{"id":40803,"date":"2024-09-11T12:15:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T16:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=40803"},"modified":"2024-09-08T07:23:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T11:23:21","slug":"xeno-oaklander-announce-new-album-via-negativa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=40803","title":{"rendered":"Xeno &amp; Oaklander announce new album \u2018Via Negativa\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Xeno &amp; Oaklander\u00a0have announced details of their forthcoming new album\u00a0\u2018Via Negativa (in the doorway light),\u2019 set for release\u00a0on\u00a0November 15<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0via<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Dais, and have shared the album\u2019s opening title track and\u00a0accompanying music video.<br>\u00a0<br>The eighth and latest slate of refined retro-futuristic synth-pop by\u00a0Liz Wendelbo\u00a0and\u00a0Sean McBride\u00a0aka Xeno &amp; Oaklander is named after and inspired by &#8220;the study of what not to do, a negative image of a positive, the other side, the other: \u2018<em>Via Negativa (in the doorway light).'&#8221;<\/em><br>\u00a0<br>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\u2019s enduring chemistry. Embryonic piano sketches were translated to nuanced modular systems, which McBride weighted with\u00a0<em>&#8220;harmonic padding,&#8221; tuned percussion, and a spectral transfer device capable of &#8220;rendering spasms of rhythmic overtonal filigree.&#8221;<\/em>\u00a0Despite the technological complexity of their craft, emotively the songs require no deciphering\u2013 these are technicolor widescreen anthems of the cybernetic age. \u00a0<br><br>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.<br>\u00a0<br>Taking cues from Carmello Bene&#8217;s 1974 Television film\u00a0<em>&#8220;Amleto&#8221;<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/anotherside.cmail20.com\/t\/y-l-mdtlrtt-itjldhidjy-t\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ra\u00fal Ruiz<\/a>&#8216; 1978 film,<em>&#8220;The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting&#8221;<\/em>, the video for\u00a0<em>Via Negativa (in the doorway light)<\/em>\u00a0captures the duo in various static poses and disembodied gestures whilst videographer, Scott Kiernan&#8217;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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watch the video for <em>Via Negativa (in the doorway light)<\/em> on YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zbcjOJ3zEf4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-CA&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also listen <a href=\"https:\/\/found.ee\/vianegativa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the opening track, the record expands and contracts, cycling through a gallery of moods and masks, animated by the band&#8217;s fascination with drama, &#8220;the idea of personae,&#8221; and theatrical characters. Track by track, a murky, tragic backstory reveals itself: forlorn figures navigating a treacherous mercury mine, alternately poisoned by fumes or buried in collapsing caverns. The tension between Teutonic, utopian synthetic pop and lyrical narratives of ghosts in silos, ruined mills, and the traumas of mineral excavation creates a compelling friction, alternately futurist and obsolete, elevated and subterranean. Wendelbo describes the music\u2019s polarities perfectly:<em>\u00a0&#8220;The heavy machinic din of extraction in contrast with the enchantment of the mined precious gems and metals.&#8221;<\/em><br>\u00a0<br>From bilingual odes to bloodstones (<em>O Vermillion<\/em>) to cosmic chrome dance floor classics (<em>Lost &amp; There<\/em>: &#8220;<em>The present tense can never feel real\u00a0\/ So many pasts conspire in the burning sun<\/em>&#8220;) to strutting EBM sensualities (<em>Actor&#8217;s Foil<\/em>), Xeno &amp; Oaklander re-prove themselves masters of the axis of technology and poetry, snaking cables and synesthesia, mining melodies and myths across 15 years of focused artistry. Theirs is a muse still gilded and gleaming, burnished red and silver, attuned to &#8220;<em>the unobservable, the unfamiliar, that which you don\u2019t see directly.&#8221;\u00a0<\/em><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/96425F5E-A71A-437C-921C-A6C236932450.jpeg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/96425F5E-A71A-437C-921C-A6C236932450.jpeg?resize=900%2C900\" alt=\"Xeno &amp; Oaklander Via Negativa cover artwork\" class=\"wp-image-40808\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/96425F5E-A71A-437C-921C-A6C236932450.jpeg?w=900&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/96425F5E-A71A-437C-921C-A6C236932450.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/96425F5E-A71A-437C-921C-A6C236932450.