Sylvan Esso (10 Year Anniversary Edition)

アメリア・ミースとニック・サンボーンによるUSエレクトロ・ポップ・デュオ"SYLVAN ESSO"。そんな"SYLVAN ESSO"が2014年にリリースした、ノースカロライナ州ダーラムの小さなベッドルーム・スタジオで録音されたセルフタイトルのデビューアルバムであると共にエレクトロ・ポップの大名盤とも呼べるであろう『SYLVAN ESSO』が、未発表音源の追加や、J Rocc、Rick Wade、Helado Negro、Dntelらによるリミックスバージョンが収録された10周年記念盤として生まれ変わる!

ポップとエクスペリメンタルの中間地点に位置し、アナログとデジタルの見事なまでの融合を成し遂げている煌びやかな10曲の10周年を、祝う準備は出来ましたでしょうか?!

The eponymous debut album from the Durham, North Carolina duo of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, the former a soulful crooner and songwriter best known as a member of Appalachian indie folk trio Mountain Man and the latter a talented electronic producer and bass player for country-psych rockers Megafaun, couldn't sound any further from the duo's flagship projects. Emitting a heady and evocative blend of breezy, late-night laptop-pop and glitchy metropolitan folk, Sylvan Esso's sophisticated confections fall somewhere between the fractured tabletop buzz of Tune-Yards and the breezy indie pop cinematics of Feist. Standout cuts like "Hey Mami," "H.S.K.T.," and "Coffee" are a tad dark, a bit sexy, and undeniably hypnotic, but they're also accessible (and surprisingly danceable), due in large part to the duo's Southern locale and Meath's laid-back delivery and penchant for penning coy and colorful lyrics. Elsewhere, the seductive "Dreamy Bruises" prowls about on a sleek, arpeggiated Grimes-approved groove, the sparse, gospel-like closer "Come Down" skillfully pairs Mountain Man austerity with ambient pop, and the appropriately named "Wolf" builds to a howling chorus on the strength of a fat synth line, a spare acoustic guitar, and a flurry of ghostly electronic pings, but it's the aforementioned "Coffee" that provides the perfect summation of the duo's strengths. It's both club- and cafe-ready, artsy, cool, and elusive enough to woo the Williamsburg contingency, yet soulful and lightly sweetened with warm Southern honey. ~ James Christopher Monger