Flock of Dimes - Head of Roses Review

Jenn Wasner’s second album as Flock of Dimes sees her continue where last years surprise EP release Like So Much Desire left off.

Head of Roses is an album born out of isolation, heartbreak and loss: stirring lamented vocals infused with swathes of effervescent musicality. It’s an album rich with ideas and experimentation. Some of these ideas don’t always leave the desired impact but what the album sometimes lacks in execution it more than makes up for in ambition.  

‘2 Heads’ eases us into Jenn Wasner’s mesmeric world. “How can I explain myself, I have two heads inside my mouth,” she sings, guiding us into a requiem from outer space. The music undulates and ripples around Wasner’s double-tracked vocals as the tension rises gradually. This tentative buildup of sounds from minimal starts to epic conclusions is prevalent across Head of Roses and fast becomes Wasner’s modus operandi. Unfortunately, it starts to become a little too predictable towards the end of the album, though here it works and ‘2 Heads’ serves as a perfect introduction piece. 

Album highlight, ‘Price of Blue’, is a laidback pop-rock ballad, punctuated by dirty sustain-drenched guitars, played through what sounds like an old burnt out amplifier that’s been left out in the rain too long. It shouldn’t work but it does and it’s here that Wasner really begins to find her feet. The vocals soar and glide above a throbbing backbeat whilst whistling feedback reintroduces that broken amp, each time sounding more urgent than the last. ‘Two’ keeps this momentum going. The clean mechanised drums are perfectly juxtaposed by a nonchalantly played guitar that sounds as purposely taciturn as it does melodic. It’s a brave approach that creates a genuinely offbeat texture. Unfortunately, these moments of smart eccentricity are often overshadowed by overused studio trickery. This is most prevalent on next track, ‘Hard Way’, which sees Wasner a little more vocally exposed but maintains interest with an array of futuristic sound effects and a buzzing wasp-like guitar solo. It’s a stripped-back introspective moment with a space-age backdrop. It’s clear that Wasner is genuinely attempting to create something that’s much bolder and more interesting than your average artist, but devoid of all the smoke and mirrors it’s hard to see if ‘Hard Way’ is much more than album filler.  

‘Walking’ sees us creep further into indie-folk territory, with Wasner seemingly more comfortable as she leans back on her roots. The guitars shimmer lusciously as she sings: “I can't make sense of the purpose. If only to go without, not to run my hands around it, put my fingers in its mouth.” It’s clear she has something interesting to say and it’s unfortunate that the lyrics so often take a backseat to the whirlwind of noise around them. Although her vocals are often unintelligible throughout Head of Roses, it’s not hard to translate the lamentation behind what she’s singing. It’s a shame that this emotional weight seems a little one dimensional and suffocating. It would have been nice to feel Wasner break the surface tension and occasionally approach things from a different angle. Following track, ‘Lightning’, sees things stripped back further still and serves as a perfect companion piece to ‘Walking’, though the balance of the album may have benefitted from the two tracks being spaced further apart. ‘Lightning’ is the most unfurnished moment on the album, with only a jazzy orchestral solo to hint at the otherworldliness that’s been so prevalent in previous tracks. Ironically, shedding the technological baggage actually makes things more interesting and hints at what the album could have been with maybe a little more restraint involved.  

‘One More Hour’ feels a little underdeveloped with that overly dense production reappearing to try to paper over the cracks. Instruments are once again layered gradually, leading to a beautiful chorus; but here, instead of it climatically sweeping us off of our feet, it falls short and leaves us underwhelmed. Perhaps, as mentioned before, it’s because by this point on the album we know exactly what’s coming. With ‘No Question’, you can really hear the Bon Iver influences coming to the fore, which isn’t surprising considering Jenn Wasner and Justin Vernon have shared both stage and studio in the past. Choral vocals soar above an orgy of instruments that bubble beneath.

‘Awake For The Sunrise’ sounds too pedestrian until the two-minute mark, where a snare drum surfaces and suddenly everything starts to come together quite nicely. “I didn't think I was a terrible liar but I am when I need it most. Making a sorry attempt at compassion with a hand halfway down my throat,” Wasner sings, again employing a heartfelt body-shock approach to her lyrics. 

The album’s namesake is a piano-laden lament of fear and loss. The luscious piano refrain pulls you in as a distant slide guitar tugs at your heartstrings. “I have never known to travel by the compass, the names of stars. I have never meant to travel. Far from places where you are” she sings, despairing and beautiful. ‘Head of Roses’ is a song that hints at bigger things but doesn’t quite reach them — a theme that sadly permeates the album. 

Wasner is a victim of her own talent. Occasionally her songs crumble under the weight of their own expectation. It’s clear she’s got all the tools at her disposal to create something truly unforgettable so when it falls short it can make for a frustrating experience. That’s not to say Head of Roses isn’t worth your time; there’s more than enough here to warrant repeated listens. Head of Roses is Jenn Wasner finding her feet and feeling her way towards the sounds she’s looking for. It doesn’t feel like she’s got there yet but you get the impression she isn’t far off.