Search - Destroyer :: This Night

Junkmedia Review - Excellent!

junkmedia | Los Angeles, CA | 02/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Destroyer may sound like it's a Trent Reznor side-project or the Kiss cover band that invades your local watering hole once a month, but let me assure you that it isn't anything of the sort. Instead, it is the nom de plume of enigmatic Canadian singer/songwriter Daniel Bejar, who has been quietly raising brows and engaging Vancouverites with his oddly constructed songs full of cryptic poetics for nearly six years. Unfortunately, I didn't become aware of his talents until stumbling upon his fourth album, last year's brilliant Streethawk: A Seduction, which fused a glammy T. Rex/Bowie boogie with Crooked Rain-era Pavement pop. Even though it was released on the small indie label, Misra Records, it attracted quite a lot of attention and landed on a handful of year-end lists. About the same time that Streethawk was released, Bejar also found himself critically and commercially lauded as one of the main songwriters for the Canadian pop juggernaut, The New Pornographers. As their album, Mass Romantic, took flight, Bejar decided to ground himself and slowly back away from the band before this "side-project" swallowed Destroyer whole. He moved out of Vancouver and set off on a trek across Europe before settling back down in Montreal with a new cast of musicians to record his fifth album-and first for Merge Records-This Night. From the beginning, it's clear that This Night is a different animal than Streethawk. On This Night, Bejar has transcended all of his influences and folded them into his own unique style. The Bowie vocal stylings are much less pronounced, and the crisp, punchy pop production of the previous album gives way to a sprawling, garage-y haze of layered guitars, organs and tinkling piano. The songs are stretched out like a double helix; subtly spiraling and revealing something new on every listen. Because of this, the album is initially a bit overwhelming or difficult to grasp. This Night is clearly not interested in exposing all of its secrets in the first handful of listens. However, those who stick around will find a rich album that is complex in structure and subtle in sound. Hell, one could spend a couple hours just discussing the variety of tones that Bejar and lead guitarist, Nicholas Bragg, tease out of their instruments with an EBow. Like all great records, this one just gets better and better. It's tough to pick out highlights when they change with every listen. Currently, the classical guitar and hand claps on "The Chosen Few" are treating me fine. But the melodica and clanging guitars in "Here Comes The Night" are pleasing, too. The jazzy pop of "Students Carve Hearts Out Of Coal" has a laid back, meandering vibe that will definitely appeal to Sea and Cake fans, while "Makin' Angels" redecorates Luna's Penthouse with backward guitar and piano. "Crystal Country" could be my favorite, with its sun-kissed guitars, blissful xylophone and honied backing vocals straight out of the '60s. "Goddess of Drought" is the best song Robert Pollard never wrote. Less accomplished musicians wouldn't be able to hold such a seemingly disparate set of songs together, but Bejar is able to pull it off. Bejar's love of language is the one constant that runs through it all. He crafts lyrics with equal parts allusion and elusion, further solidifying the notion that he is capable of breathing the actual air of those elliptical souls, Stephen Malkmus and David Berman of the Silver Jews. Take the understated refrain in "Crystal Country": "She said / you'll always be alone / and she was right there." Bejar's dexterous wordplay is sure to send the lyric aficionados into paroxysms of pleasure, yet he isn't above poking fun at those of us who sit around, "deciphering what it means when the band goes-DooRah DooRah DooRah DooRah!!" Thank God he printed the lyrics in the sleeve this time! Okay, I'm gushing. This album has been in my CD player for nearly four weeks though, and it shows no signs of leaving anytime soon. So, if you are a patient person looking for an album with a longer shelf life than the standard fare these days, This Night will not disappoint. It's unclear whether Bejar's eclectic sounds and knowing verbosity will ever allow him to be a star, but he's a shoo-in for cult figure status. Thirty years from now Sundazed is bound to meticulously reissue his entire catalogue and proclaim this inventive songwriter an overlooked genius. Which only begs the question, will you wait till then to verify it?...Barin McGrath
Junkmedia Review"

It Will Grow on You

Alex | North Carolina, USA | 03/02/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard something from this album when I downloaded "Hey, Snow White". When it finished I couldn't believe a song 8 minutes long and with only the words "Hey snow White, its gonna be alright, but can you win some? When the company goes public you've got to learn to love what you own." It had kept my complete attention despite me being confused beyond reason on why Snow White would have a buisness going public.
I promptly knew I had to get this album. I got it as a Valentine's present and put it on as soon as I received it. My girlfriend muttered complaints that she should have kept it, and I wouldn't have blamed her. The songs were all amazing and the lyrics sounded like they were from the poetry book of an eccentric hermit. I do admit that some songs were not all that appealing to begin with, for example "The Chosen Few". Then, when I listened to it enough, it became my favorite song on the album.
Although the songs are not always super-catchy in every place, or always following a central rhythm, all of them have at least one line that draws you in, one line that will be stuck in your mind because of it's complete senselessness that seems deep and heartfelt. Really that is the beauty of this record. Bejar can sing words that mean nothing at all to you, yet he makes you believe you know what he means. I will complete this with my favorite line on the album.I know you've been waiting ages for your pardon
But the governors wasted in the garden
Clawing his eyes out, he's insane"

Destroys popular music

Get Over It | The West | 02/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am not a fan of New Pornographers and this album is nothing like any NP album I've heard, but This Night is honestly one of the finest albums I've ever heard. All I can say about this album is that it is simply brillant. The way I see it, either you will love this album or you will hate it. There is no in-between because it doesn't give you a choice. Full of stange melodies and lyrics. Outstanding percussion and wonderfully raw guitar licks placed in the strangest of places. Yet it all makes perfect sense. Best of all is Bejar's unique voice and quarky delivery. Like anything, it's all up to personal taste, but if you like this album it is one of those that will make you remember a place in time. Burn it, buy it, try it."