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Jul 25, 2022 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

In conjunction with the great Austin indie-pop band Voxtrot reuniting this year a dozen years after their 2010 dissolution, they are self-releasing several compilations. The first of these was Early Music, which combines their justly-revered and much blogged-about early EPs Raised by Wolves and Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Wives onto a single album which, if released back in 2006, would have been one of the finest of that year and superior to their only proper studio LP, 2007’s self-titled effort. The second is this, a 10-song collection of, well, B-sides and rarities, that’s a digital release with a very limited vinyl run as well.

Of these 10 tracks, only three have been released before. Among them are “Berlin Without Return” and “The Dream Lives of Ordinary People,” both on a now hard-to-find 7-inch from 2009, their last release as an active band in their original run. Although they got a lot of Smiths, C86, and Sarah Records comparisons (with some justification) in their original run, one thing that this collection shows is that singer/guitarist/songwriter Ramesh Srivistava’s main influence at the very beginning was definitely Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian, as the opener “Whiskey & Water” especially demonstrates. Elsewhere, there are demos of “Your Biggest Fan” (one of the singles from their only album) and “The Start of Something,” its acoustic beginnings far different from the “This Charming Man” type arrangement found on the A-side of their debut 7-inch (and re-released on “Raised by Wolves”). It’s fitting that the collection ends with its B-side “Dirty Version,” bookending the band’s original run by showcasing two of its earliest songs. (www.voxtrot.net)

Author rating: 7.5/10