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.
This article appears in July 29 • 2005.