Sylvan Esso guest DJ'ing in NPR All Songs Considered

http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2015/08/04/425372923/guest-dj-sylvan-esso

This ... Is The Show: Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, the singer and electronic artist behind the music of Sylvan Esso, join All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton to play some of their favorite songs by other musicians. There's jazz from The Lounge Lizards, Icelandic experimentalists Múm, Kendrick Lamar's "Hood Politics" and much more. In fact, they brought so much great stuff to hear, we never had a chance to play any of Sylvan Esso's own music. But you can you can hear plenty in our archives, including a fantastic Tiny Desk concert.

Bob and Robin were in NPR's D.C. studios and the band was at WUNC, in its home base of Durham, N.C. The distance meant we couldn't see them and they couldn't see us. That's not unusual, but what was unusual is how technology seemed to fail us. So as our conversation unfolded — or attempted to unfold — things fell apart pretty quickly, which made for some awkward, albeit funny, moments. 

- Bob Boilen & Robin Hilton

Sylvan Esso: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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.

-- BOB BOILEN