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/96425F5E-A71A-437C-921C-A6C236932450.jpeg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018<strong>Via Negativa (in the doorway light)\u2019 track list:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/anotherside.cmail20.com\/t\/y-l-mdtlrtt-itjldhidjy-o\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Via Negativa (in the doorway light)<\/a><br>Mercury Mind<br>The Unknown Side<br>Lost &amp; There<br>Actor&#8217;s Foil<br><a href=\"https:\/\/anotherside.cmail20.com\/t\/y-l-mdtlrtt-itjldhidjy-b\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Magic of the Manifold<\/a><br>O Vermillion<br>Strange Fellows<br><br>\u2018Via Negativa (in the doorway light)\u2019 will be released\u00a0on November 15<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0via Dais. Pre-order\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/anotherside.cmail20.com\/t\/y-l-mdtlrtt-itjldhidjy-u\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Xeno &amp; Oaklander, live:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dec 20&nbsp; New York, NY &#8211; TV Eye [Record Launch Party]<br>Feb 7, 8, 9&nbsp; Den Haag, NL &#8211; Grauzone Festival<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Xeno &amp; Oaklander\u00a0have announced details of their forthcoming new album\u00a0\u2018Via Negativa (in the doorway light),\u2019 set for release\u00a0on\u00a0November 15th\u00a0via\u00a0Dais, and have shared the album\u2019s opening <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=40803\" title=\"Xeno &amp; Oaklander announce new album \u2018Via Negativa\u2019\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13,25,28,30,1907],"tags":[9351,1245,11892,11894,3408],"class_list":["post-40803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-electronic-music","category-live","category-music","category-new-release","category-news","tag-dais-records","tag-tour-dates","tag-via-negativa","tag-via-negativa-in-the-doorway-light","tag-xeno-oaklander"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/3ACF967B-1633-4FEB-9FD6-5585CB50D39A.jpeg?fit=900%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B2TV-aC7","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40911,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=40911","url_meta":{"origin":40803,"position":0},"title":"Xeno &amp; Oaklander shard \u2018O Vermillion\u2019","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"October 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The eighth and latest slate of refined retro-futuristic synth-pop by\u00a0Liz Wendelbo\u00a0and\u00a0Sean McBride aka\u00a0Xeno & Oaklander\u00a0is named after and inspired by \"the study of what not to do, a negative image of a positive, the other side, the other: \u2018Via Negativa (in the doorway light).'\"\u00a0With the bilingual odes to bloodstones on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;electronic music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Xeno & Oaklander","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_3341.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_3341.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_3341.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_3341.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":37493,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=37493","url_meta":{"origin":40803,"position":1},"title":"Xeno &#038; Oaklander release their luminous new album \u2018Vi\/deo\u2019","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"October 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"East Coast minimal wave institution\u00a0Xeno & Oaklander have released their seventh full-length,\u00a0\u2018Vi\/deo,\u2019 further distilling their iconic noir synth pop into a streamlined suite of gleaming, graceful retrofuturism. Inspired by ideas of synesthesia, scent, star worship, and obsolescent technologies, the duo of\u00a0Liz Wendelbo\u00a0and\u00a0Sean McBride\u00a0began conceiving the blueprint of\u00a0\u2018Vi\/deo\u2019 while sequestered at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;electronic music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Xeno & Oaklander Press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/47046DCE-5538-421C-873E-1EDDBA15C6A3.jpeg?fit=900%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/47046DCE-5538-421C-873E-1EDDBA15C6A3.jpeg?fit=900%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/47046DCE-5538-421C-873E-1EDDBA15C6A3.jpeg?fit=900%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/47046DCE-5538-421C-873E-1EDDBA15C6A3.jpeg?fit=900%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40504,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=40504","url_meta":{"origin":40803,"position":2},"title":"Xeno &amp; Oaklander share new single \u2018Magic of the Manifold\u2019","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"May 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Xeno & Oaklander\u00a0return with a new single, Magic of the Manifold, just after their brilliant performance in NYC at TV Eye and ahead of their European tour next week. The synth pop \/ minimal electronics duo of\u00a0Liz Wendelbo\u00a0and\u00a0Sean McBride\u00a0(of Martial Canterel),\u00a0Xeno & Oaklander\u00a0are known for their mastery of clever song\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;electronic music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Xeno & Oaklander press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/93FB4ACC-E962-40B2-B2CD-E2EEFB389F18.