Blitzen Trapper Had A Good Year

11/11/09 12:14pm

by Chris Burland (CHARTattack)

I must state this right off the bat, I'e never been one for enjoying the live musical experience. I've been at my share of great musical moments like Mogwai's musical blast out at the Horseshoe in the fall of 1999, Royal City's sonic bliss during CMW 2003 as part of ChartAttack's Horseshoe showcase that was broadcast live on CBC Radio 2 and The Bicycles' farewell performance at this years' Chart CMW Showcase at the Shoe.

Around that time, I happened to be covering Blizten Trapper's appearance at the Horseshoe having just heard their brilliant 2008 album, Furr. The show had its ups and downs with any and all of the songs from that last album shining above their earlier material.

A couple of months ago, the band released an EP called Black River Killer. Here's a review of the EP:

Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer (Sub Pop/Outside)
This quickie EP of seven songs consists of the six tracks from a tour-only CD from Blitzen Trapper’s recent live gigs. Their label, Sub Pop, adds the title track from their  2008 album, Furr. Marketed by the band’s new label as a way that BT’s fans could all get the exclusive tracks. Thanks but Furr was a big step forward for a band that would have fit perfectly into that lazy sun-drenched country-tinged rock scene of the mid ’70 akin to The Grateful Dead with touches of Badfinger, Allman Brothers and The Faces with Lou Reed-inspired lyrical content.

The title track is far and away the strongest song here. It’s a haunting gothic tale of death and tragic loss, “Black River Killer”. Front man Eric Earley’s stunning narrative of a man falsely convicted man of a horrendous murder and the psychological impact on his life and future actions. It’s a stunning ode that’s aided musically by the touches of an eerie synthesizer.

The EP continues with a harmonica-driven “Silver Moon,” but then the disc slows down it momentum with a quiet introspective ballad, “Shoulders Full Of You, that doesn’t really add to the band’s oeuvre. While the band is a six-piece the focal point is main songwriter Eric Earley. His warm inviting vocals on both “Going Down” and “Preachers Sisters Boy” hold the listener’s attention.

It all comes to an end with the raucous “Big Black Bird” which is a wonderful slice of retro, something you would have heard in the background of The Rockford Files or Baretta if they had been O.C.ed.

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