Sylvan Esso

Sylvan Esso is a collaboration between singer/songwriter Amelia Meath (of Mountain Men) and bass player Nick Sanborn (of Megafaun), both of whom came to Sylvan Esso from an Americana/Appalachian folk background. Sanborn switched from bass to electronic equipment, loops and effects, and the two started laying down folk tunes based on melodically sharp and emotionally resonant vocals (occasionally in multitrack recordings) and adding layers of sparse but effective electronic beats and loops, vocal treatments, and the like. The result was a kind of music that was simultaneously thoroughly modern (with hints of the "bedroom recordings" subgenre that came to its own in recent years) and very traditional at the same time. The band developed their signature sound right out of the gate. Their production is polished, and their songs that tend to be melodically laid back and gentle. It also does not hurt that Meath's singing can be mesmerizing.