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Live review: Blitzen Trapper and the Walkmen at Emo’s
To a certain extent, Blitzen Trapper and the Walkmen made names for themselves by merging disparate elements to create music that stood out; after an album or two, both bands evolved away from their beginnings to a more focused, mature spot.
On 2007’s “Wild Mountain Nation,” Blitzen Trapper won new fans and positive reviews by placing noisy, lo-fi indie rock on equal footing with country-infused classic rock. They left the fuzz behind with their follow-up, the well-received “Furr” and the “Black River Killer” EP. The band’s evolution was on display Thursday night at Emo’s. Though briefly taking forays into darker hard rock on “Love U,” they were at their best when they found the groove, especially on the organ-driven “Sleepytime in the Western World” and “Fire and Fast Bullets.” Lead singer/guitarist Eric Early similarly shined in folk-rock troubadour mode on “Furr” and a few others where he donned a harmonica as he strummed and sang.
Like Blitzen Trapper, the Walkmen won at lot of fans with their 2004 album “Bows and Arrows,” on which the band showed they are capable of weaving together a harder, more abstract sound with a pop sensibility. They have mellowed since then, with the release of “You and Me,” which might be their strongest to date, in 2008. On Thursday night the band’s setlist drew from several of their albums, going big with “Little House of Savages” bringing out a horn section on “Red Moon,” which, like many of the other songs in the set, served as a reminder that frontman Hamilton Leithauser can really, really sing. They threw in “The Rat,” too, which is fun and gets the biggest response, but is no longer necessary.
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