Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void (2010)

I’ve tried to get into Blitzen Trapper each time they’ve released an album for the past three releases and I’m afraid they still don’t really interest me all that much. On Destroyer of the Void, I hear a lot of classic influences. There is a distinctly Southern feel to the whole album, with songs that have a dirty sort of guitar sound, banjos and harmonicas, the sort of stuff that makes you think of some tavern off a dirt road in the Deep South. Another influence is mid-era Beatles. The vocals sound like they’re somewhere in between Lennon and McCartney territory, perhaps a little closer to the former. The melodies sung are very Beatlesque, reminding me of albums like Revolver and Rubber Soul. Of course this is all packaged as a folk-rock album. It has that sort of aesthetic, the lyrics tend to come from a weary, love-starved, traveler. I think I hear the influence of Love as well, an early folk-rock group. These influences give the songs a distinctly late-60s feel to it, but beyond that, Blitzen Trapper really doesn’t do much to make this sound their own. This album is a nice tribute to some of the sounds of 40 years ago, but it feels sort of anonymous. I can listen to The Beatles, or Love, or Grateful Dead and get it right from the source. I probably wouldn’t though, and that’s the thing about this album. If you’re a die hard Dead, Love, or even just a fan of early folk-rock with a bit of psychedelia thrown in, this will probably cure your itch. My problem is not that this is a bad set of songs, they are actually quite well written and performed proficiently. You have to care for the band’s influences to appreciate Blitzen Trapper. I give them credit for some really good vocal hooks, some clever songwriting, and generally being a talented band, but this is all sort of under the heavy shadow of their predecessors. If you’re looking for something that fits nicely alongside the folk-rock, or even psychedelic-tinged rock of the late 60s and 70s, maybe this band is for you. Check it out.