Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jenn Wasner of Flock of Dimes and Wye Oak has joined forces with other North Carolina indie-electronic musicians for a passionate performance of “2 Heads,” the opening track of her recently released album Head of Roses. The album was released earlier this month on Sub Pop.

The musicians involved included Andy Stack of Wye Oak and Joyero on cello and Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso and Made of Oak on his modular Eurorack system, with backup vocals performed by Alexandra Sauser-Monning of Daughter of Swords and Mountain Man, Molly Sarlé of Mountain Man and Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso and Mountain Man. Wasner herself took the lead with vocals as well as two Matriarch synthesizers.

The song contains consistent synth arpeggios layered under the slow, melancholy vocal melody with each collaborating singer having their own harmony line over it. Jenn Wasner’s voice quality is gritty and beautifully haunting, making the song feel almost like a dream when paired with the other voices and the slow bass strumming of string instruments.

The video features a live performance of the song, the focus moving in between each vocalist as well as the masked instrumentalists and technical contributors. The singers perform passionately, often with closed eyes or longing stares off behind the camera.

In an exclusive interview with Moog, Wasner explained that music, to her, is about communication and connection, as well as “developing a deeper understanding of the world in the process of developing a better understanding of ourselves.”

Flock of Dimes released a music video for Wasner’s single “One More Hour,” a song that will also appear on Head of Roses, last month. The project channeled the group’s imagination, creating a world full of fantasy and wonder. This video almost immediately followed the release of another music video experimenting with light for one of the album’s other singles, “Hard Way.” Other already-released singles that will appear on the album include “Two” and “Price of Blue.”

Last year, Wye Oak released the album No Horizon with Merge Records, including singles “AEIOU” and “No Place” that features the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

Photo credit: Sharon Alagna