In MOOG's Sound Lab series, an artist re-imagines one of their songs featuring their storied instruments. For its newest installment, L.A.-based singer/songwriter Moses Sumney strips down "Worth It," from his recent Lamentations EP, to only an undulating synth line and his voice. In the session, recorded at 2015's FORM Arcosanti festival in Arizona, Sumney drenched his distinct ethereal falsetto in a wavering vocoder, layering snaps and riffs that bring the song to a swelling crescendo.
"This session was filmed nearly a year before I recorded the studio version of 'Worth It,'" Sumney told The FADER over email. "Studio versions of songs sometimes feel stagnant to me, like a polaroid snapshot of a moving ship. Live versions of songs get to be more amorphous, constantly taking and shaking off shape, moving like a film (or GIF?). This was likely [the] 2nd or 3rd live iteration of 'Worth It', and I've performed about three more versions of it since. This was also the first time I played keys on a song, which I've since taken to playing more frequently."
Compare Sumney's dusky revision to the studio version below, and check out his remaining tour dates.
Photo by Alexander Black
