Blitzen Trapper

The title track of Blitzen Trapper's Destroyers of the Void is singlehandedly more ambitious than most entire albums. In one fell swoop, the Portland, Oregon, sextet neatly crams the thunderous thrashings of Jimmy Page, the mystical synths of Yes and lyrical nods to the "wayward sons" carried on by Kansas into a "Bohemian Rhapsody"-shaped box. Easily Blitzen Trapper's six-minute mission statement, the track displays familiar classic-rock touchstones — albeit ones that aren't obscure or falling victim to Guitar Hero's revivalist fetishism. Think the Shins' Chutes Too Narrow album drenched in butter, breaded with the debris of Skynyrd's infamous plane crash and deep-fried in whiskey stolen from Neil Young's dressing room. Blitzen Trapper's odd taste is expected, while its effortless accessibility is a surprise.