Categories : Folk + Roots, Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 Reviewer: Trent Depue |
In the last four years, Portland’s Blitzen Trapper has probably been as busy as any band you can name. With a release of some kind every year in that time, including their well acclaimed Sub Pop debut Furr (2008) and stand out EP Black River Killer (2009), the band has been quite successful in making a name for itself, even cracking the top 15 of Rolling Stone’s Top 50 Records of 2008. And for the next trick up their sleeves, we come to Destroyer of the Void – another successful notch in their collective belts.
At the forefront of the record is lead man Eric Earley’s captivating vocal attack. There’s something instantly captivating about his vocal presence and flow. And he uses this fully to his advantage throughout, most notably on ‘Heaven and Earth.’ Add to that a combination of fantastic instrumental compositions and you’re left with a record that is at times quite dynamic, as on the title track, ‘Laughing Lover’ or ‘Evening Star,’ and at others brilliantly simplistic, whether on the piano and string driven ‘Heaven and Earth,’ the acoustic ‘The Man Who Would Speak True’ or ‘The Tree.’
It’s often the case that quantity sacrifices quantity, and Blitzen Trapper release enough music to fall susceptible to that. In the their case though, this hardly holds true. With four consecutive releases all receiving high praise, they seem to have things nailed down. Now we get to sit back and wait and see if 2011 will hold another fantastic effort from this talented sextet.
