Voxtrot
Record review
Reviewed by Darcie Stevens, Fri., July 29, 2005
Voxtrot
Raised by Wolves (Cult Hero)
It's a perfect Sunday morning. No work, no plans, no obligations. The sun is just peaking in from behind a white linen curtain, and all you hear is the hum of the AC. Suddenly, back-up singers pop in from the hallway like an episode of Six Feet Under. You hear the hi-hat in the living room, guitars jumping in with quick measures. "First you fade into the background wouldn't even call me had the nerve to leave me. Go ahead and love me." You slide into the kitchen, Christopher Walken-style, pour the milk into your cereal, and start the day. This is Voxtrot: a superstar baby band providing the soundtrack for your cable-ready exuberance. The 3-year-old Austin quintet has bloomed into a dance-pop steamroller poised to flatten every Bravery and Killer in its path. An EP on par with platinum acts, Raised by Wolves is 23 minutes of glorious jangle. The afore-quoted title track and Smiths-laden "The Start of Something" are only warnings of the resilience of "Missing Pieces." Top-billed on Wolves, "Missing Pieces" is an anthem for the disenfranchised, a moral mix of contemporary Canadian mishmash and nostalgic Manchester bounce. Ramesh Srivastava rides Jonathan Richman over the "Long Haul," while "Wrecking Force" is the end credit roller: a song that wraps up all emotion with streamers and confetti of delight. It's gonna be a great day.