American Goldwing Discussion

Hey!

Just heard the album.... It's just amazing! I don't want to write a review now. Just want to say: Thank You!

2011 is a great music year. New records from Fleet Foxes, Portugal. The Man, The Head And The Heart, Mister Heavenly, Death Cab, Fruit Bats, Vetiver, Radiohead, The Low Anthem and many more... but the new Blitzen Trapper will be one of the best, I think. You made me, and I think lots of people, really happy with the record! Thanks!

Looking forward to see you next year!

Greetings from Germany

I agree with GerTrapper - just finished listening and American Goldwing is great! Thanks, guys! Wish I coud catch your show at the Mercy Lounge again, but I'm going to be travelling for work.

Listening to the new album now... it makes me want to leave work immediately and sit in the sunshine and drink beer. Thank you.

Wait, how are you guys able to hear it already?  Is there a link somewhere?  I pre-ordered the vinyl - should I be getting an email with a link?

If you pre-ordered directly from blitzentrapper.net you should have an email with a link. But if you pre-ordered from subpop.com you won't get a link (I think).

Thanks GerTrapper.  I ordered directly from this site - blitzentrapper.net - 2 copies, even!  I'm wondering if it's a problem with my email.  I just changed my email contact on this site so if anyone can help...Help!  I need this album as soon as possible.  I'm sure you understand.

Problem solved - thanks Sara!

just listened & ummmm.......... ARE U FREAKIN KIDDING ME? IM IN LOVE WITH THIS RECORD!!!!

bt u r musics last hope!!!  they just upped the ante w this mofo!!! THANK YOU BT!!!

P.S. after hearing street fighting sun i went outside & got into a fight!!! YEAH!!!

My favorite track so far is the leadoff track, "Might Find It Cheap".  Seriously, to me this is the one album where all of BT's sounds come together in a consistent, accessible and hard-driving fashion that really has me stoked!

http://soundcloud.com/gatorbutts/blitzen-trapper-might-find-it

 

Super-dig it.  Love the multiple star/talking to the stars references.  

'Might Find it Cheap' into 'Fletcher' is a great way to start off the record.  I can already picture the crowd jamming to those live.  Really enjoy hearing the studio version of 'Taking It Easy too Long' after hearing it live for awhile.  'Girl in a Coat' is like laying on the lawn on a warm, clear night.  'Street Fighting Sun', so heavy, yesss!  Love how the beginning and end of 'Astronaut' feels like a road with no end in sight stretching out in front of you, and then has that amazing jammy middle section. 

Seriously, fantastic album, start to finish. :)  Okay, I'm done blabbering!

Congrats, guys.  It seems like you've wanted this one off the shelves for a while.  I really like the way you're promotion had parts of Your Crying Eyes and Stranger in a Strange Land.   Those songs couldn't be more different, but together they really describe the album - as in your promotion.  

Kinda surprised by the arrangement of Taking it Easy Too Long.  I always felt it had more of a minor feel, longing for time lost, but the studio version has more of an upbeat, hopeful feel.  Maybe it is Mike's bass line or the way you approach the minor chord, but it seems to have taken on a different form.  

These are great tunes to add to the setlist.  See you in November!

My God. It's full of stars.

not sure why i'm trying to post something since i'm kind of speechless.  all i can say is that after listening to the album 2x consecutively i was sighing and smiling throughout.  can't wait to hear astronaut live, it rocks my socks off.

Every time I listen to "Taking It Easy Too Long", my subconscious plays "spot the influence".  During the intro, before Eric comes in, the ghost of Alex Chilton chimes in with "Won't you let me walk you home from school?" (from Big Star's "Thirteen").  When the bridge of the song hits, I want to belt out "But I'm a substitute for another guy, I look pretty tall but my heels are high..." (The Who's "Substitute").  I wonder if these influences were intentional, subconscious or maybe just coincidental.  Either way, great tune and I love the arrangement on the record.

Definitely a very cohesive album that makes a statement. I really like it a lot. I must note that to me I get a feeling that the sound has changed a little. However thats not necessarily a bad thing. Its a monster of a record. A Blitzen Trapper concept album.

I like most of the songs on the album... I'm glad I got to hear it early, because I leave the country for a long-while in a few weeks...

I was a DJ so I have constructive criticisms of everything... and I would say that the majority of American Goldwing lacks the layered cryptic dark ambiance  that the previous 2 albums had, (most evident in the track Black River Killer) and I think those attribues are core and bone "Blitzen Trapper".  Now, I love Eric's sound and he is a god among men when it comes to laying down songs that  tell stories which bleed sheer emotion, so this is not a slant on him... but I feel that the parts of the album that didn't do anything for me, were too "Davey and Goliath's Sunday Morning Singalong"--ish. 

