Blitzen Trapper: Black River Killer E.P

Full-lengths from bands are occasionally followed by a smaller E.P, filled with extra bits they just couldn't bare to leave on the cutting room floor.

This E.P here comes from unreleased tracks only previously available from CD's sold on their tours. All except the title and introductory track Black River Killer which was previously heard on their acclaimed 2008 long-player Furr. 

It still remains a fresh and inventive delve into rhythmic story-telling and music-making.  The guitar works perfectly against main vocalist Eric Earley's aged, sincere vocalism and the peculiar electronic twinge that seeps in and out at will goes fantastically well in a contradictory kind of way. It's a summery, grounded, fantastic piece of work that starts the E.P on a giant high-note.

There's hints of The Beatles in their soft-rock melodies and tone, relaxed and slightly twee but with an earnest twist. It doesn't break boundaries but it's most certainly a nice journey. Folk pokes it's head out a fair amount, as does a bit of alt-country and indie-rock, congealing together to make an easily digestible seventeen minute CD that's well-crafted, a little thin but an overall pleasurable experience.

Each song after Black River Killer do admittedly seem a little B-sideish in their longevity compared to the intro track but they still hold some weight, however unpolished they seem. Going Down brings thoughts of old Turin Brakes and gentle 60's psychedelia, vocal notes falling somewhere between something almost Bowie-esque but with a new-age, folkier twist. "It's loose lips sinking ships tonight" they chime over dampened electronic bleeps and an empty, open rhythm. It's one of the most rewarding alongside the first track and hones in on their primary talents brilliantly.

It's a shame then, that over the disappointingly short duration they squander too much of their time on normality instead of the obviously present greatness they possess and are able to achieve. Outro track Big Black Bird is too generic lyrically and lacking in personality, using a by-the-numbers country hook and refusing to do much more than slightly please vocally. Before that though is the upsetting Silver Moon which, sitting as track two, weakens the mini-album a little too early in. The rhythm's just too forgetful and the style too uninspired to stand out, even amongst only six other tracks.

We're being harsh here but only because they've done much better in the past. It's a damn solid release, especially for an E.P so please note that though the number below seems a little low, it's only relative to everything before it.

Recommended to any long-lived Blitzen Trapper fan but for new comers, it's not necessarily a great starting point.