From The Verge · Terrence O'Brien · · 2m
Sylvan Esso on yogurt, Sidekicks, and getting unstuck
The duo behind Ow ∞ answer the Verge questionnaire, and the answers run from EarthBound to a washing-machine phone funeral.
In brief
The duo behind Ow ∞ answer the Verge questionnaire, and the answers run from EarthBound to a washing-machine phone funeral. Reinvention comes from removing expectations, whether that means a new album sound or picking up an instrument you have ignored for a year. Originally reported by The Verge.
A decade of electro-pop
Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn have made low-key electro-pop as Sylvan Esso since 2014, starting with their self-titled debut and the single "Hey Mami."
Always moving the sound
Free Love went dustier and more fragile. No Rules Sandy went dancier and glitchier. Each record pushes the edges without losing the Sylvan Esso center.
“constantly pushing at the edges of their sound”
Ow ∞ goes retro
The new album, out Friday, swaps glitchy modular drums and glossy dance production for turn-of-the-century breakbeats and distorted guitars.
“perhaps the boldest reinvention of their sound”
Soul Coughing energy
Tracks like "Hot Slob" and "Concrete Glen" echo Soul Coughing and Blur, though the bleeps and modern vocal production are still there for longtime fans.
The laptop is everything
Sanborn has loved a run of MacBooks since high school graduation and cannot picture working without one. He hates doing real work on a touchscreen.
“I am absolutely one of those millennials who despises typing or doing any important work on a touchscreen.”
Fix the phone
Sanborn wants a phone that feels like it cares about him more than about its maker. Meath wants hers to be a food replicator.
“I wish it felt like it cared more about me than its creator.”
One good corner online
Sanborn still hangs out on a version of the old Monome forum, focused on programming and instrument design. Meath's pick is spellsofmagic.com.
“It's the only place on the internet that feels more positive than detrimental to me.”
Sidekick as diary
Meath saved up for a T-Mobile Sidekick in high school and kept her journal on it. She still calls it the coolest phone she has ever owned.
“I kept my journal on there :D”
EarthBound and Skyward Sword
Sanborn replays the 1994 SNES game EarthBound every few years. Meath's first Zelda, played with a houseful of roommates, opened games up for her as an adult.
“It's beautiful and strange and full of humanity.”
The radio he never built
Sanborn spent years wanting an AM/FM radio with an analog tuner he could drive from a sequencer. When an Italian company finally made one, four friends sent him the link in a week.
“Of course I ordered one, and it's good, but I still think it could be better lol.”
How to get unstuck
When something refuses to get good, Sanborn walks away and picks up a neglected instrument to make something unrelated and consequence-free.
“I find removing expectations and shifting gears to be really helpful for my headspace.”
Splurge on yogurt
A month without a phone, after it went through the washer and dryer, was heaven. The thing actually worth paying up for, though, is good yogurt.
“I just think good yogurt is utterly transcendent. Deeply underrated delicacy.”
The takeaway
Reinvention comes from removing expectations, whether that means a new album sound or picking up an instrument you have ignored for a year.
