Voices. Baritone, Tenor, Soprano, Alto.
If those words conjure up an image of the four tenors you haven’t heard Univox. Four players. Four singers. Four writers. But this isn’t tuxedos & hair grease or some hazy, lazy Sunday coffee house combo. These boys drive the bottom, pound the beats and turn up the fuzz. On top of this visceral wallop is the vocal interplay of these four young belters. It brings a melodic texture and tunefulness rarely found in the dive bars and vinyl bins of the indie rock world.
With axes in hand and words in their throat the four Philly boys square off in the rock ‘n’ roll ring – (in a ring announcer’s voice)
At 6’ 7” and 225lbs is guitarist/vocalist JOSH “tthe Mongolian” JONES! Behind the kit, weighing in at 93 lbs at a height of 5’, is KENT “The Crippler” BOERSMA! The blur wielding guitars and an Iggy snarl is JOE BONAVENTURA III and carrying the rhythmic weight is ROB “The Glue” DECAROLIS!
This crowd is so loud you can hardly hear yourself, Gorilla!
Long time friends, each of the four did time in other rockin’ outfits until they came together as Univox. After building a loyal following in Killadelphia the band hit the studio to record their debut album for New York City indie label ROIR. The eponymous debut album, which is out on May 11, features a dozen epic tracks with Univox’s trademark group vocals, complex structures & sonic punch. The lead single ‘Pi’, also found on a collector’s 7”, is three minutes of garage punk ecstasy and was written by Joe when he was just 16. Big Takeover says ‘Pi’ is… “an instant classic that seemingly smashes every musical genre from the last 30 years in to one 2:14 minute spurt.” It was co-produced by Billy Moriarty (Man Man, Dr. Dog) and Tim Sonnefeld (GANG, Town Hall). Other standout cuts include: ‘Lever Master City’ whose memorable title and hook refers to the decaying 19th century network of levers used to operate the drawbridges & cranes on Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill River, the heroic ‘Conan ‘which refers to the warrior and not the deposed late night host and ‘Cannonball’ of which Bonaventura III says, “Someday, we are gonna have a video for this tune that’s gonna involve big budget period sets and costumes. You ever see Amadeus? Yeah like that.”
Starting in March, Univox will be touring the US in support of the album release. The live set is non-stop energy, driven by the powerful bashing of diminutive drummer Kent Boersma. While the band embraces all things Philly, Boersma hopes the band will be going places like “Moving to Hollywood, driving cars, fucking Brooke Shields and being rich as shit.”
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Press
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Philly City Paper says:
Maybe it’s that dirty garage sound offset by those mesmerizing, multi-tiered vocals (everybody sings! at once sometimes!), or maybe it’s the dark, smirking lyrics. Not sure, but there’s something really right about the way this Philly four-piece thinks rock ‘n’ roll should sound. Univox’s new self-titled debut is an ambitious and confident opening statement: clever, Kinksy, punky, poppy and pretty, but not too pretty, you know?
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All Music Guide se dice:
You don’t hear actual four-part harmony an awful lot in pop music these days, not since the heyday of doo wop. You especially don’t hear four-part harmony in punk-edged indie rock, so Univox’s debut is pretty startling on a number of levels. If it all adds up to a welter of great ideas and sporadically great delivery, that’s par for the course — it’s what makes a debut album exciting: hearing the skill and talent and also recognizing hints of the promise that remains to be realized. The album’s opening track finds Univox working in an explicitly old-school punk mode, with lead vocals that whinny at the ends of phrases just like Johnny Rotten’s used to. But then things get complicated: several tunes, notably “Everybody Knows” and the shambling 6/8 number “Cannonball,” bring to mind the Mekons with their cowpunky flavor; others, notably the wonderfully jangly “Lever Master City,” evoke the Clash circa London Calling. But none of this prepares you for the deeply bizarre but very fun a cappella song “All This Blood Came from My Heart” or the equally bizarre but somewhat less fun “Bright Lady Light.” “Conan” (a tribute to the famous Barbarian) is brilliantly raving pop-punk, while “Mind Traveler’s Song” is raw and surf-inflected. The album ends with something of a whimper (“Nobody’s That Smart” is structurally ambitious but ultimately fails to cohere) but is a solidly respectable first effort overall.
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Big Takeover!!!
This is anthemic indie pop rock with smart hooks and big ideas coming in from the Philly scene. “Pi” is the standout track and an instant classic that seemingly smashes every musical genre from the last 30 years in to one 2:14 minute spurt.
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Baby Sue digs our album! Woah!!
Hard-hitting aggressive underground pop/rock. Univox is the four man band comprised of Joseph Bonaventura III, Rob DeCarolis, Kent Boersma, and Josh Jones. Usually bands draw inspiration from one genre or decade…but these guys have a sound that seems to draw upon artists all the way from the 1970s right on to the present. Some of the tracks are all-out rock while others are interesting takes on a more classic pop/rock sound. Interestingly, all four band members sing lead…while gives this album a more multi-dimensional sound. Some of these songs are surprisingly complex in terms of vocal melodies and arrangements. Hard to say whether or not these guys’ intent is to avoid being pigeonholed…but on this album they have succeeded in doing so. Modern classic cuts include “Pi,” “Lever Master City,” “Cannonball,” “Conan,” and “Nobody’s That Smart.” Cool music with a different sort of kick. TOP PICK.
