Hear Sara Bareilles, Rob Moose Collaborate on ‘Extract’ – Rolling Stone

Rob Moose, a violinist and composer who has arranged music for everyone from Miley Cyrus to Anohni and the Johnsons, collaborated with some of his famous friends on his upcoming first solo release, the EP Inflorescence. The latest single, “Extract,” finds him teaming with Sara Bareilles. The full EP comes out on Aug. 11.

The song feels like a cross between easy listening, as Bareilles croons, and orchestral new music. “To say at least I’m alive seems so melodramatic,” she sings as orchestra strings flutter behind her on the track. The backdrop builds, introduces some pizzicatos, and swells around Bareilles as she sings, “But these words that some might think too much at first indulgent and bitter served/So what if they are, they’re still true, they’re all I have left of you.” It’s all very ethereal, and, by the end, the music and Bareilles’ voice settle gently like dust.

“Rob is one of those singular talents that does not come along often,” Bareilles said in a statement. “He is as versatile and innovative as anyone I have ever known ­­– and I knew of his work and was a fan long before I got a chance to work with him. He brings such fluidity and openness with his composition and playing; he makes impossible things sound as easy as breathing. His work elevated mine and I am honored to be part of this collaborative project, and I can’t wait for the world to hear what he brought to this song.”

Moose first met Bareilles in 2017 when he was charged with orchestrating her songs for Ben Folds’ Declassified series at the Kennedy Center. In a statement, he explained how the sound of her voice “astonished him.”

“Radiant, emotive, and never out of place, she seemed completely at ease with the orchestra, and my creative wheels started spinning,” he said. “Months later, I joined Paul Simon’s Farewell Tour, and I was looking for a creative meditation outside of the shows. I asked Sara if she had any material sitting around that hadn’t quite found its footing, and she sent me ‘Extract.’ I dove into the song at Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, spending the better part of two days forging a path through it, seeking to reframe the harmonic skeleton while allowing the song to float and its rhythms to slowly emerge.”

“I didn’t realize it at the time, but Sara’s voice, trust and generosity ushered the Inflorescence EP into the world,” he continued, “and [they] set me on a path of creative exploration that I hope to pursue for years to come.”

Moose has previously released his Inflorescence collaborations with Brittany Howard and Phoebe Bridgers. He also worked with Bon Iver and Emily King on tracks for the EP.

Rob Moose, a violinist and composer who has arranged music for everyone from Miley Cyrus to Anohni and the Johnsons, collaborated with some of his famous friends on his upcoming first solo release, the EP Inflorescence. The latest single, “Extract,” finds him teaming with Sara Bareilles. The full EP comes out on Aug. 11.

The song feels like a cross between easy listening, as Bareilles croons, and orchestral new music. “To say at least I’m alive seems so melodramatic,” she sings as orchestra strings flutter behind her on the track. The backdrop builds, introduces some pizzicatos, and swells around Bareilles as she sings, “But these words that some might think too much at first indulgent and bitter served/So what if they are, they’re still true, they’re all I have left of you.” It’s all very ethereal, and, by the end, the music and Bareilles’ voice settle gently like dust.

“Rob is one of those singular talents that does not come along often,” Bareilles said in a statement. “He is as versatile and innovative as anyone I have ever known ­­– and I knew of his work and was a fan long before I got a chance to work with him. He brings such fluidity and openness with his composition and playing; he makes impossible things sound as easy as breathing. His work elevated mine and I am honored to be part of this collaborative project, and I can’t wait for the world to hear what he brought to this song.”

Moose first met Bareilles in 2017 when he was charged with orchestrating her songs for Ben Folds’ Declassified series at the Kennedy Center. In a statement, he explained how the sound of her voice “astonished him.”

“Radiant, emotive, and never out of place, she seemed completely at ease with the orchestra, and my creative wheels started spinning,” he said. “Months later, I joined Paul Simon’s Farewell Tour, and I was looking for a creative meditation outside of the shows. I asked Sara if she had any material sitting around that hadn’t quite found its footing, and she sent me ‘Extract.’ I dove into the song at Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, spending the better part of two days forging a path through it, seeking to reframe the harmonic skeleton while allowing the song to float and its rhythms to slowly emerge.”

“I didn’t realize it at the time, but Sara’s voice, trust and generosity ushered the Inflorescence EP into the world,” he continued, “and [they] set me on a path of creative exploration that I hope to pursue for years to come.”

Moose has previously released his Inflorescence collaborations with Brittany Howard and Phoebe Bridgers. He also worked with Bon Iver and Emily King on tracks for the EP.