Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void

The title track and opener for this album holds a great deal of promise for the rest of the album. In fact, it signals the band's intentions perfectly by swinging from melodic harmonies to thunderous bass lines via fairytale folk.

It's an eclectic bag of tricks this Portland band has put together; no surprise then that Sub Pop picked them up in 2007. Whilst not expressly trying to imitate any particular band they might have your friends and families asking "Who do they think they are? Queen/Cream/The Beatles/David Bowie/The Eagles etc etc." The list could go on forever.

One thing for sure is that they are never dull. Whether it's front man Eric Earley's lucid fantasy world lyrics of lovers and villains or the band's ability to turn a song on its head, they keep you guessing until the very end. Just when you think tracks like 'Lover Leave Me Drowning' are getting too bogged down in folk there is a howling psychedelic guitar biting at the heels of the violins. "You must be blind if you're to see, walk behind if you're to lead, must be the soil to the sea, never ending" are just a few of the gems of wisdom on offer. But while Earley spins great and fantastical yarns ('The Man Who Would Speak True') his voice can become a little pedestrian after a few spins of the record.

Though it may have a few minor faults - one of which is often being a little melodramatic in storyteller mode - the band puts itself in a powerful position with an album boasting such an impressive array of styles and lyrical themes. It's the strange Americana of the future and this band will surely help lead the way.