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May 20, 2014Sylvan Esso is as cerebral as it is sexy.
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Sep 5, 2014There is also a certain playfulness on Sylvan Esso that gives the record its undeniable charm. [Sep/Oct 2014, p.106]
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May 29, 2014The folk elements lend Sylvan Esso a calm, and a daytime splendour, but Sanborn’s dance-oriented production, especially on the more electronic tracks, are set to be perfect 2am jams. This LP is the complete package.
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Q MagazineMay 20, 2014Each track sparkles with a playful inventiveness, while Meath's beguiling, melancholy melodies are impossible to resist. [Jun 2014, p.121]
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May 19, 2014Mr. Sanborn’s programming and production ground these songs in a range of textures, borrowing from techno, electro-pop and dubstep. He’s sensitive to the needs of the vocals, and supple with his touch.
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May 19, 2014The album closes with appropriately titled 'Come Down', a sparse and intimate song with earnest vocals and harmonies that ease the reader out of an intoxicating album-induced daze.
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May 16, 2014Overall, the album’s sub-40-minute runtime leaves minimal room for filler.
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May 14, 2014Heartfelt, human electronica that pulses with a folksy emotion thanks to Meath’s beautifully warm vocals, the duo’s debut LP is a summer essential.
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May 14, 2014At times curiously familiar, Sylvan Esso exists in a sphere not a million miles away from other pop/electronic hybrids such as Blue Hawaii, Purity Ring and Austra, but what impresses most here is the quality of the vocal melodies as well as the attention paid to carving out solid low end frequencies, a trait sadly ignored or fumbled by most other indie-electronic hybrids.
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Sep 25, 2014Electro quips work alongside Meath's measured soprano, both perfectly scaled and bigger than the sum of their parts.
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Jun 2, 2014This is a seductive and beguiling record.
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May 16, 2014It’s synthpop for people who like folk, emphasizing the human rather than the robotic.
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UncutJun 6, 2014Not every track gels, but the duo's easy chemistry never feels like gimmicky contrivance. [Jul 2014, p.81]
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May 15, 2014Sylvan Esso would be an impressive statement for a long-established act, but considering it’s a first step for this duo, there may be no ceiling for an act that can rumble the dancefloor like this.
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May 14, 2014It'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.
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Jun 13, 2014Tropical, African. Soul, blues. R & B, simplicity. Sylvan Esso blends it all and makes preconceived notions of electronic-driven music parallels to unintelligent dubstep fade away.
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May 14, 2014In one way or another, nearly the entire album feels dependable, a true achievement for a duo who are just starting to sow their musical seeds.
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May 28, 2014Sylvan Esso is feel-good music on all fronts, and when it comes time to throw on something at a summer gathering that’ll make people feel slightly hipper than they were when they arrived, Sylvan Esso will be a go-to. But it’ll still feel like I’m living in a beer commercial, someone else's idea of an inclusive, hip summer day.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 16 out of 20
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Mixed: 3 out of 20
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Negative: 1 out of 20
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Mar 9, 2017
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Feb 8, 2015