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$13.99 CD
$22.99 LPx2+MP3
$9.99 MP3
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DESTROYER
Kaputt
(Merge)
 "Chinatown"
"Kaputt"
At 15-plus years in, Dan Bejar's Destroyer project is nearly an indie-rock institution. This kind of longevity and, more importantly, relevance has become increasingly rare in the information age, where the attention spans of both artist and audience are more divided than ever. Destroyer established a method of combating this early on, establishing a brand of eccentric art-pop that managed to be self-referential and unpredictable at the same time. Bejar always dropped us a few breadcrumbs along the way, thematically linking his lyrical concerns from one album to the next. Musically, while never straying too far from his early-folk-era Bowie M.O., he also became more adept with his songwriting. These efforts culminated in 2002's sprawling yet incredibly cohesive This Night. But instead of barreling full-speed ahead down this path, he made a drastic left turn with his next album, Your Blues. It was a sparser, more insular concern -- dispensing of a band altogether and instead relying strictly on orchestrated synth-lines for kicks. Whether it is conscious or not, Bejar has always had a sense for when a stage of his project has come to its logical endpoint. And although it was received with muted enthusiasm upon its release, Your Blues was the right move, at exactly the right time.
Kaputt is reminiscent of Your Blues in that it feels like another attempt to break with the past without totally sacrificing the endearing qualities that make Destroyer unique. Like Your Blues, the basic themes remain the same, but the exposition varies drastically. Bejar has always had a playful approach to his influences, referencing them unabashedly in his lyrics. But rarely has he embraced a musical form or genre so openly as he does with Kaputt, a strictly smooth R&B affair through-and-through. Instead of pulling from the tried-and-true pool of '70's folk/glam/art-rock pillars that have served as the foundation for the majority of his work, Bejar looks to the yacht-rock and light/white R&B of the '80s for inspiration here. It's an interesting trick -- one that results in a comparatively breezy album that still retains the lyrical density that has become his calling card. To his credit, Bejar is fully invested in the new conceit, employing back-up crooners, wailing sax, and a synthetic sheen on everything that would make the Eurythmics proud. I'm also hearing traces of Everything but the Girl, Bryan Ferry, and latter-day Steely Dan in the "mature" polish and posturing of the faux-soul jams Bejar is kicking-out here. Kaputt is a refreshing turn, and an encouraging signal that, after a decade-and-a-half, Destroyer remains in service to a creative restlessness that still has the ability to surprise. A total charmer, end-to-end. [JTr]
Free Song Download of "Chinatown" is currently available on Other Music's Digital store for a limited time.
Order CD by Texting "omcddestroyerkaputt" to 767825
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