Blitzen Trapper, out of Portland, was featured in Rolling Stone recently, and I decided to take a listen. I'm glad I did. The band is signed to Sub Pop records and is hailed as the new face of the Oregon sound, along with Fleet Foxes. 2008's Furr is an eclectic mix of styles, to say the least, but there's an earthy element that ties it all together with a lot of acoustic guitar and folky harmonizing. "Not Your Lover" is a piano-and-harmonica ballad that could be an outtake from Neil Young's desperate 1975 album Tonight's the Night.

"Furr," the title track from the album, sounds like Rubber Soul-era Beatles or perhaps Simon and Garfunkel. That's a pretty good thing, by the way.

-- Andy