off of the "Brains" single. They were a bit camera shy, but you can listen to the live tracks below.
The session with Lower Dens airs this Friday, June 29 at 11 a.m. on TAS on 91.5 WNYE, streaming on the TAS site.
Lower Dens, on a North American tour now — they'll be passing through Texas, Arizona and California this week — plays New York's Bowery Ballroom on July 19.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83JY4rSxTl0]
Kara Manning: Jana, I first got to know you through your solo work which was 2007? Or 2008?
Jana Hunter: The first one that I put out on a label was 2005 and there was another in 2007.
Kara: And in 2010 you released Twin Hand Movement, which is officially Lower Dens’ debut album. You’ve toured with Bear in Heaven, The Walkmen, Wye Oak, Beach House, Cass McCombs — you were touring with everyone. How many shows do you think you did?
Jana: Well, I think we figured out at one point that in a year period, May to May, we did about 200 shows. Which isn’t that uncommon. It’s a difficult thing to do but a lot of bands do that and feel like they have to do that.
Kara: Nootropics are smart drugs, basically, but there’s an umbrella theme about transhumanism that came out of these long rides you were taking and books you were reading?
Jana: Transhumanism was an aspect of those conversations, same thing with the kind of imperative to work yourself to death. A common, modern trait. We talked a lot about how humans are motivated by these biological imperatives to be better and more efficient, successful creatures. We are, in fact, a very successful species but are driving ourselves to the ends of our abilities. Despite the fact that we’ve succeeded. Maybe we could, if we wanted to, take a step back and enjoy our success.
Kara: The personal element, though, of what the band was. It could have fallen apart at some point, but you regrouped and it came back stronger than ever with this second album.
Jana: It’s like they say; you can’t make a work without something of yourself in it. I haven’t put very much thought into it, but that’s something that I definitely learned through this band. If I’m endlessly pushing for us to perfect our process, any element of our process, the touring machine that we have to put together, and not making it just as important to enjoy the time that I spend with these people who I like very much, then it will be too much of one and not enough of the other. It makes the exhaustion near impossible to deal with.
Kara: Was Nootropics a fresh start? it came more out of a band effort as well.
Jana: Yes, very much so. I feel like this group is the best ensemble that I’ve ever played with. I have a lot of respect for them as musicians and because of that, it developed very organically that it would be contributions from all of [these] people. It would be a waste to have one person controlling all the elements of this band.
Kara: Can you tell me about the genesis of “Brains,” your first single?
Jana: [I’ve been a fan] of bands like Kraftwork and Neu! for a long time; I think most everybody in the band would say something of the same. I just happened to be revisiting the Kraftwerk Radioactivity record a lot during the writing of Nootropics and just beforehand. I just had those rhythms and textures on my mind and I think something of that translated. There’s that very characteristic motorik beat that made its way [into “Brains”]. I did that because it’s fun! You’ve gotta write one song with that beat in your life.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGnKTLO5zTc]
Kara: The thing that I love about the conceit of what you’re doing is that there is that whole idea of motorik drumming, the sonic vocabulary that you have on this album that makes you want to get behind the wheel of a car and drive. It seems to be the soundtrack of traveling. Which was part of why this album sounds the way it does because you were traveling whilst you were writing it, correct?
Jana: Yeah, it seemed that we weren’t going to have significant amount of time at home to work on music. It had always seemed pretty much impossible to me to write in transit. I’d never tried with a keyboard and a computer. A tiny, two-octave, plastic thing.
Kara: I read that you have a photograph in your head for every song on the album.
Jana: For some of them. Particularly for “Propagation.” I think that was one of the first ones that was worked on a lot in the car. And “Alphabet” too. I spent the longest time in cars on those two songs.
Kara: Watching what you’re all doing, as the songs expanded, how did you find what was needed? What was dispensed with? Did that come about quickly?
Jana: Everybody has a different process. I’m thinking, particularly, of Nate and Carter since I haven’t been playing with them as long. I’ve been curious, watching them and how they develop parts. Carter, I noticed, will experiment with sounds and push sounds to extremes to figure a piece of equipment out, or figure a part out until he finds something that he latches onto or likes. And Nate, conversely, will play the same thing for hours on end. It just seems impossible how long he will play the “Brains” beat which is so simple. He will play it for hours just to get it exactly clockwork perfect. I’ve never seen anybody do what he does.
Geoff Graham: Nate is like a sushi chef taking about the blowfish to get the tender meat that is surrounded by poison.
Kara: I think drumming is sometimes underestimated in how it can change the sound and direction of a band. Finding the tempo that is appropriate to a band. Did you find that things really shifted in a huge way [when Nate joined].
Jana: Definitely in a lot of ways. It was also a key decision in shaping the sound of the record, that he should be heavily featured.
Kara: Is it true that you look at Lower Dens doing a four album cycle? There is a plan afoot?
Jana: Yes.
Kara: What happens at the end of those four albums?
Jana: I don’t know. All we’re planning is the four albums. After that, I don’t know what will happen (laughs). Will: A movie.
Kara: Thematically, then, what was the first album, Twin Hand Movement?
Jana: It was, for me, Baltimore. Finding myself there and being really inspired by the community. Inspired by that community’s interests in finding different ways to live than the ones you’re readily offered. Creating your own environment. Baltimore does that really well. That was something I hadn’t really encountered before. I think that approach influenced the band wanting to have a thematic arc. Wanting it to have a substsance to it that would inspired us so that we’d be writing about things that were important to us.
Kara: Do you see this as a very tight cycle, every two years, and we only have four years of you left?
Jana: There’s not really a timeline. We’ll take it as it comes. And it’s not necessarily a cut-off.
Kara: “Propagation” has the coolest video. You look like crazed beekeepers [in it], running about, glowing beekeepers. Where were you?
Jana: We were in upstate New York, Palinville. I think we were in a house that friends rent together on a large property. The director had previously rented space in this house. Very beautiful, typical upstate New York. Very, very cold.
Geoff: I guess I was playing the part of the beekeeper.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcweMi7LOpk]
Kara: The guitarwork or texture of ["Propagation"] was very reminiscent to me of Robert Smith's of the Cure on Disintegration. Was that of any connection to that? You’re going to say no.
Jana: I like that, but I wasn’t thinking that. I think that the stuff that I wrote for that song was influenced by spending a lot of time touring with Beach House.
Kara: Your vocals have sometimes been compared to Victoria [Legrand]. But I find you both different.
Jana: I understand that we have a similar range and both of our voices have a gravelly texture to them, so it makes sense to me. I don’t agree with people who say that our voices are indistinguishable. Their ears aren’t telling them the truth.
Kara: With “Lion in Winter” Part 1 and Part 2, the title of that made me think automatically of the film and the play. There’s no relation, is there?
Jana: Oh no, there is! Absolutely. One of the lines in the song is something that Katharine Hepburn says in “Lion in Winter.” “We’re jungle creatures and the dark is all around us.” I love that movie. I think it has a lot of great lines. Fantastic actors. I’ve watched that movie half a dozen times.
Kara: Are you often inspired by film?
Jana: Not frequently. I’m not any sort of film buff.
Kara: The fact that you divided this into two songs, was there a reason?
Jana: We had worked up Part 2 first and then Will and I were working on an idea to have a drone that would happen underneath the song, to fill it out a little bit. So it was an exercise to make a drone happen.
Will: They used to happen at the same time and it didn’t sound very good so we took [Part 1] and developed into its own thing.
Jana: We made it as a way to create a drone while something interesting was happening.
Will: I think it’s where the album takes a really good weird turn.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imKOsEt85IE]
