Xeno & Oaklander | |
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Xeno & Oaklander in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Xeno and Oaklander |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels |
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| Members |
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| Website | xenoandoaklander |
Xeno & Oaklander is an American electronic music group formed in 2004, consisting of musicians Sean McBride and Liz Wendelbo. Originating from Brooklyn, the band is considered to be among the cold wave revival scene of the 2000s and 2010s. [1]
Maryland-native Sean McBride and French-Norwegian conceptual artist Liz Wendelbo met in 2003; the former was involved in solo projects such as Moravagine and Martial Canterel, which were based on modular synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines. The duo started recording music in an abandoned factory building near the East River; its debut album, Vigils, recorded in a single take, was released in 2006. The band then signed to Wierd Records, which released 2009's Sentinelle. Following its 2011 record Sets & Lights, which was also released on Wierd and showcased elements from darkwave, Italo disco and techno, the duo issued the single "Sheen" for Electric Voice and collaborated with Fabian Marti, composing a soundtrack for the Swiss artist. [1]
Xeno & Oaklander signed to Ghostly International for 2014's Par Avion, which featured Serge synthesizer and was inspired by synesthesia. [1] [2] Sessions for Par Avion produced 2015's Movements, a 35-piece commissioned by National Center for the Arts, Grenoble and Ecole du Magasin. [1] Following 2016's Topiary on Ghostly International, the duo released Movements II, which was only available on their tour that May; in October, the bossa nova-tinged single "Moonlight" appeared on a split 7-inch released by the UK magazine Electronic Sound. [1] Shortly thereafter the duo signed to Dais Records, which issued the album Hypnos in 2019. [3]
Labeled as a minimal synth, [4] synth-pop [1] [3] and darkwave act, [5] Xeno & Oaklander is considered to be among the key acts that revive and update the sounds of 70s and 80s' cold wave and minimal electronic bands, combining "crisp analog synths with poetic songwriting and vocals." [1] Pitchfork critic Larry Fitzmaurice has described the band's cold wave-inspired music as "deadpan D.I.Y. post-punk filtered through brutal drum machines and synth lines so brittle and thin you could practically snap them over your knee." [6] Preferring to use analog gear and no post-processing, [7] the band used monophonic synthesizers during the Topiary era, while Hypnos signalled the reintroduction of polyphonic synthesizers and Wendelbo taking on sole vocal duties. [8] [9]
Synth-pop is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the Krautrock of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the new wave movement of the late 1970s.
Dark wave is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, romantic and bleak, with an undertone of sorrow. The genre embraces a range of styles including cold wave, ethereal wave, gothic rock, neoclassical dark wave and neofolk.
Cold wave is a loosely defined music genre that emerged in Europe the late 1970s, characterized by its detached lyrical tone, use of early electronic music instruments and a minimalist approach and style. It emerged from post-punk bands who, influenced by German electronic group Kraftwerk, made use of affordable portable synthesizers such as the Korg MS-20.
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