Lower Dens is a folk/indie rock highlight

Twin-Hand Movement, the debut album from Baltimore’s Lower Dens, is not your typical folk album. 70s experimental rock influences provides a subtle, sometimes sharp complexity to the subdued folk melodies. Electric guitars are used far more than the folk standard acoustic which add to a foggy, somber and rich album.

Twin-Hand Movement is not meant to blow you away with sweeping, epic tracks, catchy hooks or sing-alongs. The album is a haunted night journey, with eerily calm sounds sneaking in from the surroundings, mysterious voices scratching like wind against the trees, and a fear of being alone in an unfamiliar place. Each track prides itself on being understated, emblazoned with fuzzy guitars, slow, dark melodies, simple, repetitious drums and Jana Hunter’s relaxed vocals.

Not all eleven tracks have an ominous feel as the final two songs, Hospice Gates and Two Cocks Waving Wildly at Each Other Across a Vast Open Space, a Dark Icy Tundra, are more upbeat. It might have served the album better by having these tracks show up earlier to break up the heaviness, but their placement provides an inspiring ending.

Best Tracks:

Blue and Silver is atmospheric with washed out guitars, a hypnotic pace set by the drums, and Hunter’s resonant, airy voice.

I Get Nervous takes a little while to get going but turns into an intimate, mesmerizing song. Hunter’s vocals swings in and out like a pendulum.

Two Cocks…starts off with a long, trippy, instrumental. Hunter’s lyrics are at a steadied pace over a sped-up percussion, and send a mixed message of self-importance but a need to be desired by others. I’ll go, I’ll go where I’m needed/ I’ll go, I’ll go only if I’m really needed .

When and Where:

Twin-Hand Movement is an after sunset album, and can be played during dark explorations of yourself or the world around you. It is perfect for a lengthy nighttime drive or burying yourself under the covers on a cold, desolate night.

Blue and Silver