Jana Hunter bummed a smoke off of Pat the night she was here in early July, but she didn’t have to borrow any of the harrowing melancholy that she packs into her dark skylines of longing tranquility and ruthless uncertainty. This was easy to come by and always has been for Hunter. She’s tiny and compact and not the kind of person that would foretell the coming of retold miseries and disappointments. She brokers the songs of slow recognizance toward the grave consequences of nearly everything while dressed out in baggy T-shirts featuring bright as a color wheel script handwriting done in neon blow paint, a big trucker hat similar to the ones Will Johnson and Will Oldham had on their scalps when they were by and sneakers that would be recognized as the choice of Lady Sovereign. Sure, this was just one day, and maybe she was off-duty, but the contrasting vibes – of stark folkie, deep-voiced stressor and b-baller – only added to the allure of what she does for her livelihood. She writes songs of ghostly things – a natural spectacular of all that goes wrong or sullen – and gives off an aura of something very playful and slightly goofy. Hunter was here on a night that was flinging early blackness and rain. Lightning bolts split the sky and huge thunder booms sounded like a giant’s footsteps while the tape was rolling. We knew we had the right person in the room for the evening. – Sean Moeller

Listen Closely in the song “Recess” for a mushy fuzz sound. That is the sound of lightning in the lines from a heavy storm during the recording. We had to pause and retake a couple times… Fun!

First song
Palms (Jana Hunter) [2.36MB] [2319 downloads]


– original version appears on There’s No Home
The second verse’s lyric, “I feel your breath, even though you’re already long gone” is the meat of this song. The breath referred to here refers to the breath of someone’s life, their being. It’s about feeling somebody, even though the singer’s time with them is past.

Second song
A Goblin, A Goblin (Jana Hunter) [3.55MB] [2307 downloads]


— Unreleased
The narrator’s tale of being an indignant outcast. I always think about witches when I’m singing this. Salem’s witches. Someone faced with the mob. The goblin is the malicious spirit spreading its influence, it’s irrelevance going unnoticed.

Third song
Pinnacle (Jana Hunter) [3.87MB] [2173 downloads]


– original version appears on There’s No Home
This is a chronicle of a fight, probably a silly one, still ripe with severe, harsh feelings. A miserable, drunken, irrational fight, lost to whatever opponent. It sums up an entire aspect of a particular relationship. It ends in damaged pride, and not much more.

Fourth song
Recess (Jana Hunter) [3.83MB] [2192 downloads]


– original version appears on There’s No Home
It’s a giver-upper. It’s complete resignation, occasionally proud in its blame-shifting. Sometimes I’m real into it, sometimes it’s embarrassing.