Xeno & Oaklander are on Wierd Records and represent it pretty perfectly. The Brooklyn label has been, for many years, a famous home for icy, minimal synths, and here X & O—comprised of Liz Wendelbo and Sean McBridge—support that approach. Their sound is particular, but by no means formulaic; there's just a lot to explore in this kind of pre-digital fog. From their forthcoming album Sets & Lights, out October 11, "Open Walls" uses instrumentation that's plucky and too cold to touch, with vocals floating in and out like ghosts, making the haunting song more urgent and immediate.
Download: Xeno & Oaklander, "Open Walls"
