Friction Is Essential To What Makes Sylvan Esso's Creative Collaboration Tick

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Sylvan Esso/Courtesy of the artist

Sylvan Esso

Sylvan Esso/Courtesy of the artist

There's something intriguing about how much drama can go into great albums. Sometimes it ends partnerships, sometimes it fuels them. For Nick Sanborn and Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso, the friction is essential to what makes their creative collaboration tick.

Realizing that is one of the many stories behind their beautiful new album, Free Love, the third Sylvan Esso record. We talked to the happily married couple (yes, they're married) in early September about how they made, in my estimation, their best album yet. They also recorded four performances for us from their new studio outside Raleigh, N.C., just for our show. Hear it all in the player above.