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.
Chinatown
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way the wind's talking to the sea
I heard that someone said it before, I don't care
I can't walk away, I can't walk away
In Chinatown
The wind and the rain
To your detriment, you try to explain
I can't walk away, at all
In Chinatown
You can't believe
Though I'm sure somebody's said it before
I know you and I know the score
I can't walk away, you can't walk away
I can't walk away, you can't walk away
I can't walk away, you can't walk away
I can't walk away, you can't walk away
I can't walk away
The song "Chinatown" by Destroyer is a poignant and enigmatic expression of the complexities of human emotions and relationships. The lyrics reveal a sense of confusion and uncertainty, as the singer grapples with the dynamics of his connection with another person, and the world which surrounds them both. At various points in the song, the wind and the sea are metaphorically presented as characters with agency, speaking to each other and to the listener, while the government is criticized for its seeming indifference to the chaos wrought by natural disasters. Throughout it all, the singer emphasizes his own inability to walk away from the situation at hand.
At its core, "Chinatown" seems to be exploring the theme of entanglement - the way in which we become bound up in our experiences, our emotions, and our relationships to others. The metaphor of the wind and the sea conveys a sense of inevitability, as though these two elemental forces are inextricably linked and cannot be separated. Similarly, the singer finds himself stuck in a situation with another person, unable to walk away despite the challenges that lie ahead. The repetition of the phrase "I can't walk away" underscores the magnitude of this dilemma, suggesting that the singer is not just physically stuck, but emotionally and psychologically trapped as well.
While "Chinatown" is open to multiple interpretations, one underlying message seems clear: the human experience is complex and messy, and we are all, to some extent, at the mercy of forces beyond our control. Through its vivid imagery and poetic language, the song encourages us to embrace this truth and find meaning in our struggles, even when the solution seems elusive.
Line by Line Meaning
You can't believe
The singer is addressing an unidentified listener who is having difficulty accepting the reality of their situation.
The way the wind's talking to the sea
The natural world seems to be communicating something, though it is unclear what that might be.
I heard that someone said it before, I don't care
The singer is dismissive of any prior discussions or opinions about the strange happenings in Chinatown. They believe it is more important to focus on the present moment.
I can't walk away, I can't walk away
The artist is unable to leave Chinatown, either physically or emotionally.
In Chinatown
This phrase serves as a refrain, emphasizing that the events and feelings described in the song are all happening in the same location.
The wind and the rain
The singer is highlighting the chaotic weather conditions, which seem to mirror the instability of Chinatown itself.
To your detriment, you try to explain
The listener is attempting to rationalize or understand the bizarre events, but this is only causing them harm or making things worse.
A government swallowed up in the squall
The circumstances in Chinatown are so chaotic and unpredictable that even the government or those in positions of authority have been overwhelmed.
I can't walk away, at all
The artist repeats that they cannot leave Chinatown, emphasizing how trapped they feel.
Though I'm sure somebody's said it before
The artist acknowledges the potential redundancy of their words, but still feels the need to express themselves.
I know you and I know the score
The singer believes they have a deep understanding of the listener and the situation in Chinatown, implying a level of empathy or shared experience.
I can't walk away, you can't walk away
The repetition of this line underscores the mutual feeling of being unable to leave Chinatown.
I can't walk away, you can't walk away
See above.
I can't walk away, you can't walk away
See above.
I can't walk away, you can't walk away
See above.
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Daniel Bejar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind