Xeno & Oaklander in the studio
The eighth and latest slate of refined retro-futuristic synth-pop by Liz Wendelbo and Sean McBride aka Xeno & Oaklander, VIA NEGATIVA (in the doorway light) is named after and inspired by "the study of what not to do, a negative image of a positive, the other side, the other"
Out November 15 on Dais-exclusive Ice Blue / Red Splatter vinyl, limited Ruby Red, black vinyl, and CD - pre-order now.
Recorded in the Autumn of 2023 at their modernist Connecticut home fashioned into a two-story synthesizer laboratory and mixing studio, the album is uniquely visionary in spirit yet precision in execution, a contrast central to the duo’s enduring chemistry. Embryonic piano sketches were translated to nuanced modular systems, which McBride weighted with "harmonic padding," tuned percussion, and a spectral transfer device capable of "rendering spasms of rhythmic overtonal filigree." Despite the technological complexity of their craft, emotively the songs require no deciphering– these are technicolor widescreen anthems of the cybernetic age.
The eponymous opening track sets the pace, soaring sleekly over glittering synths and call-and-response vocals about arias, shattered light, and faces in stereo:
Taking cues from Carmello Bene's 1974 Television film "Amleto" and Raúl Ruiz' 1978 film,"The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting", the video for "Via Negativa (in the doorway light)" captures the duo in various static poses and disembodied gestures whilst videographer, Scott Kiernan's mixed use of 1970s analog, tube and broadcast cameras impart a kaleidoscopic frenzy of eroding outlines, subtracted colours, film set restrictions, and fourth wall dissolution.
In addition to the album announcement, Xeno & Oaklander have announced the album's release show at TV Eye in Brooklyn, on December 20, 2024.
The duo will play Grauzone Festival in the Netherlands in February, 2025 (with label mates ADULT., High Vis, Riki, and SRSQ, and many more).