Blitzen Trapper: Destroy the Void
Label: Sub Pop
A look
at the discography of Portland's Blitzen Trapper reveals a series of
stylistic expansions and contractions. Wild Mountain Nation, from 2007, had an eclecticism that recalled Pavement while tapping into a version
of Americana set askew, while 2008's Furr was more restrained,
more traditional. Destroyer of the Void, their fifth album,
boasts more familiar-sounding moments yet manages to be endearingly
scattershot in its stylistic reach. Certain moments recall the
melancholy classicism of Harry Nilsson or Tom Petty's declamations;
others suggest a more expansive take on The Band. Elsewhere (the title
track, along with "Dragon's Song"), the lyrics turn cosmic on us, with
the music shifting from folk-rock to something more in tune with the
prog canon. But even with that stylistic range, they're also capable of
moments of focused beauty, as they do with the pastoral "Below The
Hurricane." (Toby)
