Release date: 24-05-2007

2007 11-track lp version of Voxtrot's debut album, adolescent sensibility with "Continuous Top Ten Lists of 2007. No.9 Voxtrot " Voxtrot LP" (self-titled debut) Is sound making any sense to anyone. Picture sleeve.

Tracks:
01. Introduction    
02. Kid Gloves 
03. Ghost  
04. Steven   
05. Firecracker   
06. Brother In Conflict    
07. Easy   
08. Future, The   
09. Every Day  
10. Real Live Version 
11. Blood Red Blood

Bristling at the heart of Voxtrot's debut album is a ferocious adolescent sensibility, preoccupied with self, love and loneliness, convinced of its alienation from society at large. From the petulant squeal of "You have to touch me with kid gloves" in Kid Gloves to the uplifting chorus of Blood Red Blood - "I'm just trying to do my best, I'm not afraid of life I'm afraid of death" - frontman Ramesh Srivastava catches the tone of teen trauma, teetering between pessimism and carefree optimism, perfectly. Which should, by rights, mean that no one over the age of 23 (Srivastava's age) should want to go near it. Except that there's an unexpected maturity to the music - graceful piano playing from Jared Van Fleet, string melodies that tremble and shiver, an unexpectedly pleasing explosion of free-jazz saxophone - that make it more enticing with every listen. When they combine that elegance with propulsive, blistering guitar and drum lines, as they do on Ghost, Voxtrot could make anyone feel teenage again.

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Ramesh Srivastava’s high vocals, reminiscent of but not exactly similar to the Shins’ James Mercer, captures a pleasant innocence on Voxtrot, the first full-length album by the indie rockers from Austin, Texas. It’s safe to say that while the final outcome of the self-titled compo isn’t your average rock album, it’s not something terribly attention-grabbing either.

However, there is promise, oh yes, there is promise. The band pulls out all the stops with a mixed bag of piano and violin-led tracks along with the more rock-inviting guitar principled ones. The lyrics are also in prime shape: “Cheer me up/cheer me up/I’m a miserable fuck� speaks to us all on the breezy “Kid Gloves.�

Smart ass lyrics aside, the tunes “Ghost� and “Stephen� exemplify the phoned-in vibe of the first four songs, which border on bland. It isn’t until “Firecracker� followed by “Brother In Conflict� that things get more lively and compelling.

But this adrenaline fails to carry over to the immobile, psychedelic “Easy.� “I’m here/I’m here/at the center of myself� makes “miserable fuck� look like poetic artistry. Although, to be completely fair to the boys, the best song on the album comes with “Every Day,� a solemn ballad that brings forth the need for some stability in life, so we can always have something to turn to.

Through EPs and singles, Voxtrot has already established an adamant fan base. There is talent and potential here, but I’m just not feeling this particular mix. Let’s give it another go down the road and see where the new adventures of Voxtrox are headed.