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.
Shooting Rockets
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They stuck eternity inside a bird's fist just to watch it fly,
Just to make things go, just to let things slip away.
Don't ask me how I know, I just do.
Night's surgeon dons his robes to take apart a fellow amateur.
Well, I've heard it once said that one gives what one gets.
And who amongst us has left these things undone?
Who let these animals into my kingdom?
A blind doe learns to work the rig,
A once-thin man turns into a pig:
the endless groves wherein my soul pukes the night away.
The problem as I see it, I was messed up on a tangent that was wrong.
They mix 'em strong and I was partial to the feeling.
It is a terrible feast we've been stuffing our faces on,
A terrible breeze from the East comin' on...
Bearing the scent of our one hundred first kills.
You love her. You leave her.
You try to achieve a breadth of vision that she has from the start.
I've got Street Despair carved into my heart!
I've got Street Despair carved into my heart!
My dear, didn't you hear, a chorus is a thing that bears repeating?
And the problem as I see it is––
Girls, stay away from that shit.
Saw you in Swan Lake, you were great!
Saw you down in Strathcona Square devouring an After Eight
(Who cares, I didn't mean it!)
For your last encore you sawed yourself in half.
It was just you and your raft and this crummy requiem:
Shooting Rockets.
Run or fly, at some point I had to ask why.
I had to show you a world not tethered to disasters,
but this would prove impossible.
I snuck a look inside your skull and said––
"Don't look now, but Gretchen's seeing red again."
The truth is a thing to coax out of its shell.uh.
The truth: on this you and I are going to tangle!
Off, treacherous bliss, off!
First you come in all sweet,
and then on tiger's paws you retreat
into a darkened, nether, shadow region.
Hey, are they still serving that piss?
Shooting Rockets.
And It'd be true what they say, were they to say––
"Why, yes, I dig the scourge!"
It'd be true what they say, were they to say––
"Why, yes, I dig the scourge!"
It's not that I quit.
It's not that my poems are shit
in the light of the privilege of dreams.
"Alive," she cried once.
Now, "Alive!" she screams.
Shooting Rockets.
Praise be the delightful muezzin tending his flock
and praise be those alabaster hands running amok on your body.
They love you in spite of your lame scene.
We live in darkness, the light is a dream you see.
We live in darkness, the light is a dream you see.
We live in darkness, the light is a dream!
Shooting rockets.
The song "Shooting Rockets" by Destroyer paints a vivid and perplexing picture that revolves around a series of disconnected and surrealistic images. The opening line, "Caution!––Hot ashes," sets the tone for the rest of the song, which can be interpreted as a warning to the listener about the dangers of getting too close to something or someone that can burn you. The next line, "They stuck eternity inside a bird's fist just to watch it fly," could be interpreted as a statement about the futile and painful pursuit of trying to capture something (in this case, eternity) that is destined to slip away.
The poem then delves into the idea of transformation or the process of becoming something new, both literally and metaphorically. The line "the endless groves wherein my soul pukes the night away" portrays the idea of someone transforming from one version of themselves to a different one, while the phrase "A blind doe learns to work the rig" could be interpreted as a metaphor for a person who has to learn how to navigate life without sight.
Throughout the song, there is a recurring theme of disillusionment and the idea that things are not as they seem. The closing line, "Shooting rockets," could be interpreted as a metaphor for the pursuit of something that is unattainable, but it could also be seen as a critique of the idea of progress, which is frequently represented by rockets.
Line by Line Meaning
Caution!--Hot ashes, the girl says to her first kiss.
The girl warned her first kiss about the potential danger and consequences.
They stuck eternity inside a bird's fist just to watch it fly.
Something was given an everlasting quality just to watch it go away.
Just to make things go, just to let things slip away.
Putting in effort for things to happen, but eventually losing them.
Don't ask me how I know, I just do.
The artist has a feeling or intuition about something without knowing the details.
Night's surgeon dons his robes to take apart a fellow amateur.
A metaphor for someone who ruins things they shouldn't be messing with.
Well, I've heard it once said that one gives what one gets.
People tend to treat others the same way they are treated.
Well, I didn't go out into the world just to be stung by a rich man's hornets!
The singer did not want to experience the negative effects of a powerful or wealthy person's actions.
And who amongst us has left these things undone?
Who has not completed or fixed the things that need to be done?
Who let these animals into my kingdom?
Metaphorically questioning the presence of negative influences or situations in one's life.
A blind doe learns to work the rig, A once-thin man turns into a pig: the endless groves wherein my soul pukes the night away.
A representation of negative changes and their effect on one's spirit, leading to a sick feeling.
The problem as I see it, I was messed up on a tangent that was wrong.
The singer made a mistake by getting too involved in something that led them in the wrong direction.
They mix 'em strong and I was partial to the feeling.
Alcohol or drugs were involved and the artist enjoyed the sensation or high.
It is a terrible feast we've been stuffing our faces on, A terrible breeze from the East comin' on...Bearing the scent of our one hundred first kills.
A metaphor for the negative consequences of one's actions, leading to a haunting aftermath.
You love her. You leave her. You try to achieve a breadth of vision that she has from the start.
It is difficult to gain the perspective that someone else already possesses naturally.
I've got Street Despair carved into my heart!
A representation of inner angst or turmoil that won't go away.
My dear, didn't you hear, a chorus is a thing that bears repeating?
An idea worth repeating to ensure that it is understood and remembered.
And the problem as I see it is––Girls, stay away from that shit.
A warning to females to avoid certain negative things or influences.
Saw you in Swan Lake, you were great! Saw you down in Strathcona Square devouring an After Eight (Who cares, I didn't mean it!) For your last encore you sawed yourself in half.
A mix of actual events and imagined scenarios meant to represent a tragic situation.
It was just you and your raft and this crummy requiem: Shooting Rockets.
A bleak picture of being alone with nothing but a terrible song to represent the moment.
Run or fly, at some point I had to ask why.
At some point, the artist became curious about their own actions or about life in general.
I had to show you a world not tethered to disasters, but this would prove impossible.
The desire to show someone a better life, only to realize it is not achievable or has too many obstacles.
I snuck a look inside your skull and said––"Don't look now, but Gretchen's seeing red again."
The artist gained insight into someone else's thoughts or feelings, and learned that they were angry.
The truth is a thing to coax out of its shell.uh. The truth: on this you and I are going to tangle! Off, treacherous bliss, off!
The pursuit of truth is complicated and will lead to conflict or instability, but it must be sought after anyway.
First you come in all sweet, and then on tiger's paws you retreat into a darkened, nether, shadow region.
An individual starts off friendly or kind, but then suddenly withdraws or becomes dark and unsavory.
Hey, are they still serving that piss?
A sarcastic comment about the quality of something.
Praise be the delightful muezzin tending his flock and praise be those alabaster hands running amok on your body.
A metaphor for the power or beauty of certain things or experiences.
They love you in spite of your lame scene.
Someone cares about an individual despite their flaws or shortcomings.
We live in darkness, the light is a dream you see.
A difficult or trying period with little hope for improvement or escape.
Shooting rockets.
A metaphorical representation of something moving quickly or without control.
Contributed by David B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.