Release Date: March 22, 2011
Orange County, CA’s Voxhaul Broadcast was carving itself a unique niche with the release of its 2008 EP Rotten Apples. Recorded in just one day, Rotten Apples was an interesting take on indie rock, but with some subtle ’60s influence laid across the top. A year later, Voxhaul Broadcast released Fact Fiction and Turquoise, an even shorter work that hinted at the band’s varied musical scope. Both EPs had their highs and lows because of the band’s constant exploration of genres, but with their full-length debut Timing Is Everything just released, would the band find its identity?
Unfortunately Timing Is Everything proves to be a continuation of the directionless overtones that marred Voxhaul Broadcast’s earlier work.
A couple tracks resurface from those EPs—“Rotten Apples” and “Fact or Fiction,” respectively—and they are deserving of their inclusion. These tracks perfectly display what the quartet is capable of when they commit to a style. “Rotten Apples” has jangly guitars that complement guitarist/vocalist David Dennis while the rhythm section, comprising bassist Phillip Munsey II and drummer Kurt Allen, create a groove ideal for modern pop music.
“Fact or Fiction,” the album’s closing track, is culled from Voxhaul Broadcast’s 2009 EP and is one of their strongest efforts. Dennis’ vocal performance is impassioned and utterly genuine. Anthony Aguiar’s guitar work creates a moody atmosphere with pop sensibility, a technique utilized by many of indie rock’s elite.
There are moments when the new material on Timing Is Everything matches the quality of the aforementioned—opener “Leaving on the 5th” and “Sleepless Dreamer” are prime examples, but most of the record falls completely on its face.
It appears as if the foursome understood a full-length to mean songs that needed to be extended well beyond necessity.
Songs like “Loose Chains” and “If I Run” are longer than five minutes but never justify their length. The band is not creating movement during these pieces; instead they jam on the same riff for minutes at a time. It punishes the listener for hoping that these lengthy ordeals will culminate in something worthwhile.
While Voxhaul Broadcast often over-reaches, its affinity for using worn out blues-rock riffs is, at best, trite. “Cheetah” sees Dennis implementing lyrics that only a persona like Iggy Pop could pull off, “Yeah, look like a cheetah, a cheetah.” His high-pitched “Woo!” that immediately follows the line’s delivery only makes matters far more embarrassing for all involved. The next track, “Junkyard Dog,” borrows just as heavily from the genre’s clichés and doesn’t fare any better.
Timing Is Everything does exactly what Voxhaul Broadcast’s preceding EPs did, display signs of greatness but obscure them with a general indecisiveness and lack of commitment. It sucks having to be the nagging girlfriend in this relationship, always telling the guy to commit and find a direction in life, but if it helps Voxhaul Broadcast make a great record in the future then it’s a complaint worth airing.
Voxhaul Broadcast – Timing Is Everything Tracklist:
- “Leaving on the 5th”
- “Blackout”
- “Steal the Diamonds”
- “Loose Chains”
- “Cheetah”
- “Junkyard Dog”
- “If I Run”
- “Rotten Apples”
- “Sleepless Dreamer”
- “No Better Reason”
- “Drysand”
- “Crash the Car”
- “Fact or Fiction”
