Furr (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

Blitzen Trapper's fourth long player (and first Sub Pop outing) reveals the Portland sextet as record collecting musicians who dig a lot of old vinyl by mostly unknown English country rock acts from the 1970s. Their label-mates, the similarly inspired Beachwood Sparks, mined more obvious discographies of The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and Gram Parsons. But with Furr Blitzen Trapper dig deeper in the used record bins to draw from the fey and feathered Brit twang of yore. You can hear the woodsy and wistful influence of Matthews Southern Comfort and Plainsong in the floating vocal harmonies on "Stolen Shoes And A Rifle," and the title track is a fantastical Ernie Graham sounding narrative about a child raised by wolves who falls in love with a civilized girl before returning to the wilderness. The delightfully shambolic and catchy-as-hell "War On Machines" boogies hard and boozy on a cow bell while rocking like a young Graham Nash fronting The Band. Amidst the twangy vintage tones and boxcar folk, there is a postmodern Beck-esque groove on some songs like "Black River Killer" that keeps this amazing album from sounding completely retro.