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.
Libby's First Sunrise
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've been wasted from the day
Of wandering and boozing and sleeping outside.
Now the light holds a terrible secret and now you know, oh,
That this is what you get.
You've been wandering around.
You've been fucking around.
You've been fucking around...uh.
Libby's first sunrise.
You've been wasted from the day
Of wandering and boozing and sleeping outside.
Playing the idiot all of your life and this is what you get.
Master of all you survey,
But today you've been wandering around.
You've been fucking around.
You've been wandering around.
You've been fucking around...uh.
Libby's first sunrise.
You've been wasted from the day, and now you know, oh.
Suffering idiots all of your life and this is what you get.
Now the light holds a terrible secret.
The light holds a terrible secret.
The light holds a terrible secret.
The light holds a terrible secret. Oh, the light!
Oh, the light!
The song 'Libby's First Sunrise' by Destroyer talks about the realization of an individual named Libby, who has been wandering aimlessly and indulging in alcohol for her entire life. The first sunrise that she experiences holds a terrible secret - perhaps representing the harsh reality of her life - and this realization hits her. The lyrics "You've been wasted from the day, of wandering and boozing and sleeping outside. Now the light holds a terrible secret and now you know, oh, that this is what you get" focuses on this realization - that this is what she gets for wasting her life and not making anything out of it.
The repetition of the lines "You've been wandering around. You've been fucking around" further emphasizes the aimlessness of her life. The line "Playing the idiot all of your life and this is what you get" also highlights the consequences of not taking charge of one's life. The chorus, "Libby's first sunrise. You've been wasted from the day of wandering and boozing and sleeping outside" repeats throughout the song, suggesting that this is a pivotal moment in her life, perhaps signifying a new beginning where she decides to turn her life around.
Line by Line Meaning
Libby's first sunrise.
Being present to experience the dawn for the first time in their life.
You've been wasted from the day
Of wandering and boozing and sleeping outside.
Living a life filled with aimless wandering, excessive drinking, and sleeping rough that has taken a toll on their well-being.
Now the light holds a terrible secret and now you know, oh,
That this is what you get.
The realization that the past actions and choices have consequences and that the current situation is a result of those actions, leading to a sense of regret.
You've been wandering around.
You've been fucking around.
You've been wandering around.
You've been fucking around...uh.
Reinforcing the idea of aimless wandering and reckless behavior as the root cause of their current situation.
Playing the idiot all of your life and this is what you get.
Not taking responsibility for their actions and living without any sense of purpose has led to negative outcomes.
Master of all you survey,
But today you've been wandering around.
You've been fucking around.
You've been wandering around.
You've been fucking around...uh.
Despite having a perceived sense of control over their life and environment, their aimless behavior has led to a loss of this control.
Suffering idiots all of your life and this is what you get.
The negative consequences of not taking responsibility and living without purpose are more pronounced over time.
Now the light holds a terrible secret.
The light holds a terrible secret.
The light holds a terrible secret.
The light holds a terrible secret. Oh, the light!
The metaphorical light of self-reflection and understanding reveals the harsh reality of their past actions and current situation.
Contributed by Ryan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
And the Rainfall
To date, this remains my favourite live session of all time. The musicians' performance, the mixing, the ambience, the filming, everything is just where it needs to be.
dingbatjack1234
Absurdly good!
smjk
And The Rainfall agree 💯
neversleepinginc
I want them to do a version of every Destroyer song with the Kaputt lineup. Amazing.
Perfo Rongo
I like the live version here better than the album version, which usually isn't the case for me. I like the new base-line, I like the slower tempo, I like the extra atmospherics and the sax.
Connor Gilbride
It’s goat a nice coating of Avalon on it. I’m very grateful for having this album in the last 10 years of my life. Has really shown me a lot of great music.
El Martoo
Even better than studio version. Awesome
Drunk Roku
MUCH MUCH MUCH better, yes.
DesolationRow15
This is....outstanding. Destroyer needs to record an entire DVD like this.
swamygee
@DesolationRow15 Exactly my thoughts.