September LGBTQ music: Soft Cell and Sylvan Esso
Gay City News’ September music roundup reviews the latest albums by electronic pop duo Soft Cell, whose singer Marc Almond is gay, and indie pop group Sylvan Esso, fronted by bi singer Amelia Meath. Soft Cell | “Danceteria” | Republic of Sound | Sept. 25 Coincidentally, Soft Cell and Madonna find themselves in the same place right … Read More
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Gay City News’ September music roundup reviews the latest albums by electronic pop duo Soft Cell, whose singer Marc Almond is gay, and indie pop group Sylvan Esso, fronted by bi singer Amelia Meath.
Soft Cell | “Danceteria” | Republic of Sound | Sept. 25
Coincidentally, Soft Cell and Madonna find themselves in the same place right now. Their latest albums glance back at New York’s early ‘80s club scene. Coming from a gray England, Soft Cell recorded their first three albums during Ecstasy-fueled sessions in Manhattan. (Their dealer appears in the “Sex Dwarf” video.) “Elusive” introduces the group’s memories, with a woman stating “When we were going through our thing in the ‘80s, we didn’t sit there and go ‘this is going to be remembered.’ “Throughout that period, Soft Cell’s hit “Tainted Love” was inescapable, but there was much more to the band. Although Almond was closeted at the time, their connections to gay culture were barely hidden.
Revisiting the ‘80s risks mere nostalgia. “Danceteria” name-drops Andy Warhol and Madonna, but crucially, sex workers and trans women are just as big part of the scene. It recalls a night spent “higher than high, higher than you, higher than I,” where drugs are one part of a cultural upheaval. Rather than thinking like a tourist, Almond places vivid memories in real locations. “Times Square” chronicles a life as dramatic and wild as a movie.
Halfway through, the album’s tone grows darker. Without naming AIDS as the cause, “Decadence Is Hard Work” pictures Almond partying to chase away the losses it caused: “I can’t see a world that’s losing its life when I’m down here chasing the Turkish delight.” “Losing Yourself” trumpets the credo “losing yourself is better than finding your mind.” “After Hours” collects a lonely man’s pickup lines to say “I’m a loner in this city/loneliness in my friend…after hours, I just need a friend.” These thoughts about mortality are close to the surface: keyboardist/producer Dave Ball died two days after finishing the final mix of “Danceteria.” This will be the final Soft Cell album.
Their original incarnation crashed out. The 1984 album “This Last Night…in Sodom” simulates a panic attack at an orgy. Looking back with a sober perspective, the sequencing of “Danceteria” whips between exhilaration, wistfulness, and loss. As the album trails towards its close, enervated production and a lack of hooks compromise the lyrics’ urgency. “The Space Inside” is a pale cousin of the Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s A Sin.” A large elephant stands in the room: Soft Cell are competing with the music they wrote in the midst of clubbing in the ‘80s, and they’re unable to match it.
Sylvan Esso | "Ow ∞" | Psychic Hotline | Sept. 11
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Sylvan Esso's "Ow ∞" debuts Sept. 11.Tonje Thilss[/caption]
Sylvan Esso take counterintuitive decisions that pay off. Their latest album ignores pop’s usual structures, zigging where more straightforward songs would zag. For example, the bassline of “Jessica” is a constant pulse atop unsteady percussion. If their songs don’t always mesh together rhythmically, they add up to an enticing whole. Amanda Meath describes her process: “one of my favorite ways of producing in general is to come up with an idea and take out a third of it.”
Following the commercial success of their first two albums, which both hit the Billboard top 40, and their gold single “Coffee,” Sylvan Esso launched their own Psychic Hotline label. Although it’s been operating since 2018, this is their first album released independently. "Ow ∞" expands on the lineup of Meath and multi-instrumentalist Nick Sanborn. Three drummers played on “Flood Season. ” Sylvan Esso recorded their debut album in a bedroom studio. “Ow ∞ “ preserves the same informality while setting up unusual sonic juxtapositions.
