Blitzen Trapper

Wild Mountain Nation

Lidkercow

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There's "indie" and then there's "independent." Blitzen Trapper is definitely in the former category, but it's their actual (and often inscrutable) independence that's made their evolution so interesting. The Portland band's first two self-released albums were all over the place, as is Wild Mountain Nation. But the group's dedication to following its willfully weird muse is congealing into something special. The album puts the "alternative" back in alt-country. The sideways skronk of "Devil's A-Go-Go" revels in droll slacker rock like Pavement and Beck; "Summer Town" is a pretty slice of pastoral psych-folk; and "Murder Babe" morphs from big classic rock riffs to abstract space racket. No song runs much longer than three minutes, which is remarkable considering how many ideas the group fits into each chunk of music. If every band went back to a similarly insular route, free from trendy temptation and commercial expectations, would they come up with something just as wondrous?

-- Joshua Klein