By: David Savage
Last
September I was at The Metro to see Volcano Choir, the project of Bon Iver
frontman, Justin Vernon and who do you expect to open for Volcano Choir? Maybe
an unknown indie band or a dude with an acoustic guitar? Wrong. Sylvan Esso
opened for Volcano Choir that day. I will admit, I was quite shocked and not
sure how to take their performance, but I knew it was special.
Sylvan
Esso is comprised of Amelia Meath of the band Mountain Man, and Nick Sanborn of
Megafaun. It’s not the duo themselves
that are unlikely, but the style of music they create is what makes their collaboration
interesting. Amelia comes from a trio of folk rockers while Nick comes from a
folk band as well, yet here there are creating this bright synth-pop. Their songs have these beautiful melodies
coming from Amelia, and they are paired with bold beats and bass drops. This
style that Sylvan Esso has created together is incredibly unique. I’m not
entirely fond of dubstep, but Sylvan Esso seems to have taken small elements of
dubstep and dance pop, and combined them with gorgeous lyricism and delightful
harmonies.
Their
self-titled debut was released on May 13th and Sylvan Esso could end up making its way on my list of favorites for
this year. I love this record. After listening to it the first time, it was all
I listened to for about a week. The opening track “Hey Mami” starts off with
Amelia’s voice and then the harmonies begin looping, handclaps kick in, and
before you know it the bass drops and Sylvan Esso is in full force. There a
nice balance between the fast paced tracks and slow head bob tracks. Songs like
“Dreamy Bruises” feature the quick beats of Nick Sanborn, and even vocal harmonies
with both Nick and Amelia, while songs like “Could I Be” is the slow head bob
type.
Every track on this album is
brilliant so it’s hard to determine favorites, but “Wolf” is definitely in the
running. The bass swells dictate the direction of the song, but the vocals
carry over throughout the track with a subtle acoustic guitar hiding during the
chorus. The heartfelt lyrics are just another wonderful aspect of a record like
this, with lines like “All I want from you is a letter/ and to be your distant
lover/ That is all that I can offer at this time”.
Sylvan Esso is full of heartfelt tracks, as well as fun party
tracks like “Play It Right” and “Hey Mami”. This unlikely musical creation is
bold, inventive, and memorable. Sylvan Esso has formed big shoes on their first
record and I’m glad I saw them open for Volcano Choir, otherwise I may have
never heard this record.
Favorite Tracks: “Wolf”, “Hey Mami”, and “Coffee”
