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the Noise |
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It’s a Wednesday afternoon and I’m sitting in my apartment checking my voicemail when I get a message from Esmae’s drummer/guitarist Tom Meluch. “Hey, I just wanted to let you know that we’re playing a radio show tonight on WCBN—you should definitely check it out.” Later that evening, around 10 p.m. or so, I’m driving alone in my car and remember Tom’s message. I immediately turn the dial to 88.3 and although I’ve heard Esmae several times, it always sounds new to me, especially this time coming through my stereo. Sure, they’ve probably been beaten over the head one too many times with the “noise-rock” label and, yes, there are definitely some prominent glances in Sonic Youth and Mogwai’s direction, but there seems to be a lot more going on than just noise. Esmae formed in October 2002 after guitarist Luke Entelis and guitarist/synth player Taylor Hales found a mutual interest in the ethereal, visceral tones of experimental noise-rock and the conglomerations of electronic/tape loop/droney slowcore. They soon found Meluch, whose irreproachable style on both guitar and drums (often compared to Fennesz) was prerequisite for the band. Not long after Meluch’s entry, the three recruited their forth and final member, bassist Jamie Saltsman. Despite
the eclectic amalgamation of different musical backgrounds, the
aural result for Esmae is a surprisingly taut composure of drums,
bass and guitar with binges of synth and tape loops that’s
often compared to (and not unjustly) Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed
You Black Emperor!, xiu xiu, and M83. “We rarely clash on
anything,” explains Meluch. “Only on certain melodies
or chord changes might we disagree sometimes. Otherwise, there’s
great chemistry.” In order to truly hear Esmae, you need to experience them. Each member on stage has several responsibilities, making the schizophrenic instrument changes and shifts part of the show. And aside from the voice-overs you hear in the tape loops, there is no vocalist, which means that there’s really no “frontman,” making it easier to concentrate on the whole show and who’s doing what. It becomes visually apparent how each element brought in—the various loops, synth, etc.—complexes the sound, adding an essential element of spontaneity and forcing each member to constantly be on their toes. “In the cases where the loops and beats could be repeated continuously, a lot of times all of the shifts are done by eye contact,” says Meluch. “But I think we’d all get really bored if there wasn’t some sort of improvisation going on. I mean, I try not to play a song the same way twice.” And they must be doing something right. Many people now consider Esmae one of the best live bands in Ann Arbor, and their most recent gig was with Dykehouse at the Magic Stick in Detroit. The band was also included on Ghostly International’s compilation Music for the Ears Vol. III. In response to their growth spurt in overall development as a band as well as popularity over the past few months, Esmae has carved out a plan for themselves this summer, which includes working on a record. “Last summer we went on a hiatus for four months, which is why it was so intense when we got back together—that’s when everything started to change,” says Meluch. “This summer we’re just focusing on recording and playing shows.” So
the day following the radio show on WCBN, I called Tom back to ask
him a few questions and congratulate him and the band on their performance
the previous night. My final question was where they got the name
“Esmae” from. “Esmae is a popular girl’s
name in Britain and Australia and I just love it,” explains
Meluch. “It’s also a nod to William Blake’s Songs
of Innocence and Experience, which I think fits our sound quite
well. You know, we’re quiet for awhile and then we just explode...plus
the only other name I could come up with at the time was Ape Rape.
If only I’d thought of Fantastic Frank and the Sleeping Bags
at the time. God, I love that.” A2P
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