VIETATO AI MINORI DI 18 ANNI ?

If you want to find the most intriguing Italian stuff, you have to dig beyond the surface of the PFM/Banco/Orme albums and find the hidden gems. Nothing against the big groups but as with anything, there are lots of great lesser known albums that feature treasures of their own, and they sometimes take more chances. Here's one of those delicious lesser known treats.

This is one those bands that gets maligned for having "harsh Italian vocals" which makes me laugh because this usually means the vocals are passionate, energetic and gregarious. In other words, the guy has a pulse. I've heard Alvaro Fella described as sounding like Roger Chapman, and Jumbo described as being somewhat difficult to get into. They have a harder edge that compares to bands like Jet and De De Lind but they also have a more avant side than those two groups. Will you like them? Here's another way I can describe them:

Jumbo sounds like the Italian version of Ange! If you like Christian Decamps boisterous spirit and the bands rowdy theatrical sound you will love Jumbo. They are over-the-top sometimes but this music is lively, fun, and interesting despite the somewhat dark lyrical content. A special mention goes to drummer Tullio Gianatello who is nothing short of fantastic.

"Specchio" explodes immediately with Fella's big welcoming hug voice and right off the bat we have squealy electric acid guitars, acoustic, organ, flute, good audible bass and drums. At 5 minutes a nice break of piano and violin. "Come Verai" starts with some playful piano and chants before a nice guitar solo. The song gets more rocking as it goes with some horns towards the end. "Il Ritorno" is a strange short interlude that sounds like a Pierrot Lunaire "Gudrun" cut. "Via Larga" continues the strangeness with flute and horns and quirky guitars. At 1:20 there's a wonderful moment where the boys sing like a drunken gang in a pub, fa la la la..then there's a quiet flute interlude. A vocal section follows with more impressive instrumental work. "Gil" is another trippy avant piece with Fella singing over all manner of unstructured weirdness and hand drums. "Vangelo" has a distinct Tullish feel to it, a bit folky with some acid guitar and flute in the latter half. "40 Gradi" is a good heavy psych rock tune that feature prominent keyboards and acoustic guitar in the background, with a Robby Krieger-like sound on the lead guitar. We close with a brief piece called "No!" in which everyone gets in one last exuberant jam. If you need one more reason to try Jumbo consider this: Our own Sean Trane gave it 5 stars and you know he doesn't pass those out too freely. The excellent Italian gatefold mini-LP sleeve cd reissue is of the highest quality and the booklet contains a band history, lyrics, and band photo. Essential to an Italian collection, but I'd say 3.5 stars for the broader site.

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