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The Deli Says:
The Philly four-piece Univox bring a refreshing interpretation of rock ‘n roll to their live performance. They can blister through songs with some serious ferocity often driven by the band’s sturdy backbone drummer Kent Boersma. When their music swells and you find yourself amidst joyous multi-layered harmonies, you can only grin because you know that you are experiencing something that is truly over the top in a good way.
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Advance Copy says:
[rating: ***1/2] “Pi,” the quick, garage rocky lead off single from this Philly band’s debut, is a misleading first listen. The songs that follow show a different type of band, one that is smarter and melodic. All four members sing and write (hence “Univox”), which brings a unified existence to “You Don’t Know” and “Bright Lady Light,” the latter of which harnesses their influence from the Kinks. In the middle of the album, Univox takes a respectable chance and exits their box for the dark “All This Blood Came from My Heart,” which is like an a cappella Gregorian chant with modern lovelorn lyrics.
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Quoth Halcyon:
Univox are not “one voice” but, in fact, four voices. All of the members of this Philadelphia-based quartet share vocal duties and most significantly in this era of whiny, indie, would-be crooners, they can all sing competently. They’re the latest band to be signed on the NYC based Roir label, who have been putting out music for over 30 years and have released seminal records by Bad Brains, Suicide, Television, and James Chance among others.
Some heavy hitters for sure and for young newcomers that might make for some intimidating company but Univox hold their own just fine with a collection of guitar and drums, punk’n’roll songs that wouldn’t have seemed out of place in 1979 and come off sounding as contemporary as hip bands of the minute such as Japandroids, Surfer Blood and Titus Andronicus.
First track Pi blasts down from the heavens like a pop art thunderbolt. It’s two minutes of Misfits inspired mayhem that leave the listener merrily punch drunk. Everybody Knows begins with a slight hint of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” then locks into a jangly pop groove that recalls long lost and underrated bands like The Smithereens or Lloyd Cole And The Commotions. There’s no end to the classic guitar groups that Univox bring to mind – Husker Du, The Replacements, Wire, The Hoodoo Gurus, Felt, REM, The Modern Lovers et al. Listening to this set is like flipping through a really cool record collection. Yet the band aren’t slavish imitators and what’s impressive is how they integrate their influences into a coherent style that never sounds forced, schizophrenic or ostentatious. Nobody’s That Smart begins as a carbon copy of the Violent Femmes‘ Gone Daddy Gone but a minute and a half into the tune the band descends down a rabbit hole and reshapes it into something resembling an obscure 60s psych nugget.
Other pleasantly jarring surprises come later in the track listing; All This Blood Came From My Heart is an art rock number performed a cappella with droll, yet unsettling lyrics that recall the weirder bits on The Zombies’ Odessey And Oracle; both the darkly trippy Bright Lady Light and atonal mosh anthem Conan sound like stuff off of the “difficult” second album that I hope these guys will eventually make. The chops on display on this debut bode well for future offerings. Univox – one voice, four guys, and a whole bunch of talent.
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Verbicide says:
A little bit of Iggy Pop influenced vocals, some driving garage rock beats, and some prevalent four-part harmonies make up the main ingredients for the debut album from Univox. This four-piece band from Philadelphia gives the listener a sound so intermixed in various musical styles it’s hard to categorize their tone.
The album opens up with the extremely catchy garage rock tune “Pi” and moves on to the driving indie acoustic guitar ditty “Everybody Knows.” The move between electric and acoustic is a constant theme through this album. All though the album, each member contributes a piece of the vocal harmonies that at times echo a doo-wop vibe, especially during the 10th track “Conan.” Another interesting vocal contribution occurs during the a cappella dirge, “All This Blood Came From My Heart.” I don’t know whether to take the song seriously due to subject matter and the odd and silly sounding intonations. It almost sounds like something created by Monty Python.
The last two songs on the album, “Mind Traveler’s Song” and “Nobody’s That Smart,” return back to that rockin’ vibe that started the album with “Pi.” Technically speaking, the mixing and production quality is well executed. Everything is mixed to accompany each other rather than over powering another. This album has some really upbeat tracks that will get the foot a-tappin’, along with some somber and low-key acoustic pieces that add some emotion to the mix. An interesting album full of ups and downs.
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Thanks, Culture of Me!!
Philly four-piece Univox melt the sounds of the sixties and seventies northern Midwest (revolution, awareness, angst) into a barrel of fiery punk/indie pop that’s arresting and endearing… If you’re fans of the brand of technicolor danger rock of groups like the wild brother hymns of Black Lips or JEFF The Brotherhood, you’ll feel at home with these guys for sure. They make pop songs for pop fans, not pop songs for teen girls or too-emotional boys. Balls to that.
