Voxtrot – Dreamers In Exile

Cult Hero

The latter half of the 2000s was when I really started paying attention to new music rather than just picking up on things my parents or my older sister were listening to. I would see bands like Ima Robot and Mutemath on Fuse TV, discover bands like Biffy Clyro and Bloc Party from sampler CDs in imported British music magazines at Barnes & Noble, and begin catching up with early incarnations of blogs like Stereogum and Tiny Mixtapes. One of the most crucial sources at that time was my local public library in Wilmette, Illinois, where I would spend hours ripping CDs from their collection onto my laptop. I would grab anything with an interesting band name or cover, including albums from Camera Obscura, Cut Copy, Handsome Furs, Panda Bear, Sunset Rubdown, and The Walkmen. Somewhere in that mix of foundational indie rock records was Voxtrot’s 2007 self-titled debut, and until last Friday, it was their only proper studio album.

The Austin, Texas band’s initial run was compact but complete, the stuff of indie legend for heads like me. From 2003 to 2009, Voxtrot operated in spurts of singles before and after their sole LP release, then dissolved in 2010. After 12 years, they returned with a few new songs, two compilation albums of non-Voxtrot material, and a handful of shows to back it all up. Now, four years after reuniting, and nearly twenty since the debut, Voxtrot has delivered their second full-length project, Dreamers In Exile, and folks, we have rarely been as back as we are at this moment.

Voxtrot’s first album is full of punchy and catchy pop-rock creations, like “Kid Gloves,” “Firecracker,” and “Blood Red Blood,” songs that wouldn’t have felt out of place on an iPod Nano shuffled amongst The Dodos, Rilo Kiley, or the aforementioned Walkmen. On Dreamers In Exile, the band hasn’t lost a step in that direction; they’re just wearing new shoes now. “Another Fire” and “Fighting Back” kick off the album with instant stimulation, two moody dance numbers that showcase Ramesh Srivastava’s vocals gorgeously soaring above the rest of the band’s grooves. The title track hits that ‘80s Springsteen vibe with a bit more of an art school sheen, landing somewhere between Bleachers and Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory.

“Esprit De Cœur” is a gorgeous throwback to the sounds of ‘07; I will always be a sucker for a tasteful string section. The immediacy and hooks continue through “My Peace” and “Change,” energetic pop songs anchored by shimmering guitars and infectious melodies. Even on the slower tracks like “Quiet Noise” and album closer “Babylone,” Voxtrot crafts an atmosphere that instantly transports the listener to a time when you could only post 200 photos on Facebook and everyone tried to convince you that Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind was watchable. Dreamers In Exile isn’t stuck in the past; it seamlessly morphs the past into the present, reinstating the joy and whimsy from that era of my musical journey.