“Ow ∞ “ evokes indie rock bands from the early 2010s, such as tUnE-yArDs and Dirty Projectors. As Ian Cohen wrote in a review of their debut album, “Sanborn’s beats are a collection of ‘sound effects’ rather than cohesive production or ambience.” Since then, they’ve moved farther away from the quirkiness he criticized. If their early music could turn gimmicky and affected, ““Ow ∞ “ combines gravity and playfulness. “Flood Season” ponders what success means amidst the ravages of climate change: “what’s winning when it’s all on fire?” “Entertainment & Coca-Cola” lays into the emptiness of middle-class consumerism.
The voice of Meath, who also performs in the folk group Mountain Man, defines Sylvan Esso’s sound. “Ribbon” is acapella, while “Entertainment & Coca-Cola” starts out that way and slowly expands. “Back Again” loops her repeating the word “back,” while she sings scat on “Plastic Sword.” Meath’s voice meshes uneasily with the instruments. “Concrete Glen” mixes her to create friction with booming drums. “Sledge” comes through as if it were heard on a radio interrupted by static.
Sylvan Esso began as part of a scene of indie musicians who threw away their guitars and gravitated towards their laptops, performing a version of pop while holding on to a degree of irony. (Back in 2017, “Radio” assessed its formulas with withering sarcasm.) Although that genre synthesis no longer feels so fresh, the band has developed their best attributes further. A dozen years after we first heard from Sylvan Esso, “Ow ∞ “ achieves a new degree of maturity.
Sylvan Esso's "Ow ∞" debuts Sept. 11.Tonje Thilss[/caption]
Sylvan Esso take counterintuitive decisions that pay off. Their latest album ignores pop’s usual structures, zigging where more straightforward songs would zag. For example, the bassline of “Jessica” is a constant pulse atop unsteady percussion. If their songs don’t always mesh together rhythmically, they add up to an enticing whole. Amanda Meath describes her process: “one of my favorite ways of producing in general is to come up with an idea and take out a third of it.”
Following the commercial success of their first two albums, which both hit the Billboard top 40, and their gold single “Coffee,” Sylvan Esso launched their own Psychic Hotline label. Although it’s been operating since 2018, this is their first album released independently. "Ow ∞" expands on the lineup of Meath and multi-instrumentalist Nick Sanborn. Three drummers played on “Flood Season. ” Sylvan Esso recorded their debut album in a bedroom studio. “Ow ∞ “ preserves the same informality while setting up unusual sonic juxtapositions.
“Ow ∞ “ evokes indie rock bands from the early 2010s, such as tUnE-yArDs and Dirty Projectors. As Ian Cohen wrote in a review of their debut album, “Sanborn’s beats are a collection of ‘sound effects’ rather than cohesive production or ambience.” Since then, they’ve moved farther away from the quirkiness he criticized. If their early music could turn gimmicky and affected, ““Ow ∞ “ combines gravity and playfulness. “Flood Season” ponders what success means amidst the ravages of climate change: “what’s winning when it’s all on fire?” “Entertainment & Coca-Cola” lays into the emptiness of middle-class consumerism.
The voice of Meath, who also performs in the folk group Mountain Man, defines Sylvan Esso’s sound. “Ribbon” is acapella, while “Entertainment & Coca-Cola” starts out that way and slowly expands. “Back Again” loops her repeating the word “back,” while she sings scat on “Plastic Sword.” Meath’s voice meshes uneasily with the instruments. “Concrete Glen” mixes her to create friction with booming drums. “Sledge” comes through as if it were heard on a radio interrupted by static.
Sylvan Esso began as part of a scene of indie musicians who threw away their guitars and gravitated towards their laptops, performing a version of pop while holding on to a degree of irony. (Back in 2017, “Radio” assessed its formulas with withering sarcasm.) Although that genre synthesis no longer feels so fresh, the band has developed their best attributes further. A dozen years after we first heard from Sylvan Esso, “Ow ∞ “ achieves a new degree of maturity. 
