A “sound as color” vision that falls short
On their latest release, synth-pop duo Xeno & Oaklander are all about colors. The Bandcamp description for Vi/deo cites synesthesia as a driving force behind its creation and makes reference to “technicolor fantasy,” “flickering city lights” and “sound as color.”
The project is largely a continuation of the duo’s signature aesthetic, replete with crystalline synth lines and other sounds culled from the world of early DIY electronic music. But they sound a bit less minimal on this release than what viewers might be used to, an impulse they probably carried over from 2019’s Hypno. These tracks are dense and sometimes cinematic—the opener, “Infinite Sadness,” is a particularly good example with its layered percussion and choral harmonies, as is the ornate “Afar.”
For the most part, Xeno & Oaklander achieve their “sound as color” vision with these intricate arrangements and glossy textures. The record has a glistening, hot pink sheen to it, an effect that’s driven home by the glammy pomp and self-regard in Liz Wendelbo’s voice. To draw a comparison she might appreciate, being perfumer as well as a musician, it’s redolent of Dior Poison—intoxicating, noxiously sweet and unabashedly gaudy.
Vi/deo is colorful, alright, so give Xeno & Oaklander props for that. But the devil is in the details, as the album evokes just one color over the course of its eight tracks. Save for a few cuts, the album is simply too homogenous. The same textures are repeated ad nauseam, and there’s rarely a melody or groove sticky enough to help distinguish one track from the next, altogether making for a pretty unmemorable listen.
Just check out the three-track sequence of “Poison,” “Afar” and “Technicolor.” The disco beat on “Poison” is an enjoyable touch, but other than that, these three consecutive songs are nearly identical texturally, following the same formula of punchy drum machines, sprightly synths and ethereal vocals. This doesn’t take long to lose its appeal, and it’s troubling when an album as short as this one (a bite-sized 30 minutes) quickly starts to drag. There’s a lot one can do with a cheap synth/drum machine combo, but Xeno & Oaklander seem bent on using their instruments to make the same sounds over and over again.
Still, there are some keepers, like the aforementioned “Infinite Sadness,” which has a glitchy edge to it, courtesy of its disjointed, sputtering percussion and squelching synth lines. It’s also got a solid vocal hook, as do the lilting “Television” and the flamboyant “Movie Star.” In fact, the latter two are tied for best song on the album based on the strength of these vocal hooks alone. Texturally, they suffer from the same issues of homogeneity that bog down the other tracks, but they flaunt enough songwriting chops to get by.
Vi/deo has its moments, and altogether it’s not a bad album–it’s just forgettable, with an unvarying batch of textures and a lack of hooks to make up for it. As a result, Xeno & Oaklander’s attempt at a “technicolor fantasy” comes off more like a unicolor one.
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