Sylvan Esso, 'Sylvan Esso'

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 13^th 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”