Tag: Variety Playhouse
Warning: Attempt to read property "post_id" on null in /dom375187/wp-content/plugins/enhanced-category-pages/classes/ecp/Enhanced_Category.php on line 143
Warning: Undefined array key 0 in /dom375187/wp-content/plugins/enhanced-category-pages/classes/ecp/Enhanced_Category.php on line 232
Sylvan Esso at Variety Playhouse on Jan. 15
Whoever decided opposites attract must have been talking about Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn combining EDM with indie folk vocals straight from the hills of Appalachia at a sold-out Variety Playhouse on Jan. 15.
The duo, based out of Durham, N.C., started the show off with a high-powered rendition of “Could I Be,” a track that perfectly showcases Sanborn’s ability to mirror and echo Meath’s poetic lyrics about making it big with hypnotic bass.
Meath hijacked the crowd’s attention with her expertly executed verses during “Dress” and ended the track by borrowing: I woke up like this, from Beyoncé’s “Flawless” – very much to the crowd’s delight.
“Coffee,” which is arguably Sylvan Esso’s most popular song, featured more subtle rhythmic bass lines from Sanborn and was beautifully delivered with a raw vocal authority and climax that really ignited the crowd’s excitement.
“Hey Mami” begins low and slow with Sanborn’s skillful looping of Meath’s voice, as the piece quickly morphs into an all-out dub pop free for all, followed in perfect succession by the enormously danceable “H.S.K.T.”
Ironically, “Play It Right,” which touted lyrics like; When the sounds come together so close to my face/ It’s no wonder we wonder, was a track by Meath’s earlier project, Mountain Men, that Sanborn remixed back in 2013, launching their creative endeavors.
In the end, the duo played all ten tracks from their self-titled (and only) album. Meath extended her gratitude to the crowd for embracing their sound and debut.
During the encore, the duo performed a new song for the first time with more of a math rock influence. Sanborn admitted to Vinyl after the show that the song was so new that it “doesn’t even have a title yet.”
Despite both Meath and Sanborn’s successes in their previous projects that highlight their own personal talents, they have managed to combine their contrasting musical perspectives into one cohesive and unexpectedly thrilling musical experience. Sanborn’s powerful beats breathe life into Meath’s eerie indie croons; both are incredibly proficient in their respective sounds, but the way they come together is truly magnetic.
Oh Cursive, you’re so cool
In a twinkle of starry lights, a pumpkin sat, glowing, declaring the band’s name: Cursive. The crowd went wild, screaming and fist-pumping, washing the stage with the kind of excitement usually saved for the headliner – that night, Minus the Bear – as singer and guitarist Tim Kasher took the stage with the rest of the band.
The calm-inducing lights suddenly made perfect sense at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta that night, October 24, as the band swept into the slow and thought-provoking “This House Alive”, the first song on Cursive’s new album, I Am Gemini. But the band, an inarguable group of musical geniuses, knew not to dwell in the serene for too long. Suddenly, in a burst of nearly tangible energy, drummer Cully Symington ushered in “A Gentleman Caller”, one of the band’s older, more acclaimed tracks. Kasher’s ferocious screams – declaring the horrors of love – forced the crowd into an almost hypnotic sort of head-bobbing.
Cursive proved through the next few songs that they are a band that is obviously impressive on recordings, but cannot be fully appreciated until seen live. Their songs explore universal human experiences like love and loneliness, and the band’s deep personal connection with its dynamic lyrics became clear as Kasher strolled back and forth across the stage, simultaneously appearing to contemplate the complexity and emotions behind the words he sang and interacting with the entire audience.
With a slightly country/folk edge that kept the audience enthralled and impressed, Cursive reached the middle of their set with “Caveman”. This unique track was the ideal predecessor to “The Sun and Moon”, another new song, easily recognizable by its undeniable catchiness. Intelligently referencing the likes of Dionysus and Gommorah, Kasher’s voice – rising steadily, magnetically – kept everyone, on stage and off, dancing until the very last note.
Cursive put together their set list incredibly well; immediately following “The Sun and Moon”, a crowd favorite, came one of the band’s most well-known, praised tunes: “The Recluse”. The instrumentals during this song were superb, a hubbub of odd instruments like sleigh bells. These sounds meshed impeccably with Kasher’s voice, which could only be described during this song as a collage, alternating constantly from a nearly inaudible whisper to one of his signature strings of throaty screams. Just a few songs later, another old favorite, “Art is Hard”, kept the crowd drawn to the band as a series of string instruments were played and the tempo was lifted ever further in a chorus of almost jazz-like melancholy.
The band finished with a rendition of “Dorothy at Forty” – an interesting choice, as it is definitely a lesser-known track. However, Cursive’s use of this song to finish off a perfect set simply proves their ability to judge what an audience wants – the song was a final, explosive burst of loud energy that kept everyone moving until the very last second, especially as Kasher opened his jaws in an enormous yell that reverberated around the room.
Before Kasher and crew walked off stage, he made one last, unnecessary declaration: “WE ARE CURSIVE!” If anyone in the crowd hadn’t heard of Cursive before, they certainly knew who they were now – and would never forget.