Lower Dens Live in Philadelphia (02/24/11)

Who?: Lower Dens
Where?: The Ox in Philadelphia, PA
When?: February 24th, 2011

Lower Dens were in town last night and we were there to capture some of the action live on camera. At first I was a little upset because the footage appeared to be ruined after the import process, but all is well now. (Note to self: turn OFF the video preview while importing). So after a second and much more careful video import, I now have these videos to share with you folks. Lower Dens put on a grand display of their unique “haze” rock, with all of it’s swirling guitars and crushing rhythms. They played songs from their 2010 album “Twin-Hand Movement”, as well as their brand new single, along with the B-side “Dear Betty Baby” which I regretfully did not catch on video.

Completely Golden – A cut from their 2010 effort “Twin-Hand Movement”. Listen to that bass drum thud! It hits like a ton of bricks for the duration of the entire set, which is definitely where this band derives there “bruise-rock” terminology from. Clearly these guys know exactly what they’re supposed to do when they get on stage. There’s no doubting that.

Rosie – Another cut from “Twin-Hand Movement”. The intro and ending of this song are strangely mysterious, but towards the middle it sounds more like the Lower Dens sound you’re used to with the crystal clear guitar freak outs.

Blue & Silver – This would be the opening track to “Twin-Hand Movement”. Listen as the guitar squeal grows – you can feel it coming on stronger and stronger as the song plays out. Their sound resembles what light would sound like if it were bouncing off the walls and back into your eyes, forcing you to squint.

Batman – Lower Dens brand new single, fresh off the press for a brand new year! We covered the 7″ back in January, and this thing still has an otherworldly power to make you play it over countless times. The combination of Hunters blissful vocals and that heavenly crystalline guitar howl is enough to die for. The rhythm section punches along with authority behind the rest, which led to the end of the Lower Dens set. For a first time going to see Lower Dens and not knowing exactly what to expect, these guys totally live up to their sound. In fact, if everything is going well on stage, seeing them live just might be the best way to experience their new wave of hazy “bruise” rock. They’re still on tour, so if they’re making it to your town, you should probably make a point to go and witness the action yourself. And for those of you who haven’t had the privilege of listening yet, check out these few songs below.

Batman –

Blue & Silver –

I Get Nervous –

BUY the “Twin-Hand Movement” LP directly from Insound
BUY the Batman 7″ directly from Insound
Lower Dens – Official Website
Lower Dens on Tumblr
Lower Dens – Batman 7″ previously posted on the Drone