Xeno & Oaklander have unveiled their video for “Insomnia”, a track featured on their new album Hypnos, named after the Greek god of sleep.
“I felt the desire to tell mythical stories, I also wanted my voice to sit strongly in the mix,” singer/synthesist Liz Wendelbo explains on the album’s themes. “I channeled the spirits of 60s French Pop chanteuse Françoise Hardy and 80s New Wave New York icon Tina Weymouth.”
The video, Directed by Wendelbo takes inspiration from such experimental filmmakers as George Kuchar, Kenneth Anger, and Maya Deren.
According to Wendelbo, and her musical partner Sean McBride aka Martial Canterel the video:
“explores that very moment when the mind slips into the surreal. In this sci-fi inspired video, we see Xeno of Xeno & Oaklander roam around the grounds of an abandoned mansion by the sea. Using a dead tree branch as a shamanistic communication device she is summoned into outer space by alien life-forms in the shape of vintage perfume bottles.”
Watch the video below:
On Hypnos’ production and ethos, McBride elaborates:
“Musically, Hypnos is a return to polyphony after several years of using strictly monophonic synthesizers. This has brought dense harmonies and a more complex counterpoint to the composition. Staying with the same equipment and processes without the inveterate compulsion to update and refashion allows for a clearly perceivable genealogy with our previous work.”
Hypnos also features contributions from visual artist and live sound engineer Egan Frantz, who produced the record. The LP will is out now on Vinyl, digital, and streaming platforms. Order the album, and catch Xeno & Oaklander on their Rendez-Vous Tour.
See dates below.
Xeno & Oaklander tour dates:
- 3/7 Fairfield, CT – StageOne
- 4/1 Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle + ++
- 4/4 Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere Zone One +
- 4/5 Quebec, QC – La Sala Rossa +++
- 4/6 Quebec, QC – Le Pantoum
- 4/7 Toronto, ON – The Garrison +
- 4/9 Detroit, MI – UFO Factory +
- 4/10 Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s +
- 4/11 Chicago, IL – The Empty Bottle ++++
- 4/12 Rock Island, IL – Rozz-Tox +
- 4/13 Minneapolis, MN – Nomad World Pub
- 4/15 Nashville, TN – East Room +
- 4/29 Atlanta, GA – 529 +
- 4/30 New Orleans, LA – Santos +
- 5/3 Austin, TX – Mohawk +
- 5/4 El Paso, TX – Love Buzz +
- 5/8 Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge +
- 5/9 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress +
- 5/11 San Diego, CA – The Casbah
- 5/12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echoplex
- 5/16 Bruxelles, BE – Le Brass ++
- 5/17 Lor, DE – Umsont Und Drinnen ++
- 5/18 Lille, FR – La Malterie ++
- 5/19 Bristol, UK – The Crofters Rights ++
- 5/21 London, UK – Moth Club ++
- 5/24 Nantes, FR – WNWH fest
- 5/25 Paris, FR – Petit Bain ++ +++
- 5/26 Antwerp, BE – De Kleine Hedonist
- 5/29 Stockholm, SE – Slakthuset ++
- 5/31 Copenhagen, DK – Stengade ++
- 6/1 Berlin, DE – Urban Spree ++
- 6/5 Budapest, HUN – Dürer Kert
- 6/7 Krakow, PL – Green ZOO
- 6/8 Prague, CZ – Altenburg 1964 +++ with Plastic Ivy
++ with Void Vision
+++ with Automelodi
++++ with Odonis Odonis