Sylvan Esso – Bandwidth

KCRW Presents: Sylvan Esso

Jason Bentley — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 08:03:16 +0000

Sylvan Esso combines heady electro beats from Nick Sanborn and Amelia Meath’s warm and graceful voice. They’ve hit a sweet spot with their self-titled debut. On their recent visit to KCRW between Coachella dates, the two delivered an excellent interpretation of their danceable single, “H.S.K.T.”

SET LIST

“H.S.K.T.”

Watch Sylvan Esso’s full performance at KCRW.com.

Sylvan Esso: Tiny Desk Concert

Bob Boilen — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 14:59:00 +0000

It’s hard to believe that it hasn’t quite been a year since the first Sylvan Esso album came out. The odd yet perfect marriage of Nick Sanborn’s electronics with Amelia Meath’s voice feels like a familiar friend by now. And yet seeing these songs performed softly — and captured in the light of day — made them feel fresh and lovable in new ways.

To keep things fresh and interesting, Sanborn brought a bunch of new gear to the Tiny Desk; it seemed a bit bewildering to him for a bit, but also inspiring. I think that’s what makes this combination work so well: Meath and Sanborn inspire one another. You can see it in their eyes and in their smiles, and it comes out in their playing and dancing. It’s enchanting music, performed wonderfully.

Set List

“Coffee”
“H.S.K.T.”
“Come Down”

Credits

Producers: Bob Boilen, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Colin Marshall, Maggie Starbard; Assistant Producer: Morgan McCloy; photo by Morgan McCloy/NPR

Six Pics: Sylvan Esso And Flock Of Dimes At 9:30 Club

Rhiannon Newman — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 23:33:24 +0000

Moments from Thursday’s sold-out Sylvan Esso show at 9:30 Club with Flock Of Dimes.

Flock Of Dimes

Missed our video sessions with Sylvan Esso? Check them out on Bandwidth’s YouTube channel.

The Year’s Best Bandwidth Videos

Ally Schweitzer — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 10:00:07 +0000

Bandwidth is about to turn one year old — next February. So it feels a little premature to be looking back on 2014 when we didn’t exist the whole year. Nevertheless! Our live video series is growing fast and (in my biased opinion) getting better with each installment. By this time next year, it will be a full-fledged toddler — albeit one who dances strangely, swears casually and rocks a mustache.

To commemorate Bandwidth’s not-quite-first year, I’ve skimmed through our YouTube channel and picked out some of my favorite videos from the 75 we published in 2014. Some were shot by Bandwidth video director and co-founder Raul Zahir De Leon in his own Wilderness Bureau studio; others we shot at WAMU headquarters in the room normally used by WAMU’s Bluegrass Country. Some earned hundreds of likes and one highly unexpected shout-out from Paul Krugman; others are still hidden gems. But across the board, I think we succeeded in capturing superlative performances from a remarkable set of independent artists — and we’re only getting started.

Here’s a look at the best stuff we caught on camera this year. Want more? Check out our playlist of all our videos so far.

Most-watched
Sylvan Esso, “Coffee”

Something about electronic-pop duo Sylvan Esso makes people swoony and crazy, and this video — our most popular to date — is solid proof.

Most unfairly ignored
Los Master Plus, “Suave Leve”

Not many people have watched our two videos with Mexico’s hammy, machismo-skewering Los Master Plus, and I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that a great injustice has been done. The duo’s over-the-top performance of “Suave Leve” was the most fun we’ve had yet in the WAMU studio. If you love fun, you know what to do, folks.

Most adorable
Frankie Cosmos, “Birthday Song”

The indie-pop songwriter otherwise known as Greta Kline (daughter of actor Kevin Kline) sparkled this year, propelled by her tuneful collection of simple little songs, Zentropy. Kline doesn’t seem to care about guitar wizardry, big statements or tracks much longer than two minutes. But she’s got a fantastic ear for melodies — the kind you can’t easily dislodge from your head. For her session at the Wilderness Bureau, Raul and his crew went all out: They threw her a birthday party with the sparkle (and cuteness) that made Zentropy such a special release this year.

Best ending
Phox, “Kingfisher”

This performance from rising pop band Phox is one of my favorites for the lovely song alone — Monica Martin’s voice! — and one passerby on the street felt it deserved a round of applause, too.

