Review by Stan Cierlitsky
I'd like to start this review of Destroyer's Have We Met, out today via the awesome Merge Records, with a few disclaimers: I know almost nothing about Dan Bejar's work in New Pornographers; And, I really don't know much of Destroyer's work before the excellent Kaputt from 2011. With that said, I am really excited and honored to review this fascinating new record.
Obviously if you are a Dan Bejar fan I don't need to tell you that you are in for an intellectual experience. Dan's lyrics are frequently described as "poetic", his music as "abstract", and his vocals as "idiosyncratic". If this is your first exposure to Destroyer, don't let that scare you off. Even though many of the songs seem more exploratory and experimental, there are still quite a few poppier gems here to discover.
One of those gems is the opener "Crimson Tide". As an old guy that lived through Eighties music and the dawn of the synthesizer, I find Destroyer so intriguing. Almost every sound reminds me of something, and yet I can almost never pinpoint what it is. The great thing about that is that it sounds familiar without being derivative. To me, that's the recipe for greatness. Even Dan's voice has a familiar feel. The closest comparison I can come up with is the highly underrated Momus, but even that comparison I don't feel too confident about making.
My favorite song on the album is "It Just Doesn't Happen". I think I am hearing a little bit of The Cars (RIP Ric), or maybe 'Til Tuesday. There is a lyric in this song that fascinates me: "They play your favorite song. She's just too dark to care." Is he saying the fictional woman doesn't care about his favorite song, or is this a shout-out to the excellent song by Primal Scream? Again, even little things like this make you stop and think for a second. That's why I started this review by saying you would be in for an intellectual experience. Another gem on Have We Met is "The Raven". For an album with so much synthesizer, the thing I like most about this song is the guitar, and the opening line, "Just look at the world around you, actually no don't look."
A friend of mine described Destroyer as hit or miss. Even though I like this album a lot, I think I still agree with his sentiment. I guess when you have such an eclectic artist who experiments so much throughout his craft, some of those outputs will resonate and perhaps others won't. A couple of tracks on here didn't jump out at me that much. "Kinda Dark" and "The Television Music Supervisor" are two of those tracks. Still interesting, but not at all vital to me.
I also wanted to point out one of the most interesting songs on the album, and that is "Cue Synthesizer". To be honest, this is the song that made me interested in reviewing this record. It doesn't actually veer too far from the Destroyer sound, and yet it feels slightly out of place (in a good way). "Cue synthesizer, cue guitar, bring in the drums, cue fake drum," go the lyrics. Songs that explore themselves usually don't interest me, but somehow this one does. The music is stellar, with even the little guitar flourishes being perfect touches. "Went to America, went to Europe, it's all the same shit." A lot of lyrics on this album made me pause and think.
On a personal note, I can't help but feel a connection with the last song "foolssong" I'm not certain of the lyrics, but it sounds like it opens, "And with what shall I fix the hole in the bucket dear Eliza." Of course, this immediately makes me think of my daughter Eliza. Thanks for that Dan. "It ain't easy being a baby like you, it ain't easy being a baby like me." Another lyric that makes me smile and think. Especially when I am thinking about my daughters.
At this point I'm sure you can tell I love this record. I want to review every song on here, but I won't. I will leave a couple for you to explore on your own. If you are a fan, I'm guessing you will find Have We Met to be more hit than miss. If you are not a fan, but are interested in intellectual and experimental indie-pop, check this out (and if you like it, make Kaputt from 2011 your next purchase).
Have We Met is out today via Merge Records.
More details on Destroyer via the official Facebook page.
Destroyer plays at Black Cat on March 9.
[Photos: Ted Bois]