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Voxtrot – Berlin, Without Return
Three years ago Voxtrot released two incredibly well-received EPs, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives and Raised By Wolves and immediately garnered a cult-like fanbase. On the adolescent anthem, “Soft and Warm,” Ramesh Srivastava sang, “You are so young, so feel alive, and one day you will live on your own.” It was the exact kind of vibrant optimism that was reflected back on them from their fans, who eagerly anticipated a full album.
It’s been two years since their slightly underwhelming debut LP, and although some of that fanfare has died down, Voxtrot returns with a 7-inch that serves as a striking reminder to why they skyrocketed to blog-fame so quickly. Maybe their songs are best appreciated in small doses, as the brevity of the single is just enough to stir that same sense of excitement that these guys are on to something.
Berlin, Without Return contains two concise songs that start off sparse before they bloom with lush orchestration and urgent lyrics. On the single of the same name, Srivastava skillfully turns adolescent mantras into eerily beautiful choruses as he repeats, “I don’t know you, you don’t know me,” with an army of strings and keyboards driving home the point. It’s Voxtrot doing what they do best: theatrical and urgent pop that goes straight for the heart. They’ve done away with the harder, guitar-centered sound that drove their debut album and returned to the softer, orchestral keys-and-strings combination that was once their signature.
Despite reverting to their old formula, Berlin remains fresh and effortless, thanks to a somewhat altered perspective. The optimism is still there, but it’s more careful this time around, slightly stilted by experience. Second song, “The Dream Lives of Ordinary People,” is plagued by references to nightmares and ghosts, yet there is still something uplifting hidden among the heavy bassline and wordy verses. When Srivastava ends the song with a frenzied epiphany (another classic move), he offers up a healthy dose of reality, but he cushions it with all the charm and idealism that made us fall in love with this band in the first place.
Three years ago Voxtrot released two incredibly well-received EPs, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives and Raised By Wolves and immediately garnered a cult-like fanbase. On the adolescent anthem, “Soft and Warm,” Ramesh Srivastava sang, “You are so young, so feel alive, and one day you will live on your own.” It was the exact kind of vibrant optimism that was reflected back on them from their fans, who eagerly anticipated a full album.
It’s been two years since their slightly underwhelming debut LP, and although some of that fanfare has died down, Voxtrot returns with a 7-inch that serves as a striking reminder to why they skyrocketed to blog-fame so quickly. Maybe their songs are best appreciated in small doses, as the brevity of the single is just enough to stir that same sense of excitement that these guys are on to something.
Berlin, Without Return contains two concise songs that start off sparse before they bloom with lush orchestration and urgent lyrics. On the single of the same name, Srivastava skillfully turns adolescent mantras into eerily beautiful choruses as he repeats, “I don’t know you, you don’t know me,” with an army of strings and keyboards driving home the point. It’s Voxtrot doing what they do best: theatrical and urgent pop that goes straight for the heart. They’ve done away with the harder, guitar-centered sound that drove their debut album and returned to the softer, orchestral keys-and-strings combination that was once their signature.
Despite reverting to their old formula, Berlin remains fresh and effortless, thanks to a somewhat altered perspective. The optimism is still there, but it’s more careful this time around, slightly stilted by experience. Second song, “The Dream Lives of Ordinary People,” is plagued by references to nightmares and ghosts, yet there is still something uplifting hidden among the heavy bassline and wordy verses. When Srivastava ends the song with a frenzied epiphany (another classic move), he offers up a healthy dose of reality, but he cushions it with all the charm and idealism that made us fall in love with this band in the first place.
08/26/2009 10:47:16 ♥ kateg (
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