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.
Dream Lover
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone's idea of fun
You and me thought in some city
Lovers on the run, lovers on the run
Haunted starlight gets in your eyes
Grabs hold of us and turns us around
All the signs say you're in for a surprise
All the signs are saying this way
You're sick in bed
You're sick in the head
You'd love a dog to play dead
You'd love a dog to play dead
I think I used to be more fun
Ah shit, here comes the sun
Oh shit, here comes the sun
Look, here comes that sun
And now, here comes that sun
And lovers on the run
And lovers on the run
And lovers on the run
Dream lover, I know
Dream lover, I know
The lyrics to Destroyer's song Dream Lover are a reflection on a dysfunctional relationship. It appears that the singer is aware that their partner, the dream lover, is not good for them but still finds it hard to let go of the relationship. The opening lines of the song suggest that the dream lover is someone's idea of fun, implying that they may not be genuinely interested in the singer, but rather only using them for their own enjoyment. The next lines describe the two lovers on the run, which could imply that they are running away from something, possibly from their own emotions or from responsibilities they don't want to face.
The chorus of the song seems to be referencing a moment of clarity, where the haunted starlight gets in your eyes, turning things around. The signs pointing to town could signify a realization that things need to change. The following lines describing being sick in bed and in the head could suggest that despite the signs, the dream lover is unable to move on and is stuck in a state of emotional turmoil. The final lines that repeat "Dream lover, I know" could be the singer's way of acknowledging that they know this relationship is not healthy for them, but they still can't help but hold onto it.
Line by Line Meaning
Dream lover, I know
Acknowledging the idea of a dream lover
Someone's idea of fun
Recognizing that someone has created this dream lover for their own enjoyment
You and me thought in some city
Imagining a love story between two people who meet in a city
Lovers on the run, lovers on the run
Describing a couple who are running away together
Haunted starlight gets in your eyes
Feeling the hypnotic effect of starlight in your eyes
Grabs hold of us and turns us around
Feeling like starlight has taken control of our movements
All the signs say you're in for a surprise
Feeling like destiny is leading you towards a surprise
All the signs are saying this way to town
Feeling like fate is guiding you towards a certain place
You're sick in bed
Feeling under the weather
You're sick in the head
Feeling mentally unwell
You'd love a dog to play dead
Craving for attention, even if it means faking a tragedy
You'd love a dog to play dead
Craving for attention, even if it means faking a tragedy
I think I used to be more fun
Realizing that you have lost some of your vibrancy and liveliness
Ah shit, here comes the sun
Feeling overwhelmed by the sudden arrival of daylight
Oh shit, here comes the sun
Feeling overwhelmed by the sudden arrival of daylight
Look, here comes that sun
Noticing the arrival of daylight
And now, here comes that sun
Feeling like the daylight is approaching quickly
And lovers on the run
Reminding everyone of the couple that is still running away
And lovers on the run
Reminding everyone of the couple that is still running away
And lovers on the run
Reminding everyone of the couple that is still running away
Dream lover, I know
Repeating the familiar phrase to emphasize the fantasy nature of the song
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Dan Bejar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind