Jumbo’s Killcrane

Most heavy bands attempt to split wigs with take-no-prisoners bombast and production flourishes that would bankrupt George Lucas. Although Jumbo’s Killcrane is certainly no slouch in the decibel department, the group’s sub-lo-fi approach is straight from Satan’s garage. On JK’s forthcoming effort, Carnaval de Carne, the drums don’t replicate Grand Canyon cannon blasts as much as they approximate the tone of someone beating the shit out of a couple of cardboard boxes; the string-snapping guitar phrases might be mathematical, but they couldn’t pass Geometry 101 if the test were open-book; and frontman Eric Jarvis’ voice sounds like he was getting a tonsillectomy in the recording booth. Too uncouth for indie rock, too intelligent for metal, JK has carved a pint-sized crevice as a band that defies easy categorization. Old-school Melvins and Bleach-era Nirvana are good reference points, but the outfit’s staunch commitment to the art of anti-melody puts it in a different league altogether. You might not be able to find a hummable tune buried beneath JK’s primordial metal sludge, but you won’t be able to stand still, either.