Mount Moriah Dances the Metaphysical

Mount Moriah’s very good new Southern rock album, How to Dance, stands out not just in its lyricism or its passion but in the musical histories it reimagines. Culled from the North Carolina post-punk and psych-metal scenes, Mount Moriah’s members assert themselves as loyal continuants of their home state’s music rock foundations but with hints of bold inventiveness. Singer Heather McEntire, with her stirring yearning drawl, can make a heart ache like the best of them. Her metaphysically attuned lyrics, meanwhile, are high-minded, vivid renderings of Southern land- and love-scapes. Title track “How to Dance” is a swaying porchlight of a tune, with notes of delicate light coming through the sad swing.