Whatever happened to Baby Jan(a Hunter)? It’s been three years since the lo-fi, tragically folk queen of my heart released There’s No Home (TMT Review), her sophomore album and last full-length to date. Imagine my extreme delight when I happened by her MySpace this February and noticed a blog update announcing that she’s active and has formed a full-fledged band, Lower Dens. By delight, I mean a dull wave of the most satisfying kind of depression due to listening to “There’s No Home” on repeat for a good two days.
Demo tracks have been up on Lower Dens’ own MySpace for a little while now, but now the facts are out: the debut (what would have otherwise been Jana Hunter’s third LP) is called Twin-Hand Movement and is slated for release July 20 via Gnomonsong. According to the label, the sound is more along the lines of new wave, drone pop, or post-punk than the moody sleepiness of Hunter’s previous crooning, but to a certain extent, the band — introducing production levels and instrumentation previously alien to Hunter’s albums — remains a case of once Jana Hunter, always Jana Hunter. Chris Coady (who’s nobody to sneeze at: see Teen Dream) mixed the album at DNA Downtown in New York, and Sarah Register (of the Lodge, New York, and one-half of Talk Normal) mastered it. How can it not be good?
There is also a single, “I Get Nervous,” due May 31 from Gnomonsong, and according to Stereogum, there is a collection of demos (including at least one song not on Twin-Hand Movement) for sale at concerts. You can buy it, too, because Lower Dens just left Baltimore for a massive tour with Future Islands, whose second LP, In Evening Air, came out in early May. Stand warned: Bette Davis will not be allowed entry to any shows. This Baby Jan(a) is a team player again.
Check out “Hospice Gates” (off Twin-Hand Movement) here.
Tourdates: (all with Future Islands)
05.17.10 - Lubbock, TX - Riprocks
05.18.10 - Las Cruces, NM - Equinox
05.19.10 - Phoenix, AZ - Rogue Bar
05.20.10 - San Diego, CA - Tin Can Alehouse
05.21.10 - Los Angeles, CA - Sync Space
05.22.10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
05.24.10 - San Francisco, CA - El Rio (early)
05.25.10 - Eureka, CA - Lil Red Lion
05.26.10 - Portland, OR - Rotture
05.27.10 - Ellensburg, WA - Raw Space
05.28.10 - Olympia, WA - Northern
05.29.10 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern (early)
06.01.10 - Denver, CO - Rhinoceropolis
06.02.10 - Kansas City, MO - The Foundation
06.03.10 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
06.05.10 - Chicago, IL - Permanent Records (in-store, 5 PM)
06.05.10 - Chicago, IL - The Hideout
06.06.10 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Cafe
06.07.10 - Toronto, ON - Double Double Land
06.08.10 - Montreal, QC - Green Room
06.09.10 - Burlington, VT - Monkey House
06.10.10 - Dover, NH - Brickhouse
06.11.10 - Boston, MA - Brookline Cable Access
06.12.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Silent Barn
06.13.10 - Baltimore, MD - Penthouse
• Lower Dens: http://www.myspace.com/lowerdens
• Gnomonsong: http://www.gnomonsong.com