Singled out: Kid Gloves by Voxtrot

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{Here is a new addition to the different types of regular posts we write here. You could say this song inspired this new type of regular post, to be honest we just really wanted to post about this song and then it seemed like a good idea to make it into something bigger than just a one-time post. There were a lot of songs that could've started this, "Heretics" by Andrew Bird, Arcade Fire's "Intervention", but it seems Voxtrot's a stronger incentive. Maybe we're trying to right some wrongs, but in the end it was this song that made this post happen.

Anyways, not all the songs we'll feature will be technical "singles" the name was just too good to pass up. But the mp3s of the songs featured have to be offered to the public from either the band's own site, MySpace, record label and/or their promotional company websites. These are the kind of songs that everyone will know the words to at a show and we hope you will learn them too.}

This is the first song offered by Voxtrot to preview their self-titled debut album slated for May 22nd. This isn't going to be the first single though, that's "Blood Red Blood", which will be available on May 14th on a download and a limited edition 7" for UK featuring the single with a b-side called "New Love & Loan Shark". Anyways, there are a lot of mixed feelings on "Kid Gloves" and here is our take on it...WE LOVE IT.

It starts out with a swift stroke of guitar and a dark atmosphere is unveiled by the hard as nails drumming, ominous background vocals "uh-uh" and a skittish xylophone that you'll hear repeated throughout parts of the song. Ramesh Srivistava's voice rings out and there's a sense of urgency with the stressed words and sharp intakes of breath; it comes off more like what Voxtrot sounds like live. When Ramesh is singing the instruments seem to distance themselves from the vocals. Instead of crowding up the song, there are long notes held down on the keyboard and occasional shimmering crashes of cymbals.

There are quite a few places where the song builds up, that job falls to the keys and the drums, both working together sharing the same rhythm. The "uh-uh"s come back with a cleaner layer with faraway drums and a soft quilt of guitar and bass-work. Then the fuller noise returns increasingly building up to a potential climax. There's a neat guitar solo fuzzing out paired with faint background "woooos". Just when you think the song ends, they build up one last time and by now Ramesh's voice can almost be considered a growl having increased with emotion as the song moved on.

For people who have been familiar with Voxtrot's previous material, this is drastically different. I think the closest song we can connect this to is "Missing Pieces" off of their first EP Raised By Wolves. From this song we feel they're moving away from The Smiths and definitely their Belle & Sebastian references now, but we'll see on the album in May. "Kid Gloves" has the bark and the bite, actually there is more of everything really. More instruments and much more going on in the song compared to their past songs. "Kid Gloves" will probably need to be allotted some time for it to grow on listeners, which may come across as alien for Voxtrot fans so use to falling immediately headoverheels. So fans suck it in and grow up, they did.

Stream + Download + More:

Kid Gloves| Voxtrot

Links:

>>> Voxtrot's Official Site
<<< Voxtrot's MySpace
>>> Purchase Voxtrot's EPs & other merch
<<< Read our post on Voxtrot's summer tour

~anne