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Lower Dens, Live In Concert: SXSW 2012
Lower Dens, Live In Concert: SXSW 2012 Baltimore's Lower Dens, led by singer/guitarist Jana Hunter, perform at NPR Music's SXSW day party at The Parish in Austin, Texas.
The Baltimore band, led by Jana Hunter, favors mood over showmanship, but its live show builds intensity out of difficult emotions mixed with washes of guitar noise and wails of feedback. by Stephen Thompson Play

Lower Dens' music favors mood over stage-stalking showmanship: Singer Jana Hunter's icy-cool demeanor sets a hauntingly atmospheric tone that's all mystery, washes of guitar-saturated noise and the difficult emotions that lie, unexpressed, beneath the surface. Mixing songs from 2010's majestic Twin Hand Movement with material from the hotly anticipated Nootropics, Lower Dens seethed through a gorgeous, brooding set at NPR Music's SXSW day party, held Thursday at The Parish in Austin, Texas.

With roots in Baltimore and (appropriately enough) Texas, Lower Dens' members specialize in a fragile mix of warm and cool, with clear influences ranging from The Velvet Underground to '80s new wave. On stage at The Parish, Lower Dens found the sweet spot that lies between, locating a patch of real estate where shyness doesn't preclude soul.

Set List

  • "Alphabet Song"

  • "Lions In Winter Pt. 2"

  • "Brains"

  • "Stem"

  • "Candy"

  • "Propagation"

Credits

Producer: Amy Schriefer; Video by: XI Media; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
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