Like Electric Light Orchestra scored by Queen while The New Pornographers look on, Brooklyn quartet XYZ Affair bring a dramatic flair to their gilded melodies. Frontman Alex Feder’s fluttering tenor and mannered delivery recall New Pornos’ Carl Newman, particularly when the backing harmonies swell. The band’s educationally themed debut full-length, A Few More Published Studies, matches its baroque pop style with lyrical richness, and the slightly precious air is leavened by chewy, propulsive rhythms.
-Chris Parker
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“Hailing from Brooklyn, NY The XYZ Affair makes epic power pop with theatrical vocals and instrumentation. It’s a sunny sound with rich, four-part harmonies and driving guitars. Their latest album, A Few More Published Studies is a consistently upbeat, multi-layered and melodic collection of progressive power pop.
On “Little Fool,” vocalist Alex Feder sings with a quirky falsetto backed by soaring guitars. The track romps playfully and unexpectedly with changes in tempo, synth effects and a thumping bass line.
The song was inspired by Phil Spector girl-groups from the ’60s. “I just got a kick out of some of the simple and idealistic subject matter in some of those songs (“Soldier Baby of Mine,” “My Boyfriend’s Back,” etc) and wanted to write a song just like it,” says Feder.
Three of the four members of The XYZ Affair went to music school and bring a different dimension to the band’s sound. “Our bass player, Chris listens to mostly soul and groove-based music, our drummer Sam listens to mostly jazz, our keyboardist Russ listens to a lot of indie stuff, and I listen to mostly pop music,” says Feder. “When you throw it all in you get the kitchen-sink arrangements that you hear on the record”
The XYZ Affair just finished its first nation wide tour and will settle in writing new material for a second album that Feder hopes will be a big step forward from A Few More Published Studies. They’ll also embark on another tour of the east coast in May with fellow neo-theatre rockers Jukebox The Ghost.”
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There are untold multitudes of “next-big-thing” bands in Brooklyn, but The XYZ Affair actually deserve the title. We learned about their Weezer-meets-Arcade Fire indie pop via blog posts and their music video starring old-school Nickelodeon stars like Pete and Pete. ]]>
“While their arena-ready power pop is often a bit much for the smaller venues around NYC that The XYZ Affair usually play, Bowery Ballroom at least approaches the sort of open space (we’re talking ceilings over ten feet) that their sound demands.”
“With their second appearance… their excitement was obvious, and felt by everyone in the room. Lead singer Alex impressed the crowd not only with his impressive vocals and guitar playing, but by showing off some sick dance moves… This show definitely solidified my notion that he’s bound to become known as the Justin Timberlake of indie rock, as if there was any doubt.”
-Bryan Bruchman
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“The indie-rock show of the week features. . . Brooklyn’s XYZ Affair, which finds a middle ground between the Beach Boys and Queen.”
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“The XYZ Affair, the local little power-pop band that could, has got a boost lately from a cheeky video of its song “All My Friends” that has proven popular on the Internet.”
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“An unsigned band from here in Brooklyn, the XYZ Affair does quirk-pop incredibly well.”
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“While tonight’s audience probably won’t feature the stellar ’90s-flashback cameos of the XYZ Affair’s vid for “All My Friends” (yes, that is Double Dare’s Marc Summers), there’s more than enough talent onstage to satiate. The Brooklynites have been steadily, if quietly, gathering acclaim, and it’s not for nothing. Their self-released debut, A Few More Published Studies, is rousing, literate indie rock, custom-made for swaying and singing along.”
– Leah Taylor
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“On their self-released debut album A Few More Published Studies, their sound nods to Big Star’s classic power-pop, but on the rowdy-yet-vulnerable “All My Friends,” the band sounds uncannily like a more falsetto-happy version of Pinkerton-era Weezer — if Rivers Cuomo threw out his charts and graphs of the perfect pop song, that is.”
“Childhood memories, soaring choruses, and slime — it doesn’t get much better.”
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“It’s the disjointed decadence of Modest Mouse and a sound that soars like the Killers, supplemented by a Decemberists-like literacy”
“The quartet shines through catchy, grand anthems like ‘Academics’ and ‘The Professional,’ while honing commanding tracks such as ‘Smile’ and ‘Ideals.’ Their catalog radiates with charm, candor, and creativity”
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