Blitzen Trapper, Louisa Stancioff

While Blitzen Trapper emerged from the larger Pacific Northwest indie folk boom in the early ’00s as one of the scene’s most critically acclaimed acts thanks to albums like 2008’s Furr and 2007’s Wild Mountain Nation, it totally makes sense that BT actually started as a much more psychedelic prog-y band. There’s always been a bit of trippy weirdness to the Portland group’s sound, and that’s again the case on the band’s new album, 100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions. There’s a spacey feel to the country-folk instrumentals on display as frontman Eric Earley delivers Buddhist-inspired existential lyrical meditations on transcendence across the album. While Blitzen Trapper may be wrestling with topics beyond human comprehension, the quality of the band’s live set remains a concept that is much easier to grasp.

Blitzen Trapper, Louisa Stancioff • Sat, July 13 at 9 pm • $25 • 21+ • The District Bar • 916 W. First Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com