Blitzen Trapper Furr by: Justin Pearsall Mon:06-Oct-08 Label: Sub Pop Year: 2008 WB rating 85 out of 100

Wild Mountain Nation, Blitzen Trapper’s 2007 album, was a strong release. Part southern rock, part CSNY-inspired folk, part psychedelia, part garage rock, its diversity was both strength and flaw; the end result being a record that showed a lot of promise, but never the consistency of a great album. Returning one year later with Furr, Blitzen Trapper have rectified the flaws of their predecessor, expanded their sonic template and delivered the great record that Wild Mountain Nation hinted at.

The crucial difference between Furr and its precursor is the band’s musical maturity. The great songs of Wild Mountain Nation were smattered between tunes of noise and clutter, tracks that were more about guitar showmanship than melodic intent. Furr, on the other hand, is a more concentrated and dependable effort. In fact, aside from the ramshackle ‘Love U’, Blitzen Trapper’s latest manages to be both tuneful and diverse – and even ‘Love U’, after its rhythm chaos and vocal screams, has its payoff in an angelic vocal resolution.

With Furr’s melodic purpose comes a handful of great songs, none better than the album’s title track ‘Furr’. Infused with a pre-electric Dylan spirit meshed with subtle psychedelia, the simple folk origins of the song are elegantly played out – the click-clack of the kick drum/tambourine rhythm track, reverberated voices and the tried guitar patterns truly prove more than a sum of their parts.

Somehow this pastoral folk fits neatly next to the piano pop of ‘Saturday Nite’. The boppy piano rhythm of the song initially seems out of place, like the band are taking the piss, but as this foundation morphs into fusion-inspired organ solos, group harmonies and an oddly perfect sitar solo, the song’s true genius plays out.

Two of the album’s other standouts, ‘God & Suicide’ and ‘War on Machines’, suggest that Blitzen Trapper’s progression may not be complete. ‘War on Machines’ is all swagger. It captures the heart of The Stones’ rhythms, but dig a little deeper and there is a distinct Wilco Summerteeth vibe. ‘God & Suicide’ also evokes a Wilco feel, its inspiration however is more linked to that band’s breakout album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. With its direct tom-tom rhythm, the growing harmonies and smart instrumentation, ‘God & Suicide’, along with ‘Furr’, is a clear album favourite.

Blitzen Trapper have blunted the noisy edge of Wild Mountain Nation, replacing bash-and-clank tracks for melody and a wider instrumental palette. These decisions prove to be masterful. Naturally the band’s talent allows them – possibly even propels them – to diversity. Because of this Furr manages to be equally as varied, without sounding as forced. It is worthy of consideration for any good ‘best of 2008’ list.