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.
It's Gonna Take an Airplane
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To get me off the ground
I don't blame anyone who isn't sticking around
Cause when you stick around (when you stick around)
People like to put things in the ground
Now, in my
Evil empire I
Am going to be a star in the night sky
Yes, I guess so
At least something to make it from
Dressed like a dream dreamt by Lola magazine
Baby you were born to be seen
And art's just the start!
Now step inside the Widowmaker
And listen to your heart!
Always "the play," never "the thing"
Submarines don't mind spending their time in the ocean
The first verse of the song It's Gonna Take an Airplane by Destroyer talks about how the singer feels stuck and unable to get off the ground in his life. He acknowledges that people are leaving him behind, but he doesn't blame them for it. He then talks about his ambition to become a star in the night sky, even if he has to create an evil empire to do so, and wonders whether what he feels is love or something else.
The second verse of the song talks about the person the singer is addressing, who is described as being born to be seen and dressed like a dream from a magazine. Art is mentioned as just the beginning, encouraging the person to step inside the Widowmaker and listen to their heart. The line "Always 'the play,' never 'the thing'" could refer to the person being more interested in the idea of something rather than the actual thing itself.
The overall meaning of the song is subjective, but it could be interpreted as the struggle to find oneself and one's place in the world. The image of needing an airplane to get off the ground suggests feeling trapped or stuck in a certain situation, and the idea of creating an evil empire could represent the desire to assert one's power and control over their surroundings. The mention of love and the importance of listening to one's heart could indicate the importance of finding meaning and purpose in life.
Line by Line Meaning
It's gonna take an airplane
I need something big to bring me back to reality.
To get me off the ground
I'm in a deep hole that I can't get out of on my own.
I don't blame anyone who isn't sticking around
I understand if people can't handle what I'm going through.
Cause when you stick around (when you stick around)
Things get complicated and messy.
People like to put things in the ground
People are always trying to bury their problems.
Now, in my Evil empire I
I'm in a dark place and it's hard to see the light.
Am going to be a star in the night sky
I'm looking for a way out and some hope in the darkness.
Above, "so you think this is love?"
I'm questioning everything, including my relationships.
Yes, I guess so
I'm not sure, but it feels real.
At least something to make it from
I need something to build on, to make things better.
Dressed like a dream dreamt by Lola magazine
I'm putting on a facade of beauty and perfection.
Baby you were born to be seen
I want attention, even if it's not always positive.
And art's just the start!
There's more to me than what meets the eye.
Now step inside the Widowmaker
I'm taking a risk, going somewhere dangerous.
And listen to your heart!
I'm asking myself to be true to my own feelings.
Always "the play," never "the thing"
I'm always putting on a performance, and never being genuine.
Submarines don't mind spending their time in the ocean
Sometimes it's easier to hide away and not deal with the problems of the world.
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Daniel Bejar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind