1996–2001
We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, Destroyer's 1996 debut, is made up of sixteen lo-fi home-recordings. One reviewer suggested that the album combines Bejar's "gift for melodies" with “a concerted effort to make the recording downright inconsumable; the guitars are always out of tune, and the vocals of Fisher-Price quality. 'Static means punk / tuning is junk,' Bejar moans on one track.” [5] (Ideas for Songs, released on cassette in 1997, features songs akin to those on his first album. The cassette stemmed from a request to contribute songs for a compilation album.[6])
As Bejar gained popularity in Vancouver's music scene, he was joined by producer John Collins for 1998's City of Daughters, which was recorded at a proper studio. Pitchfork noted that the songs still sounded "homespun," also noting "[t]he wordiness that would become something of a trademark is in full effect," but that "unlike much of what came later, not every line is worthy of examination."[7]
Thief (2000) embodied "Bejar's first stab at matching his grandiose, idiosyncratic vision to a showier sound;" it was the first to feature a backing band on every track.[8] The record's "anthemic yet understated"[9] piano-driven ballads have characteristically enigmatic lyrics, though some reviewers interpreted them as critiques of the music industry.[10][11]
Streethawk: A Seduction (2001) realized the sonic refinement started with City of Daughters. Bejar put it this way: "I don't think it gives credence to any kind of conceptualization of the records, but I hope that City of Daughters, Thief, and Streethawk will pop into some kind of a progression that ends with Streethawk.“ [12] A critical success, the album (retrospectively) received a rating of 9.1/10 from Pitchfork.[7]
2002–2007
The 2002 rock album This Night was a dramatic change in style. The looser, less rehearsed style was criticized as "messy [and] haphazard without purpose,"[13] though other critics praised the "beautiful mess of sounds" as "challenging... [and] a powerful, cohesive whole."[11] In a 2006 interview (after the release of Your Blues and Destroyer's Rubies), Bejar said the album "came together pretty quickly - we probably could have used more than four or five days to mix the whole thing, but that's all hindsight. It's still my favorite Destroyer record."[12]
Your Blues (2004) saw Destroyer take another unexpected turn, using MIDI instrumentation for almost all the backing music. Bejar coined the term "European blues" to describe its unique, theatrical sound.[14] One reviewer pointed out that "Bejar’s unusual voice sounds more confident, and higher up" in the synth-rich arrangements.[15] In yet another twist, the EP Notorious Lightning & Other Works reworked six tracks from the record with a live band, the very thing the LP had forsaken (the band was Frog Eyes, who toured with Destroyer in support of Your Blues).
Bejar returned with a live band for 2006's Destroyer's Rubies, delivering arguably his most confident record up to that point. The backing band took new-found prominence and, according to Bejar, "[t]he production seems... warm and lush and pretty focused on just making the band sound good and having everything sit well together."[12] NOW Magazine observed, "[w]hile the sheer density of Bejar’s writing can be overwhelming, Destroyer’s Rubies is, on a musical level, the most ’accessible’ disc he’s released."[16]
2008–2013
For Trouble in Dreams (2008), "there was a scary lack of ideas coming into the record," Bejar admitted.[17] Destroyer's piano player Ted Bois took it upon himself, as an alternative to keyboard and piano accompaniment, to create all string and synth arrangements for the songs.[17] At the time, Bejar said it was the "hardest record" to make.[17]
After the 2009 EP Bay of Pigs came 2011's full-length album, Kaputt (featuring a slightly modified "Bay of Pigs" track). Bejar cited influences such as Miles Davis and Roxy Music for his new jazz-infused, lounge music-inspired, sophisti-pop direction. In multiple interviews, Bejar variously stressed that he "sang in a completely different manner, almost unconscious of even singing, more like speaking into a vacuum, and was really happy with the results."[18][19] The record entailed a number of firsts for Destroyer: first national television performance (on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon); first official music video; first female backing vocals; and the first time Bejar performed without an instrument on tour - his concentration placed solely on his singing. Kaputt was short listed for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize [20] and was Pitchfork's second best album of 2011.[21]
Although smaller in scale, Destroyer's fourth EP "Five Spanish Songs" continued to surprise listeners. Sung entirely in Spanish, Bejar covered songs by Sr. Chinarro (es). Bejar's own tongue-in-cheek press release announcing the new songs began: "It was 2013. The English language seemed spent, despicable, not easily singable."[22]
2014–present
Bejar released Poison Season on August 28, 2015. Bejar notes that the album's sound grew from "just really getting into what we were sounding like playing live [following Kaputt]."[4] Bejar added that he would not have been able to make such an ambitious album if Kaputt had not been successful.[23] Recorded with a live band and a pronounced string section, the album's "grand cinematic set of songs"[23] feature Bejar singing with a broader range than before: "This is the first record that I've ever done that comes close to my idea of myself as a singer," Bejar said.[24]
In 2017, Bejar released ken.
