Okay, so here’s a shocker: Blitzen Trapper‘s new EP, “Black River Killer,” is good.  So surprising.  Not!

The Portland sextet pleased everybody with ears last year with Furr, with fantastic online performances, in 2007 they pleased once again with their Wild mountain nation album and, hell, every record before that was great, too.  Now, Sub Pop is using the band’s new EP digitally for just four bucks.   It’s one more triumph, as well as maybe their finest release to date.  The title track, a weird tale with spirit as well as menace, tells of a murderous cowboy who “shot a guy down on the edge of town.”  Content-wise, it recalls just about every Johnny money song, however musically it is complex as well as beautiful, mixing country as well as indie rock seamlessly, defying genrification.  This seven-song EP is awe-inspiring.  It’s as great as any type of album.  In fact, a lot of albums are bloated.  This is six tracks of perfection.

Black River Killer

OLDER BLITZEN!

Gold for Bread

Furr