Meredith Adelaide
The Portland, Ore.-based Blitzen Trapper has established itself as the raw, haunted voice of fireside Wild West tales. The band effortlessly meshes storytelling reminiscent of Bob Dylan and Neil Young with electronic sounds influenced by gritty Southern rock.
Blitzen Trapper comes to the High Noon Saloon on July 4. The group will undoubtedly showcase songs from a new album due in September, but here are some of the smoky standbys you may hear.
“Furr” from Furr, 2007
The title track of the first album Blitzen Trapper produced under the label Sub Pop seemingly describes the singer’s transition from man to wolf and back to man again, evoking vocalist Eric Earley’s past struggles with narcotics and homelessness. The straightforward strumming, old-timey voice, driving harmonica and meandering melody don’t hide the depth of the lyrics: “I’ve been quickly ushered into a world that I confess I do not know.”
“Black River Killer” from Furr, 2007
Using the same rhythmic strumming as the title track, “Black River Killer” takes a darker path. A synthesizer dances its way across the chords, adding a psychedelic component. Describing a man’s string of murders across the West, it seems to combine the feeling of an old cowboy legend with a modern crime thriller. Tension and confusion culminate in the skin-prickling chorus: “Oh when, oh when will the spirit come a-callin’ for my soul to send? Oh when, oh when will the keys to the kingdom be mine again?”
“Might Find It Cheap” from American Goldwing, 2011
“Might Find It Cheap” is decidedly rock ’n’ roll with a little more anger and grief than songs on previous albums. The guitars are grittier and louder, driving the song and ornamenting the lyrics with no-holds-barred licks. Influenced by a death “of which I can’t speak,” Earley wrote every song on American Goldwing in a month. He says it best in a passage on the band’s website: “The earthiness of these songs makes you want to get loaded and get in a fight, or find a girl and fall in love forever, simultaneously.”
“Thirsty Man” from VII, 2013
VII was released by Vagrant Records and adds yet another complex layer to the folk-rock-country-indie sundae. Earley described VII as “hillbilly gangster,” telling Rolling Stone that he wanted to combine the “dark, gangster vibe with the kind of music I grew up listening to and see if it can kind of make sense.” “Thirsty Man” sounds a bit more mysterious, a twinkling keyboard cycling over the vocals and complemented by a bluesy harmonica. There’s even a keyboard and guitar solo. Yet the group’s roots are unmistakable, staying true to those punching lyrics: “Your love’s like rain in a desert to a thirsty man.”
