Thursday March 28th 2024

Jumper! – “It’s Always Something”

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Jumper! – “It’s Always Something”

 

Jumper is the sound of people careening around the pit, in front of the stage, bouncing off each other and the folks forming the circle, while the singer offers the mike to the crowd.

Jumper is also the sound of the skateboards hitting the asphalt pavement of municipal buildings. Trying to get a few runs in before security arrives to shoo them away, there- because there’s not enough skate parks around.

Jumper is especially the sound of pop/punk at it’s most exuberant, explosive and excited- it’s the excitement and emotion that’s felt and expressed in the pit, on the skateboards and in the sound of albums like this.

This album is roughly recorded, roughly played; more melodically than roughly sung but there’s grit and passion there as well. Lots of Johnny Thunders licks flying in, maybe a few harmony and unison vocals also. And fast rhythms, fast like the girls in high school were with the bad reputations.

Jumper is the sound of loud guitars, piston pumping drums, laughter, getting wasted, having fun and joy. Let’s check them out.

“I’m Alone” starts off like a Johnny Thunders song on meth instead of smack as it grooves along at the fastest a rock tempo is allowed to before being classified as hardcore. The drums chop, the licks spit fire and the vocals keep chasing a beat that won’t surrender. This is punk’n’roll at its most perfect. A glorious bridge comes in after a couple of verses with some background vocals and a chuggin’ guitar leading us to the ending of my favorite song on the album.

[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/04 Im Alone.mp3|titles=I’m Alone]

“Yo Yo Ma” is a more moderate sounding rockin’ tune with a grinding rock rhythm and a bluesy guitar intro. A scraping guitar leads to a great chorus with a rock’n’roll piano in the background. This is almost like a glam rock tune that Iggy Pop might’ve written as it glides and slides in majestic majesty. A great little tune.

[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/05 Yo Yo Ma.mp3|titles=Yo Yo Ma]

“Tanked By Two” comes out punching with slashing guitars and a pounding snare hit to the beat drums. Which is suddenly stopped and switched to a slower, rock part until we return to the hell-loose hardcore beginning complete with harmony vocals. Once more we move to the slower part with bending bluesy notes and then we’re gone, daddy, gone to a dag gone great tune.

[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/03 Tanked By Two.mp3|titles=Tanked By Two]

“Sluts And Chinese Food” sounds like nothing else on the album and comes off like a throwaway song at times with its good time groove and pleasant sounding guitar strumming along. But the charm and offhandedness kept bringing me back from some other equally good songs. “Do you wanna get take out?/ And then we could make out.” I just had to pick it and it’s another winner.

[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/07 Sluts and Chinese Food.mp3|titles=Sluts and Chinese Food]

I saw this band recently at an underground show and was impressed. I also noticed their bass player, Dennis, was a guy I recognized from many shows, always in the pit. In fact, he got mentioned in the For The Worse show and is always at Neighborhood Shit shows. I found out from him that Jumper is doing a split EP with that band soon, so be looking for that as well.

This is a great album and Jumper, a great punk band, equal parts pop/punk and punk’n’roll to me. But what does punk mean to me?

Punk is my philosophy, my religion, you know. Some say punk is dead like God is dead. That German kraut-rocker Nietzsche said so, I think. And I think it was God that claimed punk was dead but what hits has he had lately?

If you like punk then punk lives within you, it is you for as long as you’re alive (not dead). If the germ of punk contaminates your music then there is no hope, you can’t be saved.

And I celebrate your doom into being eternally shunned by God or (the corporations who’ve paid for our souls). No doubt they’re still alive though their hearts are rotten and corroded. But no doubt, though they have the bill of sale, you can still withhold the goods. I feel you already have, their power is an illusion, just like God and his top forty hits.

But punk is more real and more true and so is Jumper. And so, it would appear, are you.

 

(Slimedog)

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