Voxtrot

My overexcitement at discovering Voxtrot are to support The Shins at the London Astoria in February has led me to post about this Texas indie pop band I have been extolling the virtues of for many months. An album is currently being worked on, and they have released three EPs: 2005's Raised By Wolves, followed by Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives in April 2006, and Your Biggest Fan last November. Tracks like the deceptively simple The Start Of Something, with its irrevocably catchy melody, bouncy bassline and lyrics like "if I die clutching your photograph, don't call me boring, it's just 'cause I like you" evoke obvious comparisons to The Smiths, as do their very indie EP covers. The songwriting across all their releases so far is consistently brilliant - on Soft & Warm, singer Ramesh Srivastava laments, "I'd leave you for the person you used to be," while a nod to their indie pop heritage comes on Trouble with "I bought your record out on Cherry Red/it wasn't good well it was great" . Voxtrot do not just rely on the lyrics, however: Missing Pieces has a guitar riff that would make any NME writer giddy, while Your Biggest Fan and Trouble bounce along with the jangle of The Lucksmiths. Srivastava's vocals also bear more than a little resemblance to those of Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch on Whiskey. With Voxtrot gaining a fanbase in the States and widespread critical acclaim on the strength of these EPs and live performances, the album release can be expected at some point in 2007.

Buy:
Raised By Wolves EP (via Amazon)
Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives EP (via Amazon)
Your Biggest Fan EP (via Amazon)

Listen:
The Start of Something (via official site)
Trouble (via official site)
Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives (via official site)

Links:
voxtrot.net
Myspace