Destroyer

Destroyer

Destroyer's Rubies

release date: 12 Feb 2007 // label: Acuarela




From the opening nine and a half minute epic Rubies, the soul bearing freedom of form sets the tone of Destroyers Rubies. The brainchild of Vancouver's Dan Bejar, Destroyer has been a concept since his solo home recordings of the mid 90's. More than ten years on, and his seventh Destroyer album, Bejar proves to be nothing if not a thoughtful, sensitive and gently dramatic composer. If you're new to his work, (either as Destroyer or as contributer to New Pornographers), and if the primary track doesn't make it clear enough, Your Blood, European Oils or the wistful eerie beauty of Painter In Your Pocket, should stamp the bag. If you like drama in your pop without unnecessary crash bang wallop, if you appreciate intelligence without pomposity, and are free from solid genre boundaries, you'll latch on to this in abundance. Looter's Follies breezes along in gentle Decemberists style and is the second of the lengthy epics, clocking in at seven and a half minutes, but feeling much less.


The album is awash with thin, beautiful melodies and delicate rhythms that wade through fragile beats against a tide of swooping pianos and haunting, skyward pop moments. A Dangerous Woman Up To A Point and Sick Priest Lasts Forever prove a Dylan influence, while the album reveals a field where the likes of Prefab Sprout, The High Llamas, Lloyd Cole and Engineers may happily play. One wonders if this could at last be the Dan Bejar breakthrough album. I kinda hope so.


Dan Bejar Vocals, guitars, tambourine
Ted Bois Piano, wurlitzer, organ
Nicolas Bragg Lead guitar, acoustic guitar
Tim Loewen Bass, guitars, vocals
Scott Morgan Drums, baritone sax
Fisher Rose Vibraphone, trumpet

Sound good mate liked his thief album from a few years back