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.
The Sublimation Hour
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But was this changing of the guards really supposed to make you sick?
It's alright
The sublimation hour
Medium rotation, the shock of the new
And a memo from Feldman saying, "everything is true"
It's alright
Don't spend your life conceiving
That the widows won't get sick of their grieving
'Til everyone walks out
Hey, isn't that what rock 'n' roll is all about, princess?
Express your bloated self, willful and indignant
In the face of somebody's lord
You try to summon up the spirits live on Face the Nation
But the port authority just taxed incantations
Alright
The sublimate hour
Auction off the temple, it's money well-spent
Hey, are those tears in your eyes as the wind cries, "enlargement"?
Alright
The sublimate hour
Don't spend your life conceiving
That the widows won't get sick of their grieving
'Til everyone walks out
Hey, isn't that what rock 'n' roll is all about, princess?
Confess your bloated self, willful and indignant
In the face of somebody's lord, ah
So put your hands together, I hear it's a must
Until this phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust
It's alright
The sublimation hour
I guess the streets will suffice 'til everybody makes nice
But there's a rumor going 'round even Destroyers have a price
It's alright
The sublimation hour
Don't spend your life conceiving
"The Sublimation Hour" by Destroyer sings about the music industry and the pressure to constantly innovate and adapt to the shifting trends. The opening lyrics describe a woman who had ideal legs for an industry that is all about speedy impulse decisions - the music industry. The lines, "But was this changing of the guards really supposed to make you sick?" indicate an uneasiness with how the industry changes so quickly that she is struggling to keep up. However, the chorus, "It's alright, the sublimation hour," seems to suggest that this is just part of the process, a phase she has to get through, and it will be okay.
The following verse nods to the media and how it can influence everything, even what is considered new or innovative. The line, "And a memo from Feldman saying, 'everything is true'", refers to Steve Feldman, who was once the vice president of radio promotion at Capitol Records. He was responsible for promoting and pushing for a new band with every hit sing. Even if their music was terrible, he would insist it was a hit.
Later on, the lyrics seem to suggest that the pressure to be innovative can take a toll on people, especially those who are grieving. "Don't spend your life conceiving that the widows won't get sick of their grieving 'til everyone walks out" can be interpreted as saying that the widows of the industry, i.e., those who have lost their influence, won't stop mourning their loss until they see everyone else struggling too. The conclusion of the song suggests that even though the music industry may have a price, and the fakeness of the industry may one day fall, it's all a part of the sublimation hour- a transitional phase, which will pass.
Line by Line Meaning
So you had the best legs in a business built for kicks
You were once a part of an entertainment industry that glorified superficial qualities (like good legs), but was it worth feeling sick when things changed?
But was this changing of the guards really supposed to make you sick?
Did you really think change wouldn't affect you in this industry and make you sick?
It's alright
It'll be okay
The sublimation hour
A moment of transformation
Medium rotation, the shock of the new
New things can be surprising and unfamiliar
And a memo from Feldman saying, "everything is true"
Even if it's not the whole truth, it feels true to you because you're constantly bombarded with it
Don't spend your life conceiving
Don't waste your life imagining or planning for things that are unlikely to happen
That the widows won’t get sick of their grieving
Don't assume that people will never tire of mourning their losses
Til everyone walks out
Until everyone leaves
Hey, isn’t that what rock 'n' roll is all about, princess?
Isn't this what rock and roll is all about, challenging norms and expectations?
Express your bloated self, willful and indignant
Be true to yourself, even if it means being stubborn and angry
In the face of somebody's lord
Even if it means doing so in defiance of a powerful entity or figure
You try to summon up the spirits live on Face the Nation
You try to stir up emotions on TV
But the port authority just taxed incantations
But the government is only interested in profiting from these attempts to influence others
Auction off the temple, it's money well-spent
Sell off something that's meaningful to you, because the money gained from it is worth it
Hey, are those tears in your eyes as the wind cries, "enlargement"?
Are you crying because you fear unforeseeable changes?
Confess your bloated self, willful and indignant
Be honest about who you are, even if it means being stubborn and angry
In the face of somebody's lord, ah
Even if it means doing so in defiance of a powerful entity or figure
So put your hands together, I hear it's a must
Applaud or endorse something, because it's expected of you
Until this phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust
Until the Beatles' popularity fades or changes
I guess the streets will suffice 'til everybody makes nice
I suppose we'll manage on our own until people start treating each other with kindness
But there's a rumor going 'round even Destroyers have a price
Even the band Destroyer is susceptible to being swayed by money or influence
It's alright
It'll be okay
The sublimation hour
A moment of transformation
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Daniel Bejar, Jason Zumpano, John Edward Collins, Scott Morgan, Stephen Michael Wood
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind