Xavier & Ophelia
Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | SELF
Music
Press
It was a lucky break when Dave Tough found DeAnna Moore on MySpace. Back in 2009 the songwriter and producer needed a singer for some demos, and in Moore he found a musical chameleon keen on jazz, New Wave and Kings of Leon. Alongside such straight-up pop songs as the Dido-esque “Milk & Honey,” the pair’s debut features the suave soul throwback “Chateau Marmont” and electro-glam gem “I’m Alright.” The latter is a nod to Goldfrapp, who Tough and Moore cite as an influence, but it could have been an early-’80s hit for Olivia Newton John. Ditto the duo’s version of the Kings’ “Use Somebody,” presented here as a neon-bright dance track. - M Music & Musicians Magazine
Named for a couple of childhood dolls, Xavier & Ophelia is a new producer/singer duo based in Nashville. Dave Tough and vocalist DeAnna Moore come together for an unlikely blend of electronica, classic pop melodies and delicate vocal deliveries on their self-released debut EP, “X & O.”
The pair has a hand in writing seven of the nine offered songs here, while covers of Kings of Leon hit “Use Somebody” and Jackson C. Frank’s folk tune “Milk & Honey” round out the set list. The latter was previously covered by British folk rock band Fairport Convention, and Moore and Tough give a haunting, cinematic feel to their version, contrasting with Sandy Denny’s angsty, acoustic take.
Romance is definitely her style, and Moore’s delicate soprano is feminine-alluring to the hilt. She’s light as air a la Olivia Newton-John on “I’m Alright,” and a little less breathy, showing her strength on the catchy dance pop “Chateau Marmont,” bringing to mind Danish pop band The Asteroids Galaxy Tour’s Mette Lindberg. “Last Recorded Summer” has a retro-‘60s commercial melody that suits her misty voice, and piano ballad “Heartbeat” has all that edgy synth softened by a warm, honest performance. It’s a chemistry that works throughout – techno beats, computerized sounds, live instruments and lovely, layered vocals mixed together put a unique stamp on their clean productions.
Visit the artists’ website: www.xandomusic.com - Music News Nashville
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http://cyberpr.biz/clients/2972 - Cyber PR
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Multi-instrumentalist songwriter and producer Dave Tough fell in love with the angelic voice and guitar work of DeAnna Moore when searching for demo singers online in 2009. They met and soon realized that they both shared a love of artists such as Fiona Apple, Goldfrapp and Edie Brickell as well as a penchant for older jazz standards. The name Xavier & Ophelia (X&O) came from a pair of children's dolls.
X&O;'s music collectively has been placed in movies, television and commercials. Recent placements and awards include Xavier and Ophelia's song "Falling Down" being featured on ABC's show Pretty Little Liars, and an XO song as the featured song in the film Moments of Clarity. In the Summer of 2013 Xavier & Ophelia also won the Electronica Category of John Lennon Songwriting contest Grand Prize and Lennon Award.
Musically, the duo tends to combine Bachrach-eqsque melodies with electronic production intermingled with live instruments such as the acoustic guitar and drums. In 2012 the pair released their sophomore album I Hate Birds accompanied by multiple music videos. They continue to explore new sounds from their studio in Nashville, TN.
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