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 Caught in the Carousel - Music Reviews and More
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The XYZ Affair
By David Porter
Described by The New Yorker as "the little local power-pop band that could," the XYZ Affair, currently denizens of the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, comprise former members of the New York University Pep Band. The band just released its debut album, A Few More Published Studies, and just finished a winter tour of the US, including four nights at SXSW. The self-produced video for the first single from A Few More Published Studies, "All My Friends," was viewed more than 15,000 times the first week it was available on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=IerHOrDQKW0)
A smart, quirky collection of ten anthemic pop songs, A Few More Published Studies is painted with a palette of influences that might include Barenaked Ladies, the Beach Boys, Mull Historical Society, Prefab Sprout, Queen, Radiohead, Spacehog, the Smashing Pumpkins, Stephen Sondheim, Weezer, Pete Yorn and the Zombies, as well as a few British sea chanteys of indeterminate provenance. It's a record that grows more impressive and delightful with every listen.
Like the Beach Boys, the Pumpkins, Queen, and Radiohead, the XYZ Affair creates music that's widescreen and meticulous at the same time. Every chorus is a thunderstorm of hooks and four-part harmonies, often propelled skyward by singer and lead guitarist Alex Feder's quavery falsetto. You might hear bits of Gary Numan's "Cars," and choruses that reference Gilbert and Sullivan, particularly "The Pirates of Penzance." In the title track, Feder sings, "…I'm scared of every girl I've ever seen, and some I've never seen before," then calls out, "we need more academics!" in the chorus. If The OC had been renewed for a fifth season, these guys would be Seth Cohen's favorite band.
We were lucky enough to attend the XYZ Affair show at the Bowery Ballroom in February—it was fast, loud and lovely, replete with a spot-on cover of Earth, Wind and Fire's "Reasons." The band brought a trio of horn players onstage, and Alex Feder attacked the falsetto sections with gusto. The other members of the four-piece include Chris Bonner on bass and vocals, Russ Maschmeyer on guitar, keyboards and vocals, and Sam Rockwell on drums and vocals.
During and after the French Revolutionary Wars and an American treaty with England (Jay's Treaty) that partially supplanted US agreements with France, Franco-American relations deteriorated and, according to the Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, "numerous American ships were seized by French privateers, and the countries drifted into a mutually hostile attitude." Sound familiar? As the situation worsened, President John Adams (1797 - 1801) sent three commissioners to France, including his minister to France, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, but French foreign minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand refused to receive them officially. A friend of Talleyrand's, Mme. de Villete, met with the commission and suggested a gift of funds to Talleyrand — assisting Mme. de Villete in her role as Talleyrand's bagman were two Swiss women and an American banker in Hamburg, whom Adams's envoys dubbed X, Y and Z. After much diplomatic rigmarole, however, Pinckney ultimately refused to pony up any sort of tribute to the Gauls. The result? The US and France entered into an undeclared naval war until September, 1800, when both nations signed the Treaty of Mortefontaine, a commercial agreement that ended the undeclared naval war and reestablished the Franco-American alliance that continues to this day (Fox News notwithstanding). For more information, try www.bartleby.com.
Without further ado, here is the band's CITC Scouting Report, completed by XYZ Affair mezzo-soprano, to whom we are eternally grateful. Should John Adams select him as his envoy to Caught in the Carousel, we would officially, and happily, receive him.
FULL NAME: Alexander David Feder
NICKNAME: Alex
BAND MEMBERS: Chris Bonner, Russ Maschmeyer, Sam Rockwell
HOMETOWN: Potomac, Maryland
WEBSITE: www.thexyzaffair.com
RECORD LABEL: none
DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN ONE SENTENCE: Arena rock by music school kids.
PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL MOMENT: Some blogger once called me an "emo twat-waffle." That made me pretty proud.
STRANGEST PROFESSIONAL MOMENT: Sitting in our kitchen with Marc Summers, Danny Cooksey, Jason Zimbler, and Michael Maronna before filming our video
THE SONG YOU WISH THAT YOU'D WRITTEN: "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5
THE SONG YOU'RE PROUD AS HELL THAT YOU DID WRITE: It's called "When She's Not Around (Joey)." We haven't played it in five years, but it's amazing.
FIVE BEST BANDS TO EVER ROAM THE EARTH: I'll stick with just two: Led Zeppelin and the writing team of Holland-Dozier-Holland.
LIFE CHANGING MOMENT: Learning the tapping section to Van Halen's "Eruption" in 10th grade.
BEST ALBUM TO PLAY AFTER A BREAK-UP AND YOU'RE HOLDING A BOTTLE OF VODKA AND SOMETHING SHARP: I'd probably be more likely to be holding a bottle of Apple Juice, but I'd say it's a toss up between Weezer's "Pinkerton" and The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds."
INDULGENCE I REFUSE TO GIVE UP: Ice Cream
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY: Make it so.
DISCOGRAPHY
A Few More Published Studies (2008)
INTERNET
www.myspace.com/thexyzaffair
www.thexyzaffair.com
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