Sparsity of musical notes and absence of star-power-crazed contributors better define Baltimore-based four piece Lower Dens’ eleven-song LP than technicality or dexterity, but the earthy, mountainous landscapes featured on the album jacket could have indicated that. While certainly not a fundamental component to the quartet’s image nor the centerpiece of their artistic endeavors, the relatively simple four-panel fold out represents a material example of the group’s potential for guiding a tour of thoughts while not commanding their listeners follow any strict path. Taking Twin-Hand Movement in from end to end feels akin to passing effortlessly through the art gallery to which singer/band leader Jana Hunter and her company introduce as a record.

With or without with the liner-notes, the listener is yet afforded the pleasure of processing the pieces; each song represents an individual timeworn tapestry nestled amongst others on the walls of this display hall. The sturdy fibers holding the works together and dutifully lending each number its unique identity are the lines that Hunter and lead guitarist ­Will Adams braid together behind the frontwoman’s earnest alto. “Holy Water” baptizes listeners in a cleansing rinse of cascading riffs atop a continually intensifying accompaniment, sans vocals. The six and a half minute “Plastic & Powder” contains no singing until Hunter matches her voice to Adams’ instrumental passage at the midway point. “Tea Lights”, the album’s second track, maintains a hook-worthy six string melody over a foundational drone while allowing space for vocal commentary only every couple of minutes. When given a song to shine, as on the languid “Truss Me,” Hunter’s voice croons comfortingly. Here, she sings, “Someday you will you truss me/I don’t expect anything,” vocally enforcing the optimism conveyed by instrumentalists throughout.

Generating exploration-worthy musical landscapes similar in fashion to the efforts of the Besnard Lakes or early an Broken Social Scene highlighted with vocals that range from ambient and textural (“I Get Nervous”) to indie-rock-style pleading (“Rosie”), Lower Dens takes a strong step in developing a recognizable M.O., and as a first full-length release, Twin-Hand Movement proves that that step has placed the group’s best foot forward. Yet, as Hunter articulates in “Truss Me,” the group members don’t anticipate any particular reaction from their listeners. That the artists remain free to create without an overt desire to impose ascribed meaning speaks to the potentially rich experience embodied in the of Lower Dens’ forty minute musical museum tour.