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.
Crystal Country
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
where refugees flee like I fly...
into forests of your eyes...
Hey, I saw full-on Night there...
She said - "You'll always be alone,"
and she was right, there...
She said you'll always be alone,
and she was right there rummaging through the eastern townships...
Somewhere an olive branch is being planted
in honor of a dancers body and, granted,
you could take This as a sign that there is life outside the mine,
and maybe things are looking up but, Buttercup,
the form insists on rupture and therefore we break...
Ok?
So This is Crystal Country,
and, like refugees flee I fly...
into the forests of your eyes...
Hey, I saw full-on Night there...
She said - "You'll always be alone,"
and she was right, there...
She said you'll always be alone,
and she was right there rummaging through the western townships...
where they're staging a play called Comeback...
The only line is - "Don't go..."
Somewhere an olive branch is being planted
in honor of a dancers body and, granted,
I know things have never looked This good but -
somehow - indulge your life at sea for now...
Cause when a breeze is blowing,
it's just Crystal Country showing us
that everything must break to be beautiful
and, honey, that's what I meant when I called and said -
"This is fucked"...
The song "Crystal Country" by Destroyer is a reflection on life and its many complexities. The singer describes Crystal Country as a place where refugees flee, much like he attempts to flee into the forests of the eyes of his beloved. However, full-on Night, a symbol of darkness and despair, taunts and reminds him that he will always be alone.
The song speaks of the inevitability of life's challenges and that despite attempts to escape them, they must be faced head-on. This is reflected in the line "everything must break to be beautiful." The singer acknowledges that the world is a complicated place and that even though things may be looking up, struggles will always persist.
The song ends on a note of resignation, but also a call to continue living despite the challenges presented. The singer encourages us to indulge in the beauty of life at sea, despite its instability, as it is better than being stuck in a mine. Ultimately, the message of the song is that life is complex and fraught with challenges, but it is important to persevere and find beauty in the breakdowns.
Line by Line Meaning
So This is Crystal Country,
The singer is introducing the setting of the song, Crystal Country, and is comparing it to a place where refugees flee.
where refugees flee like I fly...
The singer is suggesting that they are fleeing from something or somewhere, just like refugees.
into forests of your eyes...
The singer is entering the eyes of someone and is lost in thought.
Hey, I saw full-on Night there...
The artist is addressing someone named Night and is acknowledging their presence.
She said - "You'll always be alone,"
Night says that the artist will always be alone.
and she was right, there...
The singer confirms that Night was right about their loneliness and is now in a different location.
She said you'll always be alone,
Night is repeating herself to further emphasize the singer's loneliness.
and she was right there rummaging through the eastern townships...
Night is now in the eastern townships and is searching through something.
Just wait, here comes the comeback you've always hated...
The artist is anticipating something that they have disliked in the past, but that is making a comeback.
Somewhere an olive branch is being planted
There is an olive branch somewhere being planted.
in honor of a dancers body and, granted,
The olive branch is being planted as a tribute to a dancer's body.
you could take This as a sign that there is life outside the mine,
The olive branch could symbolize that there is more to life than just working in a mine.
and maybe things are looking up but, Buttercup,
Things might be improving, but there are still reservations.
the form insists on rupture and therefore we break...
The form of something requires it to break apart, which is happening.
Ok?
The singer is confirming if everything is understood and okay.
where they're staging a play called Comeback...
The play Comeback is being staged in the western townships.
The only line is - "Don't go..."
The only line in the play is "Don't go..."
I know things have never looked This good but -
Things seem to be going well, but the singer has doubts.
somehow - indulge your life at sea for now...
Despite doubts, the singer advises the listener to enjoy their current life.
Cause when a breeze is blowing,
The artist introduces a new idea, where a breeze is blowing.
it's just Crystal Country showing us
The wind is revealing something about Crystal Country.
that everything must break to be beautiful
Breaking something can lead to a beautiful outcome.
and, honey, that's what I meant when I called and said -
The singer previously called someone named "honey" and is now explaining their message.
"This is fucked"...
The situation is not ideal and is frustrating for the artist.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind