XAVIER & OPHELIA

X&O

xandomusic.com

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.