Thursday, May 20, 2010

Lower Dens - Twin Hand Movement


Ever since her split release with Devendra Banhart, I have been an avid follower of Jana Hunter. There's No Home has been my slumber-time fallback for years, and will likely continue to be for the foreseeable future. Jana has since been playing with a full band backing her, and we here in Baltimore have watched the project steadily grow.

The band has now seemed to reach a full-on bloom, and also now has a name - Lower Dens. Even more importanly, Lower Dens has an album in the works with a proper release date set for July 20th. Twin Hand Movement will be released via Gnomonsong, and was recorded by Chris Freeland, mixed by Chris Coady, and mastered by Sarah Register (Talk Normal).

A friend left a cassette copy of Twin Hand Movement over at my house a few weeks ago, and it has yet to leave my tape deck. I was recently given the MP3s of the full album, but can't seem to stop hitting rewind on the warm and full sounds that the tape has blessed me with over the past few weeks. Twin Hand Movement is the real deal, full of Jana's silky smooth vocals that are now backed with heavy but calming bass lines, psychedelic guitar bliss, and carefully placed percussion.



"Hospice Gates" is the first single to hit the interwebs from the album, and is the tenth track on the release. It is a stellar example of how Jana's previously hushed and mellow psych folk has been rejuvenated into a more jangly form of folk-pop that is rich in texture and big on sonics. The album as a whole goes down smoother than milk, and it's been amazing to watch such a beloved project flourish into such a beautiful recording. July 20th can't come soon enough.

Lower Dens are out on tour with Future Islands, the remaining dates are below.

5.20 San Diego, CA - Tin Can Alehouse
5.21 Los Angeles, CA - Sync Space
5.22 Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
5.24 San Francisco, CA - El Rio (early)
5.25 Eureka, CA - Lil Red Lion
5.26 Portland, OR - Rotture
5.27 Ellensburg, WA - Raw Space
5.28 Olympia, WA - Northern
5.29 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern (early)
6.1 Denver, CO - Rhinoceropolis
6.2 Kansas City, MO - The Foundation
6.3 Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
6.5 Chicago, IL - Permanent Records (In-store @ 5pm)
6.5 Chicago, IL - The Hideout
6.6 Detroit, MI - Majestic Cafe
6.7 Toronto, ON - Double Double Land
6.8 Montreal, QC - Green Room
6.9 Burlington, VT - Monkey House
6.10 Dover, NH - Brickhouse
6.11 Boston, MA - Brookline Cable Access
6.12 Brooklyn, NY - Silent Barn
6.13 Baltimore, MD - Penthouse

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