It’s been a long time that I’ve listened to a new record, sat back, and said to myself, “This album’s fucking fun.” Probably not since Franz Ferdinand’s debut album has there been such an obvious trait in the music produced that the guys seem like they were really enjoying themselves while making the album. Perhaps it stems the fact that after three albums Blitzen Trapper still finds themselves in DIY-mode, and in all honesty, they couldn’t be more comfortable.
Comfort is a word not be used loosely, in the sense that they have a comfortable style of play – every song has its own unique sound, its preferred idea, its hooky-line, its specific mood. The first song, “Devil’s A-Go-Go,” gives the listener a pretty good indication – a sporadic drum beat, clangy southern rock guitar, and just overall catchiness. The next song, “Wild Mountain Nation,” probably the most southern rock sounding and more like the first two albums, still shows that Blitzen Trapper is doing their own thing at their own pace. Then the album takes a Shins-like indie pop attitude with songs like “Futures & Folly,” only to lead into a garage rock anthem in “Miss Spiritual Tramp.”
It would be easy to give insight into every song, because each one has its own attitude that won’t allow any song on the album to be overlooked. No song extends past four minutes either – the band knows that they don’t too much time to show what each song’s about, regardless of its length. With catchy hooks, great guitar licks, and a we-don’t-give-a-fuck mentality, Wild Mountain Nation will never leave the listener bored, and can provide you with sometime to get stuck in your head.
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