The XYZ Affair will be at the Black Cat Backstage Sunday night. With the Teeth and the High Strung. $10.

Is the XYZ Affair’s first proper full-length, A Few More Published Studies, a concept album about academia? If so, it’s anything but bookish. Give the band points for originality -- quoting F. Scott Fitzgerald and echoing Queen isn’t exactly a natural combination -- but give them more points for ambition, because this album is a testament to how up-and-coming bands can walk those fine lines between catchy and experimental, between lo-fi and well-produced, between clever and meaningful.

Like so many strong debuts, the band comes out with a sense of purpose. By the time the their signature sound – a thick chorus of harmonized voices (again, think Queen, maybe even a little Futureheads) – flies in on the opener “Smile,” hovering above jagged guitars, they’ve declared their intentions. This is not whiny, angst-ridden indie rock, and it’s certainly not a cutesy twee album. Instead, feedback-laced post-punk riffs, thunderous drums, and chiming synths build into dramatic vocal climaxes, with lead singer Alex Feder's dramatics ably urged on by his band mates’ wordless backup parts.

Without a doubt, a less skillful band might have blown their wad too early. “Ideals” shrieking guitar solo comes right on the heels of the romantic – or maybe sarcastic? – “And I will build a bridge to your window ledge / ‘Cause I know you’re as good as your ideals.” This kind of lyrical tension runs throughout the album, as characters and voices grapple with expectations – realistic and unrealistic – and how to live up to them or go down trying. “Academics” gives us a little break from the fast pace – its dark verses the most awkward moment on album – but its only two minutes into the song and they’re back at it again, as soaring harmonies lead into a rousing march. Maybe best of all is Feder’s biting and hilarious chorus, “A few more published studies could save this fate from others / We need more academics, the world needs academics now.”

As bombastic as this album is, having too many epic highs is always risky, and consequentially, the second half of the album starts to feel like you’ve been there before. There’s no denying the songs, and especially no denying the intense and skillful performances, but all the melodic twists and turns and all the changes in tempo have a reverse effect of making one dramatic change feel just like another.

XYZ’s overall sound isn’t easy to pin down. We hesitate to call it “modern rock,” because, frankly, those words scare the crap out of some people. Few, if any, recent indie bands have reclaimed the term with much success, and those that have found themselves lingering too long in that relatively bleak, post-grunge period that left us with a number of one hit-wonders (Candlebox, anyone?) but not a lot of memorable material. Somehow, some way, the XYZ Affair are making modern rock that sounds alive and new. They’ve even unearthed some forgotten chapters of classic rock, and they’ve remembered how important a pin-point arrangement can be. We’ll call it “modern rock” because it sorta sounds like the Killers or Weezer, but don’t let the term or those comparisons scare you off: this is a terrific debut from a promising new band. And it’s safe – you can like “modern rock” again.