BLITZEN TRAPPER
American Goldwing
Sub Pop
The
transformation of Portland, Oregon's finest Blitzen Trapper from purveyors of
alternative-rock to cosmic american roots-rockers is finally complete on this,
their fourth studio album for Sub Pop
From the
country funkin'chug of opener 'You Might Find It Cheap' to the riffola stomp of
'Your Crying Eyes' it's clear that those on the lookout for the early ’70s
spirit of cosmic americana will be well satisfied. Whilst some of the clever
alt-pop twists of their previous albums have been eschewed to make way for good
time vibes and twilight campfire contemplations (check out beautiful closer
'Stranger In a Strange Land' and the classic nashville-isms of 'Taking It Easy
Too Long'), lead singer and principal songsmith Eric Earley shows that he's
fully mastered the art of the classic American songwriters and the influence of
Dylan, Tweedy & Robertson rings loud across these 13 tracks, most notably
on the albums mellower moments.
However
the band still show occasional flashes of their alt-rock roots (the riff heavy
groove of 'Street Fighting Son' has echoes of 2007's Wild Mountain Nation album) which keep them on the right side of retro. Sure, some listeners may be
left wondering if it's 1971 rather than 2011, but who really cares when it's
done as well as this.
Paul
Osbourne
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