Destroyer is a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia fronted … Read Full Bio ↴Destroyer is a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar and formed in 1995. Destroyer songs are characterized by abstract, poetic lyrics and idiosyncratic vocals. The band's discography draws on a variety of musical influences, resulting in albums that can sound markedly distinct from one another; in Bejar's words, "That's kind of my goal: to start from scratch every time."

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.

European Oils
Destroyer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I made a tomb for all the incompatible cells I could take
I brought bells to the wake
And you, you didn't mind shedding your beautiful European blood as I screamed
"Death to the murderers we've loved all our lives"

I was good with names
I had a way with faces
I was the dominant theme in a number of places

And you, you didn't mind mixing your beautiful European oils for a still life
Oh Candice, we should've run for our lives!

When I'm at war I insist on slaughter and getting it on with
The hangman's daughter
She needs release
She needs to feel at peace with her father, the fucking maniac

Desperate times call for desperate measures

I wanted you
I wanted these treasures too

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song European Oils by Destroyer express a sense of desperation and a longing for control in a world that feels chaotic and difficult to navigate. The first verse begins with the singer describing the creation of a tomb for incompatible cells, suggesting a sort of death or sacrifice of certain aspects of oneself in order to move forward. The imagery of bells at a wake adds to this sense of mourning or letting go, while the line "Death to the murderers we've loved all our lives" suggests a disillusionment with figures or institutions that were once held in high regard. The second verse shifts to personal relationships, as the singer describes his ability to remember names and faces and his dominance in certain social situations. However, this confidence seems to come at a cost, as the line "you didn't mind mixing your beautiful European oils for a still life" suggests a willingness to be used or manipulated by others. The refrain of "we should've run for our lives" reinforces a sense of regret and a desire to escape the toxicity of the singer's circumstances.

The final verse takes a more explicitly violent turn, as the singer describes a desire for slaughter and sexual release with the "hangman's daughter". This character is portrayed as needing release and peace with her father, who is described as a "maniac". The lines "desperate times call for desperate measures / I wanted you / I wanted these treasures too" suggest that these violent urges emerge out of a place of desperation, and perhaps a desire for control or power in a world that feels chaotic and unpredictable. Overall, the song European Oils by Destroyer explores themes of sacrifice, manipulation, and violence in a world that feels out of control.

Line by Line Meaning

I made a tomb for all the incompatible cells I could take
I created a resting place for the parts of me that could not work together

I brought bells to the wake
I commemorated the end of something with solemnity

And you, you didn't mind shedding your beautiful European blood as I screamed "Death to the murderers we've loved all our lives"
You were not afraid to show your passion even in the face of violence and chaos

I was good with names
I had the ability to remember and recall people's names easily

I had a way with faces
I was able to recognize and remember people's faces easily

I was the dominant theme in a number of places
I was influential and well-known in certain circles

And you, you didn't mind mixing your beautiful European oils for a still life
You were willing to contribute your artistry to a greater vision

Oh Candice, we should've run for our lives!
We should have escaped the situation before it got worse

When I'm at war I insist on slaughter and getting it on with
During conflicts, I believe in taking aggressive action and pursuing pleasure

The hangman's daughter
A woman with a tragic relationship to death and punishment

She needs release
She is seeking a way to free herself from her pain

She needs to feel at peace with her father, the fucking maniac
In order to find closure, she must come to terms with the actions of her father

Desperate times call for desperate measures
In times of need, extreme actions may be necessary

I wanted you
I desired your companionship and support

I wanted these treasures too
I sought after valuable assets that I believed could bring happiness