Blitzen Trapper unveils new video, tours Europe :: Music News :: Articles

One night this past summer I watched shaggy unknowns Blitzen Trapper open for The Hold Steady at a Columbia, Mo. gig. Shortly thereafter, the hipster media overlords at Pitchfork gave the band's Wild Mountain Nation a glowing review. You know what that means: I heard them before they got famous, chump!

But music geek bragging aside, it's safe to say that Blitzen Trapper isn't your typical "blog hype" band. The New York crowd, for example, seems pre-packaged for maximizing immediate buzz and then fizzles out by album #3. Meanwhile, Blitzen Trapper was out blazing its own trail on two self-released records before publicity got foisted upon the group by the blogosphere. Now the guys are on Sub Pop, a true indie success story in an era of manufactured hype.

The latest dispatch from Portland, Ore.'s mountain men is the video for the title track from the aforementioned Wild Mountain Nation. Check out those graphics! It's like Michael Jackson's "Leave Me Alone" for the indie set:

For our European friends out there, Blitzen Trapper is ripping up your continent in support of Two Gallants. Check out the dates on the group's website.

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