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/93FB4ACC-E962-40B2-B2CD-E2EEFB389F18.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/93FB4ACC-E962-40B2-B2CD-E2EEFB389F18.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/93FB4ACC-E962-40B2-B2CD-E2EEFB389F18.jpeg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15264,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=15264","url_meta":{"origin":40803,"position":3},"title":"Ghostly International announce CMJ 2015 showcase","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"October 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Ghostly International will host an official showcase at this year's CMJ festival in New York City on\u00a0Thursday October 15 at Cameo Gallery. This year's line-up features a mix of DJ sets and live performances by Heathered Pearls, Beacon, Shigeto, Xeno & Oaklander, Miguel Senquiz, Michna, Lord RAJA and Ghostly newcomers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;electronic music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/ghostly.jpg?fit=686%2C320&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/ghostly.jpg?fit=686%2C320&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/ghostly.jpg?fit=686%2C320&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39788,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=39788","url_meta":{"origin":40803,"position":4},"title":"Dais Records x Retrospekt Release Limited CP-81 Tape Player, Cassette and Compilation","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"December 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Dais Records, the LA\/NYC based label representing sonically expressive, and visually dynamic artists, has teamed up with\u00a0analog innovators and product-design studio,\u00a0Retrospekt. The legacy and lineage of Dais dovetails naturally with the mission statement of Retrospekt: \u201cReviving retro tech for a new generation.\u201d The fruit of their first collaboration is a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;electronic music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dais tape player","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A0E0795B-B64B-40A4-BF17-1B6EEB85A290-e1703790336442.png?fit=710%2C463&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A0E0795B-B64B-40A4-BF17-1B6EEB85A290-e1703790336442.png?fit=710%2C463&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A0E0795B-B64B-40A4-BF17-1B6EEB85A290-e1703790336442.png?fit=710%2C463&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A0E0795B-B64B-40A4-BF17-1B6EEB85A290-e1703790336442.png?fit=710%2C463&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22783,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=22783","url_meta":{"origin":40803,"position":5},"title":"Public Memory announces tour dates supporting Merchandise + shares new single","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"July 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier in the year, Robert Toher (ex-ERAAS, Apse) released 'Wuthering Drum'\u00a0(via felte), his debut album as Public Memory. Now,\u00a0the Brooklyn-based musician has\u00a0announced that he'll be joining Merchandise on their upcoming Fall North American tour. The nearly month-long, 22-date tour kicks of late September in Miami. Prior to these run of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;electronic music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Public Memory tour poster","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/PM_SEPT_OCT_Tour16_zpsous8mepk-e1469153297236.jpg?fit=811%2C583&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/PM_SEPT_OCT_Tour16_zpsous8mepk-e1469153297236.jpg?fit=811%2C583&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/PM_SEPT_OCT_Tour16_zpsous8mepk-e1469153297236.jpg?fit=811%2C583&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/PM_SEPT_OCT_Tour16_zpsous8mepk-e1469153297236.jpg?fit=811%2C583&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40803"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40809,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40803\/revisions\/40809"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}