Though it may seem like Portland's Blitzen Trapper is a recent addition to your "Bands I Need to Hear" list, the folk-rock sextet has been kicking around for almost a decade. But wasn't until last year that the band started to grab some serious attention with its sublimely melodic, campfire-vibe fourth album 'Furr.' If you're just joining the growing camp of Trapper faithful, you may have to wait awhile to see the band live -- singer and songwriter Eric Earley tells Spinner that his band would be taking a hiatus for at least six months starting in November.

But don't fret -- Blitzen Trapper will be staying off the road both to relax and, more excitingly, to record its as-of-yet untitled fifth album. "We've been touring a lot, so we're gonna take a break and start recording," Earley says. "I've been writing a lot all year and recording since January. Three or four songs are already done."

In the scheme of creating a Blitzen Trapper record, though, three or four songs are just the tip of the iceberg. "I usually record a whole lot of songs for each record. We recorded over 30 songs for 'Furr,'" says Earley.

Earley has certainly got his work cut out for him. 'Furr,' which received near ubiquitous acclaim, was filled with variety, from driving country-rockers ('Sleepytime in the Western World') to folky story songs ('Furr') and sunny piano pop ('Saturday Nite'). "There's no real formula to our songs," Earley says. "The melodies are important, of course, but also in the way they interact with the lyrics and the actual subject matter."

Still, it seems, Blitzen Trapper's music is tied together by its timeless sound. 'Furr' could've been released in 1968 or 2008, and as Earley sees it, his band is just part of a long, ever-evolving rock tradition.

"All rock music harkens back to something that came before it. Sure, there's modern music that's technically produced using electronic instruments, and in the past we've seen that as the future of music," Earley says. "For me, though, it's more about the song itself, not the era that it fits into. People will always buy music on its own merit-people buy a record if they really feel it."

Blitzen Trapper Dates
on TourTracker.com