Blitzen Trapper – Destroyer of the Void (2010)

This is Blitzen Trapper's fifth album, but they had only made their breakthrough two years earlier with their album Furr. That's when I also heard about the band, so this was the first new album from the band while I was listening to them. Destroyer of the Void is not as clearly a hit album as the previous one was. There are more experimental approaches and slow songs on this album, which makes it slightly less commercial. Usually this kind of approach may really pay off, but in this case I feel like they don't reach their full potential. Saying that, Destroyer of the Void is still and excellent piece of work combining alternative country sounds with energetic power pop. Blitzen Trapper really knows good songwriting. Their songs have amazing melodies and excellent changes in style within one song.



My appreciation for the band grew even more after seeing them live a couple of years ago. They were playing at this quite small venue here in London, The Lexington, where they put on a fantastic show. It was one of those gigs that made me really appreciate the band in a whole new light. I hadn't listened to them that much before the gig and I perhaps thought they weren't as good as they used to be anymore, but after the gig I ended up buying their new album and I've been listening to them more ever since.

The album starts with beautiful vocal harmonies in the title-track Destroyer of the Void. This song has multiple different parts that fit together beautifully even if they sound quite different. This song kind of reminds me of brilliance of Queen. The next song, Laughing Lover, is also an excellent song with changing moods and melodies. In some parts it becomes clear that Blitzen Trapper has also been influenced by American Southern rock quite a lot. Below the Hurricane is the first Americana folk song on this album. There's some terrific guitar picking and beautiful, slightly psychedelic, melodies. The Man Who Would Speak True is a prime example of storytelling folk song in the style of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Blitzen Trapper knows how to make songs like this really well. Love and Hate pushes the volume up with some rough overdriven guitars and rock riffs. Heaven and Earth is a fantastic ballad with beautiful piano playing and some of the best vocals from the band. Songwriting is a bit simple and repetitive, but the mood is just beautiful. Dragon's Song is another excellent country hoedown with a rhythm that will make you nod your head along. The Tree is another Americana folk song with great storytelling. It's sung as a duet with the lovely Alela Diane. Evening Star has a really cool bass-driven groove and its easygoing tempo makes it a fun song to sing to. Lover Leave Me Drowning is a psychedelic baroque pop piece that brings some new style into the album. There are some excellent guitar licks in this song. The Tailor has some excellent psychedelic country folk sounds and spacey organs. The album ends with a truly American sounding ballad Sadie that reminds me of many other American pop classics.

The music video for The Tree is a very beautifully visualised story of kids as well as adults climbing trees and seeing visions of their ordinary lives through the branches. It also features Eric Earley, the lead singer, and the visiting star Alela Diane singing the songs on the same branches of the tree. The video has a lazy mood that fits perfectly with this song that sounds like slow Sundays.

Blitzen Trapper's albums feature masterful, kind of classic, pop music songwriting that is a bit rare to come by these days. Most modern bands use strange sounds to separate them from the musical history, but usually the basics are not as strong. Blitzen Trapper on the other hand is all about the basics. All the instruments sound as they should sound and you can just throw yourself into excellent melodies, skilful performances and storytelling lyrics.

Listen to the album on Spotify.