On the music genre spectrum, one would place noisy rock and heavy metal far, far away from the more tender and swooning tendencies associated with folk. But here in the Triangle, you shouldn’t be surprised to find musicians who dabble, quite wonderfully so, in both extremes.
When Mount Moriah, the brainchild of Bellafea’s Heather McEntire and Horseback’s Jenks Miller, emerged on the Triangle scene with a delicate and heart-wrenching self-titled debut, it was only a matter of time before the duo’s promising sound gained prominence rather quickly.
After signing to Durham’s Merge Records last fall, the promise of a follow-up loomed on the horizon, and it wasn’t long before that wish was granted. On Miracle Temple, Mount Moriah reaches higher and brighter, exploring robust harmonies and striking instrumentation that are certainly representative of the band’s continuing multi-faceted talent.
Beginning with opener “Younger Days,” Miracle Temple showcases a fresh, new direction that is charismatically more upbeat than the previous album. This song swells with pop tendencies and delightful harmonies that pull from the background. It’s a process that continues throughout, as Miller’s faintly detectable harmonizing vocals alternate to further fill out the already lush and inviting tone of the album. Add in collaborator James Wallace’s multiple talents of drums, organ and piano and Daniel Hart’s (The Physics of Meaning) notable violin contributions, and the album ascends to a whole new dimension.
But that’s not to say that Miracle Temple maintains the influence of Miller and McEntire from their other respective projects.
Only for Mount Moriah does this formula seem feasible; heavily charged guitar riffs give way to sterling vocals and steady drums. In a construction that is distinctly its own, Miracle Temple demonstrates even greater the crossroads of musical approaches that sturdily compose the band’s back bone.
While McEntire might have been hiding in the quiet on the outfit’s self-titled debut, she’s certainly standing taller and louder on Miracle Temple. Her soaring vocals strongly dominate and are perfectly complemented by the likes of honky-tonk bass or pure rock guitar riffs, depending on the track. But in an ideal balance, she later eases back on tracks like “Connecticut to Carolina” and “Swannanoa” with a greater sense of longing, but never any diminished confidence.
From beginning to the close, there appears to be a shift to more pensiveness and a touch less of light. A brooding and gorgeous cover of Bellafea’s “Telling the Hour,” closes out the album, and it is preceded by similarly arresting songs like “Miracle Temple Holiness.” But even with the tempo slowed down some, this longer second album isn’t losing its flame or sacrificing intrigue. Because just as McEntire sings, the band continues to “let it rise, let it rise,” and it’s boding well for the future. From here, the flames are growing, only to climb higher.
Dive verdict: ?????
Stream Miracle Temple via Pitchfork Advance here. Miracle Temple hits store shelves this Tuesday.
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