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.
Sick Priest Learns to Last Forever
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Strata Council sees your face and decides to declare you a doll
That's okay, yes, it's fine
You've been the same, most every time
A sick priest will learn to last forever
Molly begets herself
She plans a merger with the scene
An insider breathes word of this and, surprise, it turns to steam
That's okay, yes, it's fine
He's been the same, most every time
A sick priest will learn to last forever
Founding fathers, oh what have you found
Your daughter's face, a sweet embrace
And a commoner's less than sacred place?
Take it back, there's a world underground
In spite of Western sacrifice, we auction off the sword.
But Damascus never asked us to write a song about being bored
With Our Lady Of This Immaculate Currency
Gut yourself
It's a one-man job on the altar of the beast
To make it legal, Wilhelm's bride goes bulimic at the feast
That's okay, yes, it's fine
She's been the same, most every time
A sick priest will learn to last forever
Founding Fathers, oh, what have you found?
The lyrics of Destroyer's song "Sick Priest Learns to Last Forever" appear to be a collection of disparate images and lines that don't follow a cohesive narrative or theme. Instead, they create a dreamlike, surreal atmosphere that's full of mystery and interpretation. The song opens with the line "make a mockery of the courts, receive your sentence, and take the fall," which sets a tone of rebellion and chaos. The Strata Council, a governing body that oversees the management of multi-unit properties, sees the singer's face and declares him "a doll," which could be interpreted as a dehumanizing act or an ironic accolade. The chorus repeats the line "a sick priest will learn to last forever," which suggests that sickness, either physical or spiritual, can be a source of eternal life, or at least endurance.
The second verse introduces a character named Molly, who plans a merger with The Scene, possibly referring to the music industry or the artistic underground. A "commoner's less than sacred place" is mentioned, hinting at the class divide and the struggle for legitimacy. The bridge of the song proclaims "take it back, there's a world underground!" which could be seen as a call to unearth hidden truths or reclaim subversive territories. The final verse alludes to the Founding Fathers, asking "oh what have you found?" and juxtaposing their legacy with a "sweet embrace" and a "less than sacred place." The line "in spite of Western sacrifice, we auction off the sword" hints at the paradoxical nature of progress and power, as well as the distorted narratives that underlie cultural hegemony.
Line by Line Meaning
Make a mockery of the courts, receive your sentence, and take the fall.
If you ridicule the court, you will suffer the consequences and be punished for your actions.
The Strata Council sees your face and decides to declare you â??a doll.
The Strata Council judges and belittles you based on your appearance.
That's ok, yes it's fineâ?¦
It's acceptable, there's no need to worry.
You've been the same, most every timeâ?¦
You have not changed much over time.
A sick priest will learn to last foreverâ?¦
Someone who is ill and devoted to their faith will persevere indefinitely.
Molly begets herself.
Molly creates a new identity for herself.
She plans a merger with The Scene.
She intends to combine her vision with The Scene's.
An insider breathes word of this and, surprise!, it turns to steamâ?¦
Someone with inside information about the merger tells others and the plans fall apart unexpectedly.
Founding Fathers, oh what have you found?
The people who established this nation, what have they discovered or accomplished?
Your daughter's face, a sweet embrace, and a commoner's less than sacred
Placeâ?¦
You embrace your daughter, but she is in a place that is not special or privileged.
Take it back, there's a world underground!
Reconsider and reclaim what belongs to the underground world.
In spite of Western Sacrifice, we auction off the sword.
Despite Western culture's willingness to make sacrifices, we sell valuable possessions.
But Damascus never asked us to write a song about being bored with Our Lady Of This Immaculate Currencyâ?¦
Damascus did not request a song about Our Lady of This Immaculate Currency, nor did they ask to be entertained by the mundane.
Gut yourself!
Harm yourself or internal organs!
It's a one-man job on the altar of the Beast.
It's a solitary assignment in the name of evil.
To make it legal, Wilhelm's bride goes bulemic at the feast.
To make something lawful, Wilhelm's spouse vomits at the celebration.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Daniel Bejar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pcwildcat
The Neil Young influence is strong in this one.
Earl Gray
Sounds like Down by the River
mayanroses 1
pcwildcat he found it in Neil Young's car crumpled up on the floorboard
Dan Thompson
"Rasputin finds out he has to climb Rapunzuls hair because he was born Polish this time around."
,dan'