Sinisters

These Toronto toughies have been rolling around in broken glass for over ten years now and you can hear every old cut being reopened in digital detail on Jumbo Means Jumbo. They've been associated with glam rock in the past, but this stuff has no connection to that scene at all. The desperate Dwarves/Zeke-esque gaping head wound that is "Tri State Killing Spree" will blow all those old misconceptions away. Most of the songs are short, sharp blasts of insane, booze fuelled fury, like under two-minute shockers "Booze" and "Bug Brain." The band's guitarist, Scarlet, is one bad Les Paul toting honky, and he drops tons of great little '70s style hard rock solo bombs on almost every song. There is a more melodic side to this record too, with "Dirtnap" and "Sheree" offering up a more sing-along side of the band into the mix. Also of note is the twisted "Smokin' Billy," which is simply a drum solo put through some phaser and delay effects to create a spacy interlude. This is a crazy, tough and tight record with more than its share of surprises.