I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: September 10, 2019] Lower Dens

Back in 2010, Lower Dens did a Tiny Desk Concert.  I watched it in 2015 and really liked them.  Everything that I liked about them involved the interplay of singer Jana Hunter’s guitar with either the vocals or the bass.   So I was pretty happy to see that they were going to open for Of Monsters and Men.

A few days ago I listened to the new Lower Dens album and really didn’t like it all that much.  It’s more synthy, but that’s not why I didn’t like it.  I certainly liked the lyrics, but I just didn’t like the whole delivery.

I didn’t really know what to expect when the band came on stage.

Front and center was Jana Hunter.  Hunter looked very masculine (I loved the shirt Hunter was wearing), but that was rather puzzling because I thought the singer was a woman.  Plus the whole set was very synthy and didn’t sound like those early songs at all.  I genuinely wondered if I had the wrong band in my head.

I have since read that Hunter is gender fluid, so that’s cool.  Hunter’s voice really does run the gamut from low to high, so Hunter’s gender doesn’t make any difference to the voice.

But that still doesn’t change the fact that I was really bored by the set.

Now I love seeing the opening acts.  I know a lot of people skip them, but I think it’s an opportunity to see a great up and coming band.  And I can’t recall the last time I was bored by an opening act.  I have disliked a few, I have hated one or two, but I don’t think I’ve ever been bored before.

They played, I think, 7 songs (based on the setlist from a show the night before) in about 30 minutes.

It was Hunter in the middle, with a drummer on the far side and a guitarist on the near side.

I enjoyed the guitar work, when I heard it.  There were some cool solos and sounds from the guitar–in fact the guitarist had the most pizzazz of anyone on the stage.  In the past Hunter played guitar, so I’m not sure who was responsible for writing the guitar lines.  I got the impression that Lower Dens was really Hunter’s project, so I assume Hunter composed everything

But the whole sound was overwhelmed by all the synths.  And the worst part was–no one was playing the synths.  I assume it was all backing tracks on the drum kit, but why?  Why wouldn’t Hunter play the synth?  It wasn’t like Hunter was a charismatic front person.  Mostly Hunter stood in the same place and sang from time to time.  It was clear that Hunter knew the music very well–air drumming at one point–so why remove that live element from the show?

As I say, the guitars were clearly live and they were good, but not enough by any means.

All of the songs sounded more or less the same–washes of snyth, somewhat indistinct synth riffs and Hunter’s voice.  Some drum fulls were interesting, although I couldn’t really see the drummer all that well from my vantage point.  But all of the tension that I liked in the band’s earlier guitar songs was smoothed away.

And as the show went on I noticed that more and more things were on the backing track. A lot of the vocals were on the backing track!  I know because I could hear a ton of backing and harmony vocals and no one was singing anything.  A few times Hunter mouthed along to the backing vocals but not into the microphone.  Again, why not sing them?  Why not have the guitarist sing them?  I’m not even saying add more band members, just have the talented people on stage contribute more!

Hunter’s vocal range is pretty great but there were a few times when I could hear a vocal line and see that the mic wasn’t really close to Hunter’s face.  It’s possible the mic could pick up a voice from (relatively) far away, but it’s also possible that Hunter was singing a long to a recording.

Pair all of this with the fact that the lights were super dark–a purple lighting system that never really illuminated anything–and the fact that none of them moved at all.  And it was a pretty dull set.  Even Hunter seemed kind of bored.

They played through the set, with Hunter saying a few things to us.  But after that final note, they took their gear and left.

I have since read some a review of this tour that raved about Lower Dens.  Maybe the band was having an off night.  Maybe the lighting was uninspiring.  Maybe the crowd around us was not interested and it rubbed off.   I don’t know.  But I found the set surprisingly forgettable.

Here’s the review from Minnesota

The opening act was a group out of Baltimore called Lower Dens. They were a perfect way to start a pretty chill night…. Their lead singer had an approachable stage presence and excellent vocals.  The guitarist of the group was playing like it was nothing. He seemed unfazed by the big crowd and like he could play with his eyes closed.  I liked how the group interacted with the audience. They were super cool and would be a perfect fit for any easy listening playlist.

But that’s the only review I could find online.

Possible setlist

1. Galapagos
2. I Drive
3. To Die in L.A.
4. Lucky People
5. Two Faced Love
6. Buster Keaton
7. Simple Life