Voxtrot

Based on the release of three equally peppy and poppy EPs, Austin, Texas' Voxtrot, the reluctant torchbearers of twee, have been the recipients of much hype and adulation. Was this the overdue arrival of the American Smiths? And could this celebrated band live up to the daunting potential it was hinting at four tracks at a time?

With their 11-song, self-titled debut, Voxtrot finally answers these questions. It's fortunate we already know them—in blog years, we've known Voxtrot for some time now—because the opening track, "Introduction," is a chorus-less, violin-heavy track that's relatively flat and unmemorable. On the following song (and lead single), "Kid Gloves," singer Ramesh Srivastava shouts, "Cheer me up, cheer me up, I'm a miserable f*ck," and it's a resentful, self-indulgent line that perhaps only Morrissey could really pull off.

Scrappier, rockier songs like "Firecracker" and "Brother in Conflict" see the band instrumentally and vocally flexing its muscles, yet they still seem ill-fitting—like they're playing dress-up. Only toward the end of the record, on the gentle piano ballad "Real Live Version," does Voxtrot rediscover the preciousness inherent in their appeal. Perhaps the band will be able to slip more easily into their true sound (and potential) on their sophomore release.

—Arye Dworken
05.30.07

Voxtrot's eponymous debut LP doesn't quite match the frenetic energy and unencumbered potential of their previous EPs, although it still shows a band with a clever knack for memorable hooks and a musical maturity that belies their relative inexperience. The immediate difference between Voxtrot and their Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives, Your Biggest Fan, and Raised by Wolves EPs is the ill-advised string section, which turns Ramesh Srivastava's already hopelessly cornball (although still endearing) lyrics into the utterly maudlin and at times gag-worthy. His already pronoun-heavy lyrics are meant to engage the listener with a sense of universality, but "Real Life Version" -- featuring only a piano and the aforementioned string section -- is so schmaltzy it wouldn't look out of place on a Dan Fogelberg record, or the big kiss scene of a romantic comedy film. Therein lies the rub with Voxtrot; as frequently as Srivastava's lyrics can annoy, he's still a unique songwriter in today's emotionally reticent indie landscape, so whenever the band hits their stride the results are tremendously lively and refreshing. Most of these marks are hit on the first seven songs. "Introduction" is a rich opener, despite the generic title, and segues into "Kid Gloves," the song that best recapitulates their previous material. It jumps quickly from verse to refrain, and packs too many ideas into a mere four minutes. The lyrics are strong here as well, including the memorable "cheer me up/cheer me up/I'm a miserable fuck/cheer me up/cheer me up/I'm a tireless bore." "Ghost" begins with a piano intro similar to Van Halen's "Right Now," yet quickly exposes its heart as a somber track befitting a Wolf Parade record, only dragged down by the building strings in the background. "Stephen" is a light-hearted Ben Folds song in disguise, while "Firecracker" and "Brothers in Conflict" form the hard rocking, aggressive middle section. On the latter, Srivastava opens with the macabre line "I wanna drown you in a pool of blood." Like much of the record, "Brothers in Conflict" starts off unimpressively, yet builds to a thrilling climax in the final minute when the drums of Matt Simon and heavy bass of Jason Chronis take over from the limp string section. It's more electrifying than anything from their previous EPs, if only because they are no longer mining their Smiths and Belle & Sebastian influences and carving their own niche as a group. Made up of entirely new material (as opposed to Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary, which featured tracks from their EPs), Voxtrot really sputters to the finish line, especially after the climactic and optimistic half-way marker "Easy." Voxtrot were ill-advised to expand their sound with strings and horns only because the innocence of Srivastava's lyrics and vocals requires a more delicate, simplistic touch. ~ Erik Leijon, All Music Guide