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.
Watercolours Into the Ocean
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the 131st time
It was 1987, it was spring
It's 1987 all the time
Now it's 1987 all the time
Were you even there?
Too thin, too fair
Downing your third drink
Just off
A mildly successful
Killing rampage
Where good writers go to
Find one thing and stick with it
Oh, life
Is bigger
Than a life on the run from the United states
And her friends on this night made of jewels
It took three Carabinieri
To peel 'em off the streets of the town
She's named after
Dragging the lagoon was a disaster
They found him alive and relatively well
Ah, some situations
Seek redressing
Some songs just go testing, testing
I took a picture, I was sick of motion
And wore her water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
Water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
Water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
Water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
And wore her water colors into the ocean
The song "Watercolours Into The Ocean" by Destroyer is a beautiful piece that speaks volumes about memories, the weight of time, and the deep emotions that come along with them. The song takes us back to a time when the singer is listening to "Strawberry Wine" for the 131st time in the year 1987. The lyric "It was 1987, it was spring" gives off an air of nostalgia, and the repetition of the line "It's 1987 all the time" emphasizes the sense of longing for that particular moment in time. The singer seems to be unable to let go of the past, and the line "Were you even there?" suggests a desperation to relive that moment.
The song then shifts to the aftermath of a mildly successful killing rampage, and the singer is seen standing at arm's length and downing their third drink. Amidst all of this chaos, the song reminds us that life is much bigger than running away from situations, and that we sometimes need to seek redressing in order to move on. The line "And wore her water colors into the ocean" is a beautiful metaphor that implies that the singer is finally letting go of their past, their memories, and their emotions, and is finally moving on.
Overall, the song speaks of coming to terms with the past, letting go of memories, and finally moving forward in life. The metaphor used in the final lines of the song is a beautiful and powerful way of conveying the idea of leaving the past behind and moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
Listening to 'Strawberry Wine'
Reflecting on past memories by listening to music
For the 131st time
Repeating this nostalgic act numerous times to feel connected to a different time
It was 1987, it was spring
Describing a specific time period for the memory
It's 1987 all the time
Feeling stuck in the past and unable to move on
Now it's 1987 all the time
Acknowledging that this mindset is present in the current moment
Were you even there?
Questioning the authenticity of others' experiences
Too thin, too fair
Describing the appearance of someone from that time period
Downing your third drink
Indulging in alcohol to cope with memories
Standing at arm's length in the square
Feeling disconnected from the current physical surroundings
Just off
Feeling slightly disconnected or out of place
A mildly successful
Describing a past event that was only moderately successful
Killing rampage
Using violent language to describe past actions or emotions
Where good writers go to
Referencing a place where artists go to find inspiration
Find one thing and stick with it
Suggesting that writers should focus on one idea or concept to create impactful work
Oh, life
Acknowledging the complexity of life
Is bigger
Implying that there is more to life than just one moment or experience
Than a life on the run from the United states
Comparing running away to a limited life experience
And her friends on this night made of jewels
Describing the surroundings as luxurious or valuable
It took three Carabinieri
Describing a specific group of police officers needed for a situation
To peel 'em off the streets of the town
Suggesting that the situation was chaotic and difficult to manage
She's named after
Reference to a person or place named in previous lines
Dragging the lagoon was a disaster
Describing a failed or difficult attempt at something
They found him alive and relatively well
Describing a person who survived a difficult or dangerous situation
Ah, some situations
Acknowledging that life can be complex and difficult
Seek redressing
Suggesting that some situations require correction or resolution
Some songs just go testing, testing
Suggesting that some art or music is experimental or uncertain
I took a picture, I was sick of motion
Taking a moment to pause and capture a memory
And wore her water colors into the ocean
Using art to express or release emotions
Water colors into the ocean
Continuing the repetition of emotional release through art
And wore her water colors into the ocean
Continuing the use of art for emotional expression
And wore her water colors into the ocean
Continuing the repetition and emphasis on emotional release through art
And wore her water colors into the ocean
Continuing the repetition and emphasis on emotional release through art
And wore her water colors into the ocean
Continuing the repetition and emphasis on emotional release through art
And wore her water colors into the ocean
Continuing the repetition and emphasis on emotional release through art
And wore her water colors into the ocean
Continuing the repetition and emphasis on emotional release through art
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Daniel Bejar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind