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.
Helena
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The stars say don't pick a fight or barge things around
See, apparently our bloodlines are botched beyond redemption
Luckily, you don't believe in redemption
This may work in your favor, I'm told
So throw the old furniture in the fire
As the children go barbaric behind the wire
It's a drag the way your flag had to come down
With one of the above Americas so ferociously in bloom
But pistols at dawn can only work for so long
Curved appetites took flight when you decided to call the song
"A Pacific-Northwest Bitch Gets Shown To Her Room"
So throw the old furniture in the fire
As the children go barbaric behind the wire
They're just children
And this one goes out, just like the one before
To the 17th version of How I Won the War
Oh, first Destroyer! And, oh, now the Underground!
Helena, the ramifications are very large tonight
The stars say don't pick a fight or barge things around
Just throw the old furniture in the fire
As the children go barbaric behind the wire
They're just children
They're just children
They're just children
They're just children
the old furniture in the fire and let the children play.
In "Helena" by Destroyer, the lyrics are cryptic and open to interpretation. The song paints a picture of chaos and destruction, but it's unclear what exactly has caused it. The singer, Helena, is urged to throw her old furniture in the fire while children play barbarically behind a wire. The song hints at a larger issue with the bloodline of the characters, making redemption seem impossible. Despite this, Helena is encouraged that her lack of belief in redemption may work in her favor.
The latter half of the song seems to reference a conflict between a Pacific-Northwest woman and perhaps an enemy of some sort. The line "pistols at dawn can only work for so long" suggests that violence is not a sustainable solution to the problem. Finally, the song ends with a reference to "the 17th version of How I Won The War," which is unclear in meaning but could refer to the futility of conflict and the cyclical nature of war.
Line by Line Meaning
Helena, the ramifications are very large tonight.
There are significant consequences to the events happening tonight, Helena.
The stars say don't pick A fight or barge things around.
It is not a good time to cause trouble or act aggressively, according to the astrological signs.
See, apparently our bloodline is botched beyond redemption. Luckily, you Don't believe in redemption. (This may work in your favor, I'm told.)
Our ancestry is irrevocably flawed, but fortunately you do not put faith in redemption, which could benefit you.
So throw the old furniture in the fire as the children go barbaric behind The wire. They're just children.
Let the kids act out and destroy the old furniture - they're just being kids.
It's a drag the way your flag had to come down, with one of the above Americas so Ferociously in bloom.
It's unfortunate that your ideals and views have been challenged by the current state of America.
But pistols at dawn can only work for so long.
Fighting can only last for a limited time before it needs to stop.
Curved appetites took flight when you decided to call the song â??A Pacific-Northwest bitch gets shown to her room.â??
When you wrote a song with a controversial title like 'A Pacific-Northwest bitch gets shown to her room,' it sparked curiosity and interest.
And this one goes out, just like the one before, to the 17th version of How I Won The War.
This song is dedicated to the 17th version of a specific work titled 'How I Won The War,' much like the previous song.
Oh, first Destroyer! And, oh, now the Underground!
At first, our band Destroyer was the focus, but now we're part of the larger underground music scene.
Helena, the ramifications are very large tonight
Once again, there are major consequences to what's happening tonight, Helena.
The stars say don't pick a fight or barge things around.
As previously stated, the stars are warning against starting conflict or being aggressive.
Just throw the old furniture in the fire as the children go barbaric behind The wire. They're just children.
We should let the kids act out and destroy the furniture - they're young and need to express themselves somehow.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Daniel Bejar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind