Blitzen Trapper, from Portland, Oregon, have apparently released two albums before this one but they only came to my attention with 'Wild Mountain Nation', an album that will make you think Pavement's 'Wowee Zowee' had a kid brother waiting in the wings all this time.
Every year there seems to be a 'new Pavement'. In 2006 it was Tapes n Tapes, although their album 'The Loon' was probably more Pixies than Pavement. This year, it is undoubtably Blitzen Trapper and there is some justification to this label.
'Wild Mountain Nation' is an album which contains references from just about every genre you can think of. At it's core is a kind of skewed lo-fi country jangle which works best on the title track and 'Summer Town' which are lovely sing-a-longs with sweet lyrics and probably more heart than you'd find on any Pavement record. Elsewhere there is lots of chaotic indie rock with some weird sounds and rhythms.
All in all this is a very enjoyable record with two or three really beautiful songs. Well worth a tenner of your money.
8.2
(out today on Sub Pop)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment