WERS 88.9 fm - Album Review: Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer

September 10^th, 2009

Since the release of their album Furr in 2008, Portland-based Blitzen Trapper has steadily gained notoriety, garnering fans of folk and experimental rock alike.

While their previous albums proved that they have eclectic tastes and talents, their new release, Black River Killer, shows that Blitzen Trapper can create a focused concept album, powered by the solid vocals of Eric Earley.

 This seven song EPtakes a track first heard on Furr and creates a bone-chilling album centered on themes of murder and sin. Similar to the title track of Furr, which tells a fairy tale-like story of a man-turned-wolf-turned-man, "Black River Killer," chronicles the movements of a serial killer on his search for redemption. The rest of the album continues this somber motif, playing with themes of secrecy and deceit in "Going Down." Though the lyrics are simple at times, this is in keeping with the real world scenarios that each song details: real people suffer, they fail, they make mistakes, and yet somehow they survive. "Shoulder Full of You," falls appropriately in the middle of the album and conveys feelings of solitude and loss and provides, perhaps, an explanation of why the singer feels full of sin.

 The album continues in a happier light, with the singer on his way to redemption in "Preachers Sisters Boy." This darkly-started EP ends on a rather high note, with the upbeat tempo of "Big Black Bird," a song which seems to allude to the "crow that's lost its sight," in "Shoulder Full of You," and now he flies free and easy, redeemed of all sins. With poetic lyrics and alliteration, Black River Killer carries the listener on the journey of a troubled man's search for meaning while showing that Blitzen Trapper has truly gained a firm grasp of their craft.

 -Elizabeth Uzzell