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.
Here Comes the Night
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and now they're mentioning your name
in connection with a drowning when you're just saying
"Ah, let it come down"
So you stole that Schwinn
And rode right in to the winner's circle of the sun
Now Mile-End is claiming
You're one of them!"
But you won't
I couldn't turn around
I couldn't wrap my head around it
Best to forget that things change
Hanging outside in the rain is okay
I walked into the festival
Did these cacophonies please you?
Hey, they pleased me too
While we still had our sight, but don't look now, people
Here comes the night
Here comes the night
I heard those traps you've been living off of (and on) have come undone
I heard you only poach to save your children
Well save it
'Cause a real thief (thief, thief, thief, thief, thief) thieves
I couldn't turn around
Or phrase it as a question
'Cause when it comes to that prize a temple your size was too big
I walked into festival (I know, you know)
The festival of symphonies pleased you
They pleased me too
Back when we still had our sight
But don't look now, angel, here comes the night
Here comes the night
In Destroyer's song Here Comes the Night, the lyrics seem to describe a world falling apart as people find themselves in a situation they cannot control. The first lines suggest that someone is being blamed for a drowning despite protesting their innocence. This sets the tone for the rest of the song as the singer finds themselves in similar, uncontrollable situations. The line "So you stole that Schwinn and rode right in to the Winner's Circle of the Sun" feels like an escape from reality, a moment of triumph when everything has gone wrong. The following lines suggest that the singer's triumph is not accepted by those around him/her, and they are ridiculed for their actions.
The chorus, "here comes the Night," feels like a warning that things are about to get worse. The line "I heard those traps you've been living off of (and on) have come undone" suggests that someone who has been living a life of deceit and schemes is now facing the consequences. The lyrics "Well save it...cause a real thief (Thief! Thief! Thief! Thief! Thief!) thieves" almost feels like a warning, that the singer needs to be aware of the real dangers around them.
As the song progresses, the singer seems resigned to their situation. They cannot turn back, they cannot make sense of what's happening to them. Even the festivals they once enjoyed have lost their appeal. The last lines of the song, "back when we still had our sight, but don't look now, Angel, here comes the Night," feel like a final warning that the darkness is coming, and there is no avoiding it.
Line by Line Meaning
All the skies opened up
The world seems to have changed suddenly and dramatically
and now they're mentioning your name
People are talking about you and what you've done
in connection with a drowning when you're just saying -
You are being accused of something serious but you are denying it
"Ah, let it come down!"
You are indifferent to the accusations and willing to let the consequences come
So you stole that Schwinn
You committed a theft
and rode right in to the Winner's Circle of the Sun...
You feel like a winner despite your questionable actions
Now Mile-End is claiming -
People in a specific area are accusing you
"You're one of those! Take off those clothes!
They are calling you out for being different and want you to conform to their expectations
You're one of them!"...
They are labeling you as part of a group they don't like
But you won't...
You refuse to change yourself to fit in with their ideals
I couldn't turn around.
You faced a difficult situation and were unsure of how to proceed
I couldn't wrap my head around it...
You were confused and unable to understand the situation
Best to forget that things change,
It's better to accept that change happens and move on
hanging outside in the rain is OK...
It's okay to be uncomfortable and unhappy for a little while
I walked into the festival.
You moved on and decided to enjoy yourself despite the accusations and negative attention
Did these cacophonies please you?
You enjoyed the festival noise and activity despite its chaos
Hey, they pleased me too...
You enjoyed the festival as well
while we still had our sight, but don't look now, people,
We enjoyed the world while we were ignorant of certain things, but now we know better
here comes the Night...
Difficulties are ahead, things are going to get worse
I heard those traps you've been living off of (and on) have come undone...
You have been relying on something that is no longer dependable
I heard you only poach to save your children...
You have done something wrong but with good intentions
Well save it...
But it's still wrong and you can't excuse it
cause a real thief (Thief! Thief! Thief! Thief! Thief!) thieves...
A person who steals cannot justify their actions with good intentions
or phrase it as a question...
You can't deny what you've done
'cause when it comes to that prize a temple your size was too big...
You aimed too high for something that was not meant for you to have
I walked into Festival... (I know you know)
You are repeating yourself, reminding people that you are still enjoying yourself despite the accusations
The Festival of Symphonies pleased you...
You enjoyed the music despite the chaos
They pleased me too...
You still enjoyed the festival
back when we still had our sight,
When we did not know the truth about something
but don't look now, Angel, here comes the Night...
The difficult times are coming and it's best to be prepared
Here comes the Night...
Things are about to get worse
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Daniel Bejar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind