Music Review: Blitzen Trapper, All Across This Land

By Melissa Bratcher

There’s something enormously comforting about a new Blitzen Trapper album. They’ve got a certain sonic texture, that coupled with lead singer Eric Earley’s distinctive, weatherbeaten rasp and slice-of-America lyrics, make them easily recognizable and inimitable. While they have experimented with looser, sparse sounds, their latest, All Across This Land, has that classic Blitzen Trapper feel. It rocks, sometimes gently, and the songs are immersive and evocative, conjuring up dusty back roads that stretch for miles, blue collar desperation, and youthful yearning.

Where their last album, 2013s VII (review), tread firmly in the 1970s, All Across This Land has a definite 1980s feel to it. There are occasional shimmery synths, like on “Love Grow Cold,” where the repetitive chorus is almost meditative, and “Let The Cards Fall,” a curious mix of gritty guitar, synths, and mournful harmonica that is bolstered by its propulsive, delightful chorus. Blitzen Trapper is notoriously great at choruses.

The ’80s vibe carries through on “Mystery And Wonder,” with great bongo-like, looping drums and a palpable yearning. It ends on an oddly delicate fadeout that works surprisingly well. “Nights Were Made For Love” basks in warm nostalgia and vivid youthful imagery, and sounds more than a bit like a lost track from The Hooters.

While All Across This Land has dashes of ’80s rock sprinkled in, Blitzen Trapper doesn’t stray far from their tried and true rock roots. The chugging title track, with its tasty guitar riff, could be a heartier Eagles song (more Joe Walsh than Don Henley). The crushing narrative of “Cadillac Road” is sold by Earley’s emotion-choked vocals. Urgent and dark, the track is driven by Marty Marquis’s piano, and has a definite Springsteen feeling.

The final tracks of All Across This Land are a perfect ending to a somewhat uneven album. The country-flavored “Even If You Don’t” sets in an easy ’70s AM groove. When listening to it, it is impossible to imagine anyone by Eric Earley singing this track. Paired with the quiet and moving “Across The River,” rich in its acoustic simplicity, it’s a meaningful way to wrap things up.

You have to admire Blitzen Trapper’s experimentation. They’ve dabbled in so many genres, from indie folk, to psychedelia, to roots music, and done them all so well, it seems there’s nothing that they can’t master. Most importantly, they never lose sight of the fact that they’re a great rock band, no matter what little lagniappes they throw into the mix. All Across This Land is another utterly interesting, often desperately hooky album from Blitzen Trapper.

All Across This Land was released by Vagrant Records on October 2.

Tour Dates:
October 3 – Fargo, ND – The Aquarium
October 4 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
October 6 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
October 7 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
October 8 – Ferndale, MI – The Loving Touch
October 9 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
October 10 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
October 11 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
October 13 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
October 14 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
October 15 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
October 16 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
October 17 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft
October 18 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
October 19 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn
October 21 – Austin, TX – The Parish
October 22 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada
October 23 – Norman, OK – The Opolis
October 24 – Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck
October 26 – Denver, CO – The Bluebird Theater
October 27 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room
November 9 – Eugene, OR – HiFi Music Hall
November 11 – Santa Barbara, CA – SOHO Restaurant & Music Club
November 12 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory
November 13 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
November 14 – Felton, CA – Don Quixote’s International Music
November 15 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
November 16 – Mill Valley, CA – Sweetwater Music Hall
November 17 – Arcata, CA – Humboldt Brews
November 19 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
November 20 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
November 28 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall