North Carolina-based band Mount Moriah is at the crossroads of classic country, Southern indie rock, American folk ballads, and indie-punk & psych metal roots. On their latest, How to Dance (Merge Records) exquisite guitar lines from Jenks Miller meet pedal steel, soulful horns and rootsy violin, complete with the soaring voice of singer and songwriter Heather McEntire, who could easily weather comparisons to Dolly.

In a band named for the biblical mountain where Abraham was supposed to sacrifice his son, the spirituality runs deep, yet is necessarily inclusive. In addition to the band’s multi-instrumentalist Casey Toll on bass & keys, the record features some guest backing vocals by none other than Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, indie pop music beacon Mirah, and Asheville, NC-based singer/songstress Angel Olsen.