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.
My Favorite Year
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So let's linger here.
This used to be my favorite palm tree––
I was starving in that shithouse, the world.
But now it's gone,
and the whole point of everything's the "moving on."
Well, let's see, a calm and a storm and––okay!––a star's born.
Now let me just sit here and eat these almonds, on 3 and 4 and...!
Beware the company you reside in! Beware the company you reside in!
Beware the company you reside in! Beware the company you reside in!
Beware the company you reside in! Beware the company you reside in!
Beware the company you reside in!
Beware!
Nicole, she, blasted on ecstasy
in some East Pender hovel circa 1993.
It was a good year, it was a very good year.
And now it's gone,
they're saying the whole point of everything's the "moving on."
Well, I can't help but feel somewhat opposed to this,
my shit having been torched by fascists.
Though, in some small way, we're all traitors to our own kind...
The lyrics to Destroyer's song My Favorite Year are open to interpretation but can be seen as a meditation on the fleeting nature of life and the strange beauty found in destruction and renewal. The verses describe a moment of calm and contentment between the persona and their companion against the backdrop of a once-favorite palm tree that no longer stands. The song seems to suggest that the transience of all things, however painful or difficult, is ultimately a positive force, because it gives birth to new experiences and fresh perspectives. The refrain, "Beware the company you reside in," may be read as a warning against complacency and stagnation, and a call to embrace change even when it may be uncomfortable.
The second verse introduces a new character, named Nicole, who existed in a different time and place, but whose essence seems to live on. The persona reminisces about a time when they were also happy, but notes that everything has an expiration date, including good things. The song acknowledges the pain and hardship of life but maintains that these experiences are necessary for growth and transformation. The line "Though, in some small way, we're all traitors to our own kind..." suggests that we are all complicit in our own struggles, and that no one is entirely blameless.
Line by Line Meaning
You in white, and me in grey go well tonight.
The singer and another person, dressed in contrasting colors, complement each other's appearance.
So let's linger here.
Let's stay in this moment.
This used to be my favorite palm tree––
At one time, the singer cherished a particular palm tree.
I was starving in that shithouse, the world.
The artist felt deprived in the harsh reality of the world.
But now it's gone,
However, the tree is no longer there.
and the whole point of everything's the "moving on."
The point of life is to continue forward.
Well, let's see, a calm and a storm and––okay!––a star's born.
Life has highs and lows, but sometimes great things can come out of them.
Now let me just sit here and eat these almonds, on 3 and 4 and...!
The artist wants to relax and indulge in some almonds.
Beware the company you reside in! Beware the company you reside in!
The artist warns about the people one associates with.
Beware the company you reside in! Beware the company you reside in!
The artist repeats the warning.
Beware the company you reside in! Beware the company you reside in!
The singer emphasizes the warning.
Beware the company you reside in!
Again, the warning is given.
Beware!
The singer further stresses the importance of caution.
Nicole, she, blasted on ecstasy
The singer tells a brief story about a woman named Nicole who was under the influence of ecstasy.
in some East Pender hovel circa 1993.
This took place in a particular location and year.
It was a good year, it was a very good year.
The year in question was particularly memorable.
And now it's gone,
However, that time has passed.
they're saying the whole point of everything's the "moving on."
Others say that the point of life is to continue forward.
Well, I can't help but feel somewhat opposed to this,
The singer is hesitant about this idea.
my shit having been torched by fascists.
The artist faced persecution and hardship due to fascists.
Though, in some small way, we're all traitors to our own kind...
In some way, people betray their own culture or identity.
Contributed by Noah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.