Singles

Voxtrot - blood red blood

Cam 22/05/2007

Rating: 4/5

“I'm just trying to do my best / I'm not afraid of life, I'm afraid of death” sings Ramish Srivastava - with his 'art on his sleeve and a transparent, convincing honesty - on the climax of 'Blood Red Blood', the first single from one of the best records you'll hear this year. Voxtrot might be a quartet from Austin, Texas, but from time to time they sound as British as our unpredictable weather, not trying to find the obvious path and shifting gears in an almost Beatlesque amalgamation of disparate sections.

One wonders, why did Voxtrot pick this as their introduction card, having more radio friendly tunes included on their debut? The answer is there, hidden throughout the track: This is everything they are right now, condensed in less than four minutes. Starting with their delicate, gentle Belle and Sebastian-esque pop intro and being as ambitious as they can (adding a trumpet here, a violin there) before reaching an urgent apex, changing the key to minor and going up again for a final bout between their fragile shyness and epic aspiration.

B-Side 'New Love' is also worth a listen, showing their most instantaneously catchy Smithsy melodies and Ramish's loquacious lyrics (enough to fill four blog entries) that, quite frankly, don't let the song breathe at all.

Enthusiasm is the key word here. Voxtrot want the fans, the critical acclaim and everything that comes with it. They've got the talent, the will and the tunes. That's where you come in.

Released: 14/06/07