 But to end on a good note, I would say the album is different and different is good. I know the band reads through here from time to time, and I'd say to them to keep on trucking and making smash jams, I'm excited for a lot more years of good sounds. See yall around the bend.

I give the new album 9.5/10  - half mark off for the cover - its not growing on me :D

I was completely sold on first listen, and yet I seem to love it more with each spin--I keep finding new little things about each song.  

I am so stoked to hear some (a boatload, I believe was the measurement promised) of these tunes at Musicfest next week!

I have to split my love between "Street Fighting Sun" and "Might Find It Cheap" as my favorite tracks.  To me, SFS could be a lost James Gang track with a young Geddy Lee on lead vocals!  LOVE the almost comedic transition at the end of the song to the Jew's harp and Baba O'Riley-esque banjo!  And man, I must look like the biggest dork when I listen to "Might Find It Cheap" while driving - bopping back and forth and drumming on the dashboard, in a complete state of bliss when I hear that delicious vocal in the bridge.  And the Brian May guitar solo??  Come on, guys.  Did you have a look at my cassette collection from 1985 and write this album for me??   Damn. How I adore this band.

Have y'all read the Pitchfork review? I was so pissed.

<3   

Love  love love  so awesome.  Thanks for the great songs again guys!  Sorry wont see you at Utopia.  I am bummed.  I guess those are the sacrifices of being a mommy. Hope to catch you next time.  Austin TX please :)  Rock those towns!! 

I picked this up last week...and I haven't listened to anything else since.

Can't wait for my first BT show in Grand Rapids, MI in November ;)

@Kirk Bagley: No, you are wrong

Kirk Bagley ur insane. As far as the comparison thats anyones opinion but when u say that The Band suck thats ridiculous. Do me a favor & watch the last waltz & tell me they suck. Funny a guy like Bob Dylan would choose them to be his backing band. But then again what does Bob know?

Never mind that orange juice crap. Do u & me a favor & please watch The Last Waltz. Whiskey & Mary Jane are optional.

As I posted in the reviews topic, Im not a fan of The Band. I wouldnt say they "suuuck". Obviously they are real talented, worked with Dylan and sold a lot of records. Just not real big into them. The songs Ive heard of theirs are pretty one dimensional and not very musically interesting as opposed to the broad sonic palette of BTrapp. I guess I like bands that rock a little more than those guys did.

I really dont see much similarity to The Band. I see similarities to Neil Young, Big Star, T Rex, Dylan, Skynyrd, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Wilco and a whole bunch of other groups though. I suppose one notices the Trappers' influences from groups you like and ignores the ones you dont care for.

Having said all that, I feel like Blitzen Trapper are a totally unique bunch of musicians and the band is absolutely one of my favorites, dont mean to suggest they are derivative of these other groups at all...

Don't forget the Grateful Dead. And Elton John.

And Judas Priest.

i hope i didn't sound like a jerk with my post

i've just always joked that The Band were the one band i would get in a fight over. everyone is welcome to their own opinion of course. and i don't think Blitzen Trapper sound very much like The Band. hopefully you dig the Last Waltz, but if not it's all good !

:)

@ Kirk Bagley

Seriously. Hahaha what he said. Go see the last Waltz. I mean. The Band is amazing. (That is Dylan's band by the way, name name came about when they were playing with him at Woodstock I believe.) I mean these guys are legends. And I think comparing this BT album to The Band is an apt assessment.

Can we please get back to talking about BT? I can't stop thinking about and listening to this album. I can barely stand the wait to see them in cleveland in two loooong weeks! Had a nice warmup for the bt show last night by seeing another (tho lesser) one of my heroes -- the Jayhawks. But man, getting to hear the tracks off of American Goldwing live?? I can't even begin to fathom that bliss at this moment...

Blitzen is Blitzen please stop your analogies. You don't have to school me on who/what The Band is.  I hear a lot of influences. They are unique however. Something you dont hear very much anymore.  My #1

Hey there, newbie here from the UK... been listening pretty much constatntly since receiving my beeeeautiful white vinyl back in October.  Nice to hear some love on the forums for this LP, I feel it's kind of been overlooked over here.  There seemed to be a bit of momentum for DOTV after they supported Fleet Foxes back in '09 (my first BT exposure) and it'd be nice to see the same happen to AG, if not more so.

While I can see why some of the critics have mentioned the more "conventional" approach this time around, I absolutely agree with some other posters here that praise the cohesiveness.  For me this is the first BT album that truly hangs togtether as whole (even though every BT album is pretty awesome in its own way!).  Every song is a potential "hit", if that's not a dirty word!

Interesting to read your differing views on influences and "sound-a-likes".   The genre leaping from southern rock/country/mountain music/folk on AG really reminds me of one of my favourites, Stephen Stills' Manassas.  They make a great double-bill.  But it's still distinictly BT, and you can trace early rumblings of AG right back to their debut. 

Anyways, keep it up, AG is fricking awesome!