(Sub Pop/Stomp)

Who does Santa call when Blitzen runs away?

Ahhh, Sub Pop, what have you brought to our door this time? Why it’s Blitzen Trapper from Portland, Oregon. One worries that someday there will be such thing as a token Sub Pop band (if there isn’t already). Luckily Blitzen Trapper aren’t that band. Excellent and versatile guitar work really brings a life to tracks that at first don’t seem particularly special. The Spoon-esque stop-start guitar groove of Devil’s A Go-Go kicks the record off with a fun, carefree buzz. The eclectic Woof & Warp showcases a darker, noisier side, twisting guitars over a steady, tribal beat, and distorted voices singing only the word ‘yeah’ over and over. Miss Spiritual Tramp is dragged through feedback and other guitar filth to form a pop song that’s drowning in grunge. Sci-Fi Kid proves its point with a laser-shootin’ space keyboard outro, though it’s a little too obvious on a record otherwise full of surprises and little innovations.

MICHAEL PINCOTT

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