04: Blitzen Trapper – Furr
Sub Pop

Blitzen Trapper showed that they had the talent to do a lot of things on last year’s breakthrough Wild Mountain Nation; for their follow-up, they focused their craft in a more specific direction, and the results are astonishingly good: Furr plays like a hybrid of Dylan-esque folk and seventies, southern-tinged classic rock, making both styles sound current and relevant—something that nearly all contemporary bands working in the same styles fail at consistently. There are, in my opinion, three reasons they succeed where others don’t, all of which build upon each other to make this record so good: first, they are unafraid and wildly successful working in unexpected sounds (like weird synths) and modern production flourishes into the instrumentation, all of which sounds and feels expertly balanced and natural. They have excellent taste in tones. Second, these songs are simple and catchy, but have unexpected chord changes and melodic tangents that clearly separate them from their source material (most bands fail miserably at this one in particular). Third and perhaps most importantly, Blitzen Trapper have a compelling and talented singer who keeps on getting better, not just with his delivery and melodies (which are already excellent), but also as a storyteller and lyricist. Among the records released this year that I’ve listened too, this record’s narrative and lyrical strengths are nearly un-rivaled. The overall effect of these things combined exceeded my wildest expectations for this band, and make Furr a don’t-miss record of 2008.

Labels: 2008 Recap, Album Review, Blitzen Trapper