Bejar the Destroyer
Jennifer Tattersall
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Daniel Bejar: "European blues" got him down
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New Pornographer's synthetic side-project dabbles with things orchestral
The name "Destroyer" might remind you of "annihilator" or "exterminator," but neither even remotely suits the lush, art-pop soundscapes that Daniel Bejar and friends conjure up under that name on their newest record, Your Blues. Bejar is the only constant figure behind Destroyer, as well as a frequently absent member of Vancouver's New Pornographers (a busy schedule, he keeps telling them). He recently described Destroyer's music to XPress as "European blues.
"I guess it's sort of sad music that doesn't sound American," Bejar said. "And it has older sounding instruments, but also there's a kind of Euro-sounding production. I think that even though it's kind of lush, it's kind of really devastating."
That's not to say there's no edge to justify the Destroyer moniker - there is, but it often sails into uncharted territory.
"I think in a weird way it still sounds like a folk record, but with all the crazy stuff on top," Bejar said. "We kind of had all this strange sort of freedom just by working out of the box and directly into the computer. It gave us the luxury to mess around a lot and maybe do things we wouldn't normally be able to do.
"Maybe it's not a style that's big right now or that's hugely popular and I guess maybe people will find it questionable as far as ... how synthetic it might sound in places."
However you cut it, Your Blues is likely to induce the same otherworldly wonderment that David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust or Space Oddity did some 30 years
back. And by "synthetic" Bejar is simply referring to the group's MIDI sound module and keyboard that, alongside acoustic guitar and percussion, were the main source of musical output, contributing digitally to the orchestral vibe on the record. It's a departure from Bejar's This Night, a 2002 release with a straighter pop-rock approach, much like the songs he contributes to The New Pornographers.
"I just wanted to try something that was carefully composed because This Night was kind of like everyone rocking out and going into the studio and throwing something down. This one is pretty carefully arranged and edited and stuff like that."
It's good too, and stuff like that.
Destroyer w/ Frog Eyes and Pink Mountain Top play Babylon Nightclub, Friday, May 7 at 9 p.m. Tix $12 at the door.
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Destroyer is really an odd name for a band that's nowhere near what you think it is. This isn't some some sonic metal assault by a bunch of 80's rejects trying to capture the heavy metal dream, no, Destroyer is anything but that.
Dan Bejar and Destroyer's ability to sublimely level a venue with funky arrangements and breezy pregnant beats tell you that the only destroying going around is at your misconception expense. You really can't ask for better in a performer than nuanced talent and a willingness to be himself on stage instead of struttin' about like so many rock posers. This is the real deal.
I've seen 'em play and cripes, was it ever one bitchin' show.
Destroyer are good but they've got more of a cult following than a mainstream appeal going for them. AT THE MOMENT. That's going to change if they keep up this pace. Talent always rises to the top. All they need now is one solid crossover hit and a good publicity team.
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Pedro Eggers
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{7 votes}
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It's fascinating that Dan refers to his music as "sad" or "folk" - not because he's wrong, but because I thought I was the only one to hear that in him. Destroyer's long made messy warehouse masterpieces, but behind the network of crazed imagery and yowling guitars I always felt a poignancy. Bejar's voice - at the forefront, subservient to the lyrics - reminds me of blues and folk song, much more than conventional rock; there's more Janis Joplin (or Van Morrison) in Destroyer than there is Julian Casablancas.
Although "Your Blues" is initially alienating in its absolute synthesizedness, I've grown to appreciate (some of) the arrangements, the attention to detail. His lyrics are as brilliant as ever, the melodies and harmonies weave spectacularly together. I'm really looking forward to seeing him on stage with a band as spastic, wet and frenzied as Frog Eyes, however: it'll be the new Destroyer with a band that approaches the old.
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Sean Michaels
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{6 votes}
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you're wrong
you're not the only one to hear that in his music
it's very folk and sad
two of my favourite ingredients
heil to the THIEF!
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Edmundo Veloso
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