Okay, so here’s a shocker: Blitzen Trapper‘s new EP, “Black River Killer,” is good. So surprising. Not!
The Portland sextet impressed everyone with ears last year with Furr, with great live performances, in 2007 they impressed again with their Wild Mountain Nation album and, hell, every record before that was great, too. Now, Sub Pop is offering the band’s new EP digitally for just four bucks. It’s another triumph, and perhaps their best release to date. The title track, a creepy tale with soul and menace, tells of a murderous cowboy who “shot a man down on the edge of town.” Content-wise, it recalls just about every Johnny Cash song, but musically it is intricate and beautiful, mixing country and indie rock seamlessly, defying genrification. This seven-song EP is awe-inspiring. It’s as good as any album. In fact, most albums are bloated. This is six tracks of perfection.
