New Music Sunday - Blitzen Trapper

This week I'm featuring a local Portland band called Blitzen Trapper. I can't recall how I found out about these guys, which sort of bugs me since I like to remember this sort of thing! Anyhow, I didn't know much about them before writing this post, and I only had their latest album, Destroyer of the Void. Blitzen Trapper's sound is hard to describe. How about neo-American folk rock pop? This album buzzes around various styles, hitting on a lot of eras of the past. It still sounds relatively modern, however, and the album as a whole stays cohesive. I read someone compare them to Fleet Foxes, and while I can't say for certain, I tend to agree. I also hear influences of Queen.

There wasn't much on the internet about Blitzen Trapper.  Here's what All Music Guide says:

"Often compared to the early lo-fi eclecticism of Beck, Blitzen Trapper's music went through various genres with each record, from Neil Young-inspired alt.country to experimental pop, indie folk, and art rock. The band formed in 2000 in Portland, OR, with songwriter Eric Earley leading a lineup that also included Erik Menteer (guitar, keyboard), Brian Adrian Koch (drums, vocals), Michael Van Pelt (bass), Drew Laughery (keyboard), and Marty Marquis (keyboard, vocals). Before signing a record contract in 2007, the band released three albums on its own dime: an eponymous effort in 2003, Field Rexx in 2005, and the highly acclaimed Wild Mountain Nation in 2007. The latter album landed the group a record deal with Sub Pop. With Sub Pop's help, the group hit a creative peak with 2008's Furr, a collection of 13 songs that found Blitzen Trapper boiling down its many influences into a cohesive, unique Americana sound. The Black River Killer EP followed in 2009, and the group spent part of that year working on a new full-length release, which arrived one year later in the form of Destroyer of the Void."

Since I've been in a music slump the last month or so, I just bought Blitzen Trapper's Furr album based on the review above. Gotta love internet music stores. In the time it takes to read this paragraph I can buy and download an album with one click. This is certainly the golden age of music for me. Considering how easy it is to find reviews, listen to samples and download songs, I often think about how different it was when I was a teenager hungry for new music. I would go into Tempo Records on Reseda Blvd and try to find  new bands by looking at the record covers. Hmmm...four dudes with big hair sitting around a glowing crystal?  Maybe they have it on cassette! $7.99 later it was in my car, and it was either a hit or a complete miss! Those were the days, alright. 

So, in case you were wondering, after a first listen, I think Destroyer of the Void is a better album than Furr. Also, I don't think either album would've made it to my cassette deck based on the album cover. 

My Rating__7 out of 10         Headphones__ 7 out of 10