- Band members: Eric Earley, Brian Adrian Koch, Marty Marquis, Erik Menteer
- Summary: The seventh full-length release for the Portland, Oregon-based experimental folk band is its first on the Vagrant label.
- Record Label: Vagrant
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Country-Rock
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 3 out of 8
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Mixed: 5 out of 8
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Negative: 0 out of 8
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Oct 2, 201380VII is Blitzen Trapper’s strongest album to date, with years of musical experimentation having come together in the band’s own mad-scientist brand of cosmic Americana.
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Oct 2, 201370A sort of cosmic, high-def honky tonk that for the most part proves tasty, injecting some much needed brevity into windy frontman Eric Earley's colorful yet often perfunctory tales of sin and redemption.
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Oct 3, 201367The most interesting ideas aren’t developed into anything more than ear-pricking novelty, which used to be almost all they did.
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Oct 4, 201358The band sounds more polished than ever, especially when they shed their folk roots, but the funky riffs (“Feel the Chill,” “Drive On Up”) owe more to Songs in the Key of Life than Highway 61 Revisited.
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Oct 7, 201350While the band’s penchant for steadying, shimmering guitars and unexpected use of instruments certainly appears on VII, it’s not enough to overshadow this album’s lack of originality.
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Oct 2, 201340The area in which the album most falls short is the lyrics. Earley’s writing has always had a slightly hokey nature to it, but, for much of VII, it veers into truly hackneyed territory.
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Oct 3, 201340To be sure, Blitzen Trapper can be commended for breaking down the boundaries between roots and rhythm, even though they may alienate those more accustomed to the tried and true.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 0 out of
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Mixed: 0 out of
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Negative: 0 out of