Voxtrot Reviewed
Voxtrot
Your Biggest Fan
(Playlouderecordings)
Austin’s best British band peek over the embankment on their third EP, and take in the swath of territory ripe for the taking.
EPs can be young-band saviors. Too often hyped product amounts to little more than a handful of catchy singles and a whole lotta derivative drivel from an outfit who have no idea of themselves. Other bands — The M’s, Beta Band, and Interpol among them — understand they don’t have enough for an album (a cohesive one, at least), and release material piecemeal: enough to whet insatiable appetites of fans and suitors alike. Count Voxtrot in.
Showing growth from the Mother, Sisters, Daughters And Wives release earlier this year, the title track and “Trouble” dazzle with Sunday-afternoon, fey Brit glee, cheery soundtracks the likes of which Ray Davies, Morrissey, and Jarvis Cocker would backdrop their pithy comments on daily living. Voxtrot follow that lead, with the title track sloughing off infatuation, “I used to be your biggest fan, but now I find you are slipping in my estimation,” or “Trouble” dancing around a subject that could hit home for Pete Doherty. What makes the EP worth further investment into Voxtrot’s development, however, is the acoustic-spined “Sway,” questioning everything about their surroundings while a cello mourns the passing of innocence. It’s time for the album, boys.
— Steve Forstneger
Appearing: November 5th at Empty Bottle in Chicago.
Click here to download “Trouble.”
