Blitzen Trapper – Furr Review
Both Blitzen Trapper albums (Wild Mountain Nation and now Furr) eluded the best of year lists in terms of albums. This album I couldn’t find for quite awhile until just a few weeks ago. It didn’t really receive a whole lot of hype though some bloggers really felt it should’ve been up there.
Blitzen Trapper is a sextet that is usually classified under experimental folk, but really they are genre-less taking influences from a variety of sources and not really having that one true sound (at least that’s my experience so far). In that sense when a band is all over the place, it’s usually to their disadvantage however for Blitzen Trapper, they do everything so well that they can get away with random experimentation. I can’t dock points for not being a cohesive unit or an album as it’s part of the novelty when looking at a Blitzen Trapper album. The real thing to look forward to is to see what they are trying to do now and how it works, they’re really a bag full of surprises and can leave me guessing as to what is coming next.
Since it’s not really an album but more of a collection of random songs, there are some stand outs. My favorite is the title track, “Furr” which is more simplistic track musically with the use of a harmonica within the chorus and a simple drum beat to some great metaphorical lyrics:
You can wear your fur
Like a river on fire
But you’d better be sure
If you’re making God a liar
I’m a rattlesnake, babe,
I’m like fuel on fire
So if you’re gonna get made
Don’t be afraid of what you’ve learned
For Blitzen Trapper, it’s really about experimentation without overdoing it, it usually either has your heart melting or your toes tapping (or both). They do have fun with their songs like on “Love U’ where Earley is screaming on the top of his lungs, sounding like Chris Rock contrasting with the light piano based “Not Your Lover”. They know how to make a great pop song with bluesy guitar riffs and a variety of instruments. The number of members gives them a flexible sound where boredom never comes into the equation.
The main difference between Wild Mountain Nation and Furr is that WMN had a greater variety of experimentation but Furr is the more immediate and more much likable album. There are some songs that are great and it’s ultimately a more serious album instead of playfully experimenting.
Rating: 4.75 out of 5
I am regretting not reviewing this album in time, it definitely belongs in my top 10, maybe even top 5.
Furr by Blitzen Trapper
Not Your Lover by Blitzen Trapper
Tags: album
