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.
Self Portrait With Thing
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I also know I'm not the one you've been dying to slip off with into the Night...
Cherished radical, I always knew you had it in you...
Trials by fire are so easily won -
just try not to burn and things might not get worse...
Hollowed-out valleys now rattle with the curse that
tonight is not your Night... It's not your Night
in praise of bad luck, I threw down the homemade hat she made...
Soon, the feral beast did beautify our wounds with a body that knew -
you shouldn't hurt the ones you love... unless you really want to...
Tried to celebrate the world, not hurl insults at a girl...
but that finite rush which destroys every one of us is good destruction...
Yeah, Hannah, you heard it here first - It's the good destruction...
Now it's one forty-five and for some reason it's the season of trying to stay alive...
So, let's stick together and breathe beneath the weather...
It will be our doing...
Son, given the right occasion, I'd put myself up for sale to post the necessary bail that would free you from This kingdom...
but tonight is not your Night...
It's not your Night...
The lyrics of Destroyer's song Self-Portrait With Thing (Toni) convey a sense of self-reflection and introspection, exploring themes of love, loss, and the fleeting nature of life. The singer acknowledges that they are not the person the other individual wants to be with, despite recognizing their own potential for passion and willingness to take risks. They reference a past encounter with someone who created a homemade hat for them, but the relationship ultimately ended in hurt and pain. The singer contemplates the nature of destruction, acknowledging that it can be both negative and positive, and expresses a desire to stick together and find hope amidst the challenges of life.
Overall, the lyrics seem to be about coming to terms with one's own limitations and accepting the impermanence of things. The singer appears to be grappling with a sense of disappointment or disillusionment about their own life and relationships, but also expresses a desire for connection and hope for the future. The song's melancholic tone, combined with its introspective lyrics and references to personal experience, make it a poignant and thought-provoking piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Honey, I know I know, you were born to give...
I understand that you have a kind and giving nature...
And I also know I'm not the one you've been dying to slip off with into the Night...
I am aware that I am not the person you desire to be with...
Cherished radical, I always knew you had it in you...
I have always believed in your ability to be a powerful force for change...
Trials by fire are so easily won -
just try not to burn and things might not get worse...
It can be easy to overcome difficult challenges as long as you remain calm and avoid making things worse...
Hollowed-out valleys now rattle with the curse that
tonight is not your Night... It's not your Night
The emptiness I feel inside is amplified by the fact that tonight is not a good night for me...
Well, I followed the cries to a second-story flat and,
in praise of bad luck, I threw down the homemade hat she made...
I went to investigate after hearing crying and, as a symbol of defiance against bad circumstances, I threw down a hat she had made...
Soon, the feral beast did beautify our wounds with a body that knew -
you shouldn't hurt the ones you love... unless you really want to...
Eventually, despite our flaws, we were able to find comfort in each other and learn that it's best not to hurt those we care about...
Tried to celebrate the world, not hurl insults at a girl...
I strive to focus on the good in the world and not direct negativity towards others...
but that finite rush which destroys every one of us is good destruction...
There is a type of destruction that, despite being finite, can still bring about positive change...
Yeah, Hannah, you heard it here first - It's the good destruction...
I declare to Hannah that the aforementioned type of destruction can be beneficial for us all...
Now it's one forty-five and for some reason it's the season of trying to stay alive...
So, let's stick together and breathe beneath the weather...
It will be our doing...
Despite the difficulties we face, we must support each other and persevere through the challenges...
Son, given the right occasion, I'd put myself up for sale to post the necessary bail that would free you from This kingdom...
but tonight is not your Night...
It's not your Night...
I would do anything to help you escape this difficult situation, but unfortunately tonight is not the right time for it...
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind