RTP-area local music and culture

["cptnevo" <nhb7 AT yahoo.com>]

totally unsolicited/hillsborough fan-gushing warning:

the overly precious indie-ramblers at the 'fork say (bitter tongue
gnawed bloodily in cheek) that voxtrot is "pretty good" ... i first
heard voxtrot by chance when their first 7" was on playlist at wxdu
over the summer and the b-side rocked my tiny brain. i've since
purchased a half-dozen copies of their ep and two 7" releases and given
them away.

very sticky stuff. charming ... catchy ... twee?


http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/05-12/02.shtml#voxtrot

Voxtrot Kick Off Tour, Prep Second EP

Matthew Solarski reports:
Add one charismatic vocalist, a teaspoon of nu-romantic lyricism, two
cups jangle, and a sprinkle of synth, pop it in the oven, baste with
hooks at twenty-second intervals, and presto, you've got Hype Cake.
Serves the masses.

The Austin-based indie-pop quintet Voxtrot have whipped up a whole
bakery of the stuff on the strength of a single EP and two
seven-inches-- hardly a Herculean feat in this age of rabid blog
barkers, but hype has its reasons, none of which seem dubious for the
gimmick-free fivesome.

See, the gentlemen in Voxtrot play with a vivacity seldom seen among
latter-day indie-pop acts. Their songs sparkle, compositional elements
coalescing to achieve glistening whole-greater-than-sum pop brilliance.
At times recalling Morrissey, vox-man Ramesh Srivastava croons
confidently, never shying from range and weaving gorgeous vocal
melodies into a hook-laden jangle fabric.

I mean, they're pretty good, man.

True, the Vox crib quite a bit from the Smiths and Belle and Sebastian,
but holy wow, they're doing it eons better than anyone else right now.
Which is why missing them as they swing through your town on this
December tour may render you remiss. C'mon, too-hip Chip! They might
even have a tambourine girl:

12-02 Dallas, TX - The Cavern
12-03 Lawrence, KS - The Jackpot Saloon
12-04 Champaign, IL - Cowboy Monkey
12-05 Chicago, IL - Subterranean
12-07 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
12-08 Waltham, MA - Bentley College
12-09 Cambridge, MA - Pa's Lounge
12-10 Washington, DC - Warehouse Next Door
12-11 Norfolk, VA - Relative Theory Records (instore)
12-11 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
12-12 Atlanta, GA - Lenny's
12-13 Athens, GA - TBA
12-14 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington

If indie mega-stardom is in the cards for Voxtrot, they're in no
particular hurry to claim it. Srivastava and friends are steadily
piecing together EP number two, christened Mothers, Sisters, Daughters
& Wives, set to see life April 3 via the band's own Cult Hero Records.
In addition to the dazzling title track, which you are encouraged to
sample at Voxtrot's MySpace page, Mothers will include "Rise Up in the
Dirt", "Soft & Warm", and two more tracks-to-be-named. A
much-anticipated full-length is said to follow shortly thereafter, so
start carving out a place in your heart for it now.

* Voxtrot: www.voxtrot.com
* Voxtrot on MySpace: www.myspace.com/voxtrot