Best D.C. band performance
Ex Hex, “Everywhere”

Loudest. Session. Ever. D.C.’s own Ex Hex nearly shattered the window in our studio with this monstrous performance of a standout from their debut album, Rips.

Most British
The Clientele, “Porcelain”

The Clientele wasn’t the only British act we filmed this year, but the indie-pop greats encapsulate a sound that I can only associate with rainy England. The band’s live take on “Porcelain” — a highlight from their 2003 record The Violet Hour — was also one of our most pristine and beautifully recorded. Worth many repeat listens.

Best wardrobe
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-Stars, “Ghana Baby”

This low-key backyard performance from one of the world’s most acclaimed Sierra Leonean ensembles is wonderful in many ways — its intimacy and sense of humor, the group’s unquestionable mastery of its sound — but I still find myself revisiting this video just to giggle at bandleader Ruben Koroma’s T-shirt: It’s golf-themed, and it says “Teerific Grandpa.”

Most likely to make you cry
Rodrigo Amarante, “The Ribbon”

I was unaware of Brazilian songwriter Rodrigo Amarante until this year, and that’s my bad. At least I had the brains to help bring him into Raul’s studio, where he delivered the most soulful performance captured there this year — and made it look so effortless.

Best use of harp
Mikaela Davis, “Feels Like Forever”

Try not to be enchanted by this.

Best arm movements
My Brightest Diamond, “Lover Killer”

My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden was already well on her way to blowing our minds with her intense performance at the Bureau — and then she busted out these striking arm movements, ratcheting the whole thing up a notch. She’s incredible.

Most celebrity-studded
Deer Tick and Vanessa Carlton, “In Our Time”

I’m happy I was (somehow) unaware that this was the same Vanessa Carlton that recorded THAT SONG until after we finished this great session with her husband’s band, Deer Tick. It means I was able to converse with her like a normal human — and without once thinking of Terry Crews in that scene from White Chicks.

Best harmonizing
Mark Mulcahy, “Badly Madly”

I love the studio-recorded version of this earworm from Mark Mulcahy, but seeing his bandmates gamely belt it out alongside him on the couch reminds me why we got into this whole video business in the first place.

The Bandwidth videos never stop on our YouTube channel. Subscribe here.

Public Radio’s 10 Breakout Artists Of 2014

NPR Staff — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 13:20:07 +0000

Public radio hosts spend much of their time sifting through overflowing mail bins and inboxes as they hunt for as-yet-unknown musicians worth sharing. Their stations frequently help vault new artists to national success.

With that in mind, we asked our partner stations to tell us about their favorite musical discoveries of the year. The results include everything from a metamodern country singer to a heartsick Toronto surf-pop band, not to mention a whole lot of love for impressively viral Irish singer-songwriter Hozier. Read on for 10 hosts’ picks for the artists who broke out in 2014.

KEXP Presents: Sylvan Esso

Jim Beckmann — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 11:32:47 +0000

It’s the classic peanut-butter-meets-chocolate kind of story. A chance meeting brought Amelia Meath (of the folk trio Mountain Man) and Nick Sanborn (of psych-rock band Megafaun and his own electronic project, Made Of Oak) together. A conversation led to the two sharing their talents in a song Meath had already written, and the results have been greater than either had anticipated.

Combining her silky voice with his animated sampling and production, Sylvan Esso creates a sound that fuses the best bits of folk and electronic music. Watch the pair perform “Hey Mami” here, and enjoy two great sounds that sound great together.

SET LIST

“Hey Mami”

The rest of Sylvan Esso’s session is available on KEXP’s YouTube channel.

Watch a full performance from Sylvan Esso’s tour with tUnE-yArDs, originally webcast live on NPR Music.

Sylvan Esso Live at the Wilderness Bureau

Raul Zahir De Leon — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 15:54:55 +0000

Electronic duo Sylvan Esso is a collaboration between vocalist Amelia Meath of folk trio Mountain Man, and producer Nick Sanborn, bassist from Megafaun. The project melds Amelia’s confident vocals with the sputtering synths, chopped up samples and hip hop grooves that Nick first explored with his solo project Made of Oak. The duo approach the stage as balanced parts of the equation, performing with such energy that you can be sure they are both having a great time. We invited the band to visit the Wilderness Bureau to record a live session for us, and all had a tough time sitting still during their electric set, performing “Play it Right,” and their latest single, “Coffee.”

photos: Maggie Famiglietti