3000 Flowers
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Daughters of the mother land
Like a ship
Lit up at sea
With scars where its talons used to be
Scars where its talons used to be
Scars where its talons used to be
And I moved in flourishes
I was a late bloomer
I moved in flourishes
Last man on the scene
Fresh face on a dying scene
One hundreth of a wet black bough
One hundreth of a wet black bough
One hundreth of a wet black bough
I was Clytemnestra on a good day
Dispensing wisdom to the uninitiated
The initiates brought out in tumbrels
Shat out by the dawn
Shat out by the dawn
Shat out by the dawn
And like a woman I was kept
As the wealthy American underground
Wept at the sight of Rhode Island sinking
Into the sea
And the sky
Still reigns
Supreme over the land
As the music lovers
Sat cross-legged in the sand
And in time and in space
And in other words in a band
Too much like churchgoers
And the sky
Still reigns
Supreme over the land
As the music lovers
Sat cross-legged in the sand
And in time and in space
And in other words in the band
Too much like destroyers of themselves
The lyrics to Destroyer's song "3000 Flowers" present a complex narrative that explores themes of power, identity, and decay. The opening lines describe a group of women who belong to an "inner circle" and are "daughters of the mother land." The imagery of a ship lit up at sea with scars where its talons used to be suggests both beauty and damage, highlighting the complex nature of these women's identities. The singer, in contrast, is introduced as a slow learner and late bloomer, who is just arriving on the scene.
The second stanza continues to develop these ideas of power and identity. The singer describes himself as Clytemnestra on a good day, referring to a powerful figure from Greek mythology who is known for her cunning and ability to manipulate others. However, the initiates who follow him are "shat out by the dawn," implying that his power is fleeting and ultimately leads to destruction.
The final stanza introduces a new set of imagery, as the wealthy American underground weeps at the sight of Rhode Island sinking into the sea. This line may symbolize the decay of traditional power structures and the rise of new ones. Meanwhile, "music lovers" sit cross-legged in the sand, suggesting a more inclusive and egalitarian community. However, even within this alternative space, the destructive tendencies of individuals and groups can still persist.
Overall, "3000 Flowers" presents a complex and often ambiguous perspective on power, identity, and decay. The singer moves between different identities and power structures, but ultimately seems to suggest that no one is truly in control and that destruction is an inherent part of human nature.
Line by Line Meaning
She was part of an inner circle
She was among the chosen few, those who were privileged to be part of a select group.
Daughters of the mother land
They were women who had a strong connection to their homeland.
Like a ship
She was strong and ready to set sail on life's journey.
Lit up at sea
She shone brightly, full of life and energy, even amidst the vastness of the sea.
With scars where its talons used to be
She had been hurt in the past, but had learned from those experiences and was now stronger for it.
I was a slow learner
I did not catch on as quickly as others.
And I moved in flourishes
I was not always graceful in my movements, but I tried my best.
I was a late bloomer
I did not come into my own until later in life.
Last man on the scene
I was late to arrive, the final person to show up.
Fresh face on a dying scene
I was new to a group of people who were losing their spark and enthusiasm.
One hundreth of a wet black bough
I was not significant, just a tiny part of a larger group or picture.
I was Clytemnestra on a good day
I was intelligent and powerful, like a legendary queen of ancient Greece.
Dispensing wisdom to the uninitiated
I shared my knowledge and experience with those who were still learning.
The initiates brought out in tumbrels
The newcomers were treated harshly, like prisoners being hauled off to their execution.
Shat out by the dawn
Their presence was no longer wanted, and they were left to fend for themselves.
And like a woman I was kept
I was held back and not allowed to fully participate, like a woman in a patriarchal society.
As the wealthy American underground
A group of rich and influential people who were not part of the mainstream culture.
Wept at the sight of Rhode Island sinking
They mourned the loss of something they valued, like a sinking ship or a disappearing way of life.
Into the sea
It was lost forever, swallowed by the vastness of the ocean.
And the sky
Nature and the natural world were still there, majestic and unchanging.
Still reigns
They remained in power, still in control of the earth below.
Supreme over the land
The sky was still the ultimate ruler, overseeing everything on the ground.
As the music lovers
A group of people who loved music.
Sat cross-legged in the sand
They gathered in a peaceful manner, sitting on the beach.
And in time and in space
They came together, united by their love of music, regardless of their differences in time and space.
And in other words in a band
They formed a community, like a musical group or tribe.
Too much like churchgoers
They became too focused on their own group, like a congregation at a church.
Too much like destroyers of themselves
Their insularity had a negative effect on them, causing them to turn against themselves and their own interests.
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Daniel Bejar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind