Xenoula is the indie electronic project of musician Romy Xeno, marking her recording debut. A native of rural South Africa, she moved to more hectic, man-made surroundings in the U.K. at the age of 16. The resulting culture shock influences her partly nature-inspired music, which combines pastoral elements with more unpredictable, synthetic ones. Whimsical vocals and generally danceable beats round out a composite sound full of contrasts that can be both fascinating and quirky to the point of being outlandish. The project's eponymous debut was produced by fellow musical maverick Sam Dust, aka LA Priest. Xenoula opens with a pulsing electronic drum cadence on "Chief of Tin." Spacy electronics set a muted backdrop to Xeno's wispy voice, which takes center stage despite persistent, fluttering percussion and increasingly active, pulsing tones that vary in texture. It all stays at a restrained volume, though, with vocals barely above a whisper, giving the impression of touring a butterfly exhibit in another galaxy. A track like "Caramello" is a more straightforward dance tune, if a slinky, strange one. Funky bass and drums keep a consistent groove, and Xeno delivers a more traditional melody for the song, as opposed to the half-spoken delivery of much of the album. Elsewhere, "She Ghosts" relies on a palette of what sounds like treated mallet percussion -- whether real, replicated, or both -- and one of the catchier entries, "Luna Man," plays with distorted voices and accompaniment that falls out of tune to warped effect. Loose song forms that rely more on rhythmic patterns than harmonic progressions, along with the singer's use of repeated short, melodic phrases that don't always have a long-form trajectory, make the bulk of the tracks feel more like musical poems than songs. Poetic lyrics that refer to ogres, unicorns, and ghosts only reinforce this impression. Taken together, the album may challenge even some indie-tuned ears, but at its best, its catchy, composed strangeness is refreshing and compelling.
© Marcy Donelson /TiVo