As if the premise of Wye Oak wasn’t intimate enough, singer/guitar-slinger Jenn Wasner now also writes and records solo under the moniker Flock of Dimes. Yet, the differences between her latest track “Curtain” (the A-side to her newly released 7-inch single), and, say, any track from last year’s absurdly underrated Civilian are at once apparent.
The song is wired in electronics and super-soaked in drippy synths and reverb, leaving the lyrics almost completely unintelligible. Still, even through the daydream haze, Wasner’s vocals sound as strong as ever. It’s almost dizzying to think about the number of layers Wasner has applied here: there are bleeps, there are blips, and there are even handclaps. Every detail sounds like it was painstakingly perfected, and this is a track that requires attentive listening.
The quiet/loud dynamic (a Wye Oak staple) inserts itself between chorus and verse and only allows the tension of the track to hit harder upon loud’s return. Backed by a steady drum machine beat, minute parts ease their way in until their summation causes the track to absolutely unleash around the 2:15 mark. Then — exactly when the song should implode — about a half a billion synths slip out, the drums disappear, and the song dreamily ends.