Wild analog electronic wizards, Sylvan Esso are at it again. Thanks to last year’s No Rules Sandy, Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn’s third show at The Anthem was their most fun yet. Their fourth album is the duo at their most improvisational and musically liberated, splicing chopped-up vocals and synths alongside acoustic guitars and field recordings. Meath’s soft, folk-driven vocals juxtaposed on top of Nick’s angular production make for a musical Venn diagram where they are the sole occupants.

Kicking things off with “Alarm,” they set the tone for the night – Meath getting the crowd dancing with her high kicks and dance moves, and Sanborn adjusting an army of analog synths on the fly with aplomb, making every single live performance unique. “Kick Drop Twist” had the most raucous reception of the night – how could it not, with its frenetic breakbeats and strobe lights pulsating throughout the room, especially for the final euphoric beat drop? And in a fun twist, Meath did an outfit change for the last portion of the main set, dressing up what can only be described as a colorful tulle dress (not unlike a shower loofa).

They punctuated their energetic set with popular slow-burners like “Die Young” and “Coffee” and ended the night with a three-song comedown for their encore: a cover of Califone’s “Funeral Singers” (featuring a rare performance from Sanborn on electric guitar) “Rewind,” and the soothing, nostalgic-for-days-gone-by Free Love closer “Make it Easy.”

No Rules Sandy is out on Loma Vista Recordings, and their EP Live at Electric Lady, featuring live band reimaginings of some of their songs, was released this past May.

Opening for Sylvan Esso were Chicago post-punk rockers Dehd. Their latest album, Blue Skies, is out on Fat Possum Records.

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