JUMBO
TELEPARQUE
BMG
Monterrey, Mexico, rockerosJumbo remember the magic inherent in flipping a vinyl or a tape to reveal a more adventurous flip side. Their latest recording, Teleparque, should motivate others to engage in this almost-gone-thanks-to-CDs practice. Side 1 of Teleparque rumbles with head-bangers crammed with sandpaper-scrappy guitars, thudding snare drums, and lyrics on the joys of life. When they do cry, the quintet makes sure that the rest of the world boogies, as in the delicious “En Repetición.” The song's ivory fingering and savage, cutting lead guitar show how emo can indeed be a raucous groove form. Content with displaying their sweaty selves on the first half of Teleparque, Jumbo proceed to bravely flood side 2 with tears that invite ill-advised characterizations—that they're the Mexican Weezer, for instance. These are bank-vault-tight harmonies, a simple drum/cymbal percussion set that evokes moments of sadness from side 2's lyrics, and electric keyboards and guitars shepherding each song toward Beatles-circa-Rubber Soulterritory. Throw in some liberal use of Spanglish, like “La luna es black N white/El sol is Technicolor” scruffed out on the aforementioned “En Repetición,” and Teleparque becomes a prime example of daring that's largely gone in the album world.
