Pitchfork

Add one charismatic vocalist, a teaspoon of nu-romantic lyricism, two cups jangle, and a sprinkle of synth, pop it in the oven, baste with hooks at twenty-second intervals, and presto, you've got Hype Cake. Serves the masses.

The Austin-based indie-pop quintet Voxtrot have whipped up a whole bakery of the stuff on the strength of a single EP and two seven-inches-- hardly a Herculean feat in this age of rabid blog barkers, but hype has its reasons, none of which seem dubious for the gimmick-free fivesome.

See, the gentlemen in Voxtrot play with a vivacity seldom seen among latter-day indie-pop acts. Their songs sparkle, compositional elements coalescing to achieve glistening whole-greater-than-sum pop brilliance. At times recalling Morrissey, vox-man Ramesh Srivastava croons confidently, never shying from range and weaving gorgeous vocal melodies into a hook-laden jangle fabric.

I mean, they're pretty good, man.

True, the Vox crib quite a bit from the Smiths and Belle and Sebastian, but holy wow, they're doing it eons better than anyone else right now. Which is why missing them as they swing through your town on this December tour may render you remiss. C'mon, too-hip Chip! They might even have a tambourine girl:

12-02 Dallas, TX - The Cavern
12-03 Lawrence, KS - The Jackpot Saloon
12-04 Champaign, IL - Cowboy Monkey
12-05 Chicago, IL - Subterranean
12-07 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
12-08 Waltham, MA - Bentley College
12-09 Cambridge, MA - Pa's Lounge
12-10 Washington, DC - Warehouse Next Door
12-11 Norfolk, VA - Relative Theory Records (instore)
12-11 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
12-12 Atlanta, GA - Lenny's
12-13 Athens, GA - TBA
12-14 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington

If indie mega-stardom is in the cards for Voxtrot, they're in no particular hurry to claim it. Srivastava and friends are steadily piecing together EP number two, christened Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives, set to see life April 3 via the band's own Cult Hero Records. In addition to the dazzling title track, which you are encouraged to sample at Voxtrot's MySpace page, Mothers will include "Rise Up in the Dirt", "Soft & Warm", and two more tracks-to-be-named. A much-anticipated full-length is said to follow shortly thereafter, so start carving out a place in your heart for it now.