So let’s be real. Looking at Xylos’ photo, they don’t exactly look like the typical band featured here on Adobe and Teardrops.
Namely, because they look kind of…trendy. And their music is certainly not what you’ve been reading about either — I like to think of it as warm electropop. The Brooklyn-based (of course) band has worked their asses off for the past five years or so and are finally starting to reap the benefits of their efforts, selling out shows at the Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg.
There is nothing I despise more than hipsters and the music they listen to. But it should only take you about thirty seconds to hear how different Xylos is from the rest of the pack. There is a warmth and passion in these songs that is sorely lacking in the ironic affectations of the cool kids with their keyboards of the early 2000s. While those kids have traded in their apathetic melancholy (to quote Micah Schnabel) for acoustic guitars and working class authenticity, Xylos has perfected their brand of music.
Watching them play live is a little magical. All five members are gifted musicians and vocalists. Maybe I’ve just been subjected to too much mediocre a capella (see my Attic Stairs post), but to watch five people harmonize perfectly while playing their instruments for all they’re worth is something truly special.
Also, they tried to sneak me into a concert for the Mercury Lounge. But that’s a story for another time.
These first two songs are from their EP, Bedrooms. The last are from their full-length. You can stream both on Spotify.
In The Bedroom
Yellow Flip Flops