Durham-based electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso, the project of Amelia Randall Meath and Nicholas Sanborn, launched their tour with a pair of sold-out shows at The Mothlight. The first, last night, was not without its glitches (the computer crashed, ironically, during the song “Play it Right”), but it showcased Meath and Sanborn’s considerable chemistry, energy and obvious love of making music.
The set launched with “Hey Mami,” the playful lead track to Sylvan Esso’s new, self-titled album. Meath’s voice is a remarkable soaring thing that, on the record, is supple and fluid. On stage, she matched her own vocal loops with choppier choruses — that choppiness perhaps because she was dancing, or signing over dance beats, or because the audience threw her off with a zealous singalong.
It’s hard not to draw comparisons to the record — a seamless 10-song collection whose beats take backseat to Meath’s effortless vocals. There’s a coolness that stops just shy of detachment, a pop-savvy well-paired with a trip-hop aesthetic. On stage, the songs were re-envisioned with Sanborn’s electronics up front. The loungey attitude was replaced with kinetic dance rhythms and a quartet of light features that plunged each track into a roughed-up dance-club strobe.
Not that that’s a bad thing. The “oh-ee-oh-ee-oh” refrain of “Dreamy Bruises” still seemed to call out like an echo from a well. The duo’s single, “Coffee,” had the audience singing the “My baby does the hanky-panky” hook, and the resonant bell samples cut through the din of the room. “Wolf” was an easy jog, Sanborn’s lanky figure bouncing around his laptop.
Where the recording is polished, Sylvan Esso’s live show was rough around the edges — a kind of dirtied-up alter-ego. It’s an artistic choice, and one that makes sense for capturing and creating energy in front of an audience. But will the dance party version of Sylvan Esso work, long-term? Time will tell. Meath and Sanborn are definitely engaging, and with a performance on The Tonight Show already under their collective belt — and a largely sold-out tour in process that will take them across the country, to Europe and to Mexico — the duo’s success is within reach.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.