You might not remember Voxtrot. Few people do. Voxtrot vanished from the face of the earth in 2009 or so having released one album and a string of EPs that garnered critical attention but no universal acclaim. It is a tragic story but not an uncommon one. So many bands playing red-hot indie-pop in mid-00s disappeared without a trace. Yet the trace remains. Because back in the day (which was a very short day) Voxtrot came up with the greatest Smiths song not written by Morrissey or Johnny Marr:
I first heard "The Start of Something" in a cafe, and I could swear this was not a parody or a pastiche. This was a genuine Smiths song from 1984. The jangle may have been less distinct and the chorus had too much Belle & Sebastian to it, but the 'When I'm really ill, won't you cradle me?' line was unmistakable. It soon transpired, however, that I was wrong. This was Voxtrot, and they were well worth discovering.
Interestingly, none of their other songs sound like the Smiths. Voxtrot offered nothing in terms of originality and little in terms of charisma and even the covers of their EPs were made with the Belle & Sebastian aesthetics in mind - but God knows the songs were good. Clever, catchy and self-confident. Few bands managed to blend derivative with timeless quite as seamlessly.
Voxtrot released three EPs in mid-00s. The first one was titled Raised by Wolves (2005), and it featured five songs of such undeniable quality that even if Voxtrot disappeared immediately after that, they would still earn their small place in the history of pop music. Because from the shimmering melody of the title song to the anthemic "Wrecking Force", this stuff was impeccable. Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives (2006) was almost as good, boasted more sophisticated arrangements and once again displayed their ability to bend melodies in every which direction without compromising on the quality. If Your Biggest Fan (2006) was not too impressive, it was not for the lack of great songwriting ("Trouble" was worthy of any of their past songs) but due to the brilliance of the two EPs that had preceded it.
The tragedy came in the form of the full-length album. In retrospect, Voxtrot was not bad. It featured the energetic and infectious single "Firecracker" (most bands would kill for that chorus), and "Kid Gloves" was another near-classic. "Stephen"? "Brothers In Conflict"? Good songs. The problem was the inconsistency. Either Voxtrot did not have enough material for an LP or the songwriting slump hit them at the worst time possible. Too many songs were underwritten and lacked interesting melodies. The world moved on, Voxtrot released a couple of decent singles and that was the end of it.
So where are we with Voxtrot? Three great EPs (one a stone-cold classic) and a failed album. Flashes of brilliance. Tons of songwriting talent. Frustration. Burnout. But when "The Start of Something" starts playing - isn't it pure magic?
