Lower Dens

NootropicsRibbon Music ***

There is something indefinably cool about Lower Dens, the band fronted and spearheaded by so-called freak-folk singer- songwriter Jana Hunter. Her schtick is experimental (her debut album was released on Devendra Banhart's label, Gnomonsong, and she has collaborated with charming, out-there noiseniks CocoRosie), so Nootropics is hardly something daytime radio will embrace. No matter – there are more than enough melodic pleasures here to ensure that horses will continue to graze, undisturbed by sonic scares. It helps also that Hunter has a voice of depth and calmness; this instrument alone buoys quite lovely tracks such as Alphabet Song, Propagation, Candy and Nova Anthem (the latter almost outdoing Sigur Rós with a wonderfully shifting, undulating structure). If there's a flaw, it's the flagrant self-indulgence on display. lowerdens.com

Download tracks:Propagation, Nova Anthem