Brian KarlssonSYLVAN ESSO
MONDAY 9/18. The Hall. 8 p.m. $40-$90.
Sylvan Esso’s music is probably best described as a mix of electronic and pop, but the duo sounds like pretty much no one else who traffics in keyboards and beats. Though their songs are catchy and almost danceable, the foundation of synths on which they’re constructed is modular and stuttering, as if to temper the vocal sweetness of singer Amelia Meath, who also performs with the angelic folk trio Mountain Man. My two favorites by the group are both songs about romance, yet each has a wry twist.
“Die Young” comes from the perspective of someone who’s verging on bitter about falling in love because it means their plan to “leave early and so swiftly” from mortal life is being put into question. “Just Dancing” hovers above the feeling of wanting to perpetually exist in a state of early infatuation, when things are still buzzy and consequence-free. “Let’s never stop starting,” Meath sings. It’s an arrangement best negotiated on the dance floor, where there’s always a new eye to catch.
GRRL is set to open. Tickets are available here.
