The first major release from Ryan Star since 2006 features most of the songs from last year's "Last Train Home EP". "11:59" is hard to define within the rock genre. There are tracks on this record that can be called soft rock, there's a lot of acoustic guitar used throughout, but there are some songs that are a little harder. This album is about small wonders, love, loss, beauty, hope, mistakes, and redemption. The opening track "Brand New Day" kind of sets a smooth pace for the 9 tracks to follow. It really is a pleasantly placed first selection. Ryan Star's versatile vocals suit the changing pace of the album from track to track. There is a soft and brooding quality to his voice at times, but he can also belt it out on ballads like "Breathe" and "Losing Your Memory". The singer, now in his early 30's, sings from a seasoned perspective. The experiences that he draws upon lyrically are brought to somehow have a romance about them, even memories one might view as being unpleasant. Star's music is artistic in that sense; it can take love or pain, triumph or tragedy, and give it that ambient beauty.

RedletterDaydream

Past Works:
Dark Horse - A Live Collection
Songs from the Eye of an Elephant

Track:
Brand New Day

There is something modest and genuine about Blitzen Trapper's soft, folky sound. The stories told on "Destroyer of the Void" are layed down in a style reminiscent of Bob Dylan (acoustic Bob Dylan, even though they use electric guitar at times), in fact there is a strong Dylan influence on this and other works by the band. A picture is painted for the listener through metaphors and periodically, clever limerick style rhyming. The album addresses themes of love, hate, death, godlessness, murder, and truth. This album is cool, in a way that's much easier recognized than described. The album is artsy. It's more poetry set to music than it is lyrics. On the track, "The Man Who Would Speak the Truth", we find the lyrics, "...so I opened my mouth like a dragon's breath. I only spoke truth, but it only brought death and I laid those boys to rest...for the truth, in truth is a terrible jest". There is a deep symbolism in many of their lyrics. The symbolism is specific enough that it is perceivable, yet still vague enough that it is open to the listener's unique interpretation. They say that a great painting is one that you can look at, and each time you do you will see something different. I feel that the latest album from Blitzen Trapper is one that can be listened to repeatedly, and the listener will continue to experience it in different ways. This record is complex and satisfying.

RedletterDaydream

Previous Works:
Furr
Wild Mountain Nation
Field Rexx
Blitzen Trapper (self-titled)

Track:
The Man Who Would Speak True