DESTROYER - Kaputt (Merge)

In the past couple of years Dan Bejar's Destroyer has moved increasingly away from his hallmark Bowiesque indie rock to explore more ambient and experimental textures over the course of two exceptional eps, "Bay Of Pigs" and "Archer On The Beach." "Bay of Pigs" found Bejar mining ambient dance and getting it just right. He was able to match his literary approach to songwriting seamlessly with a cool electronic soundscape that found rhythm not only from beats, but also Bejar's articulation of his rather wordy lyric sheet. That ep was both chilly and warm at the same time, like background music for the sunsetting on the Mediterranean during a posh cocktail party. "Archer" was darker and chillier, but even more exciting. Featuring contributions from Tim Hecker and Loscil, the ep almost put Bejar into David Tibet territory as he read his stream of consciousness lyrics over the greyscale soundscapes provided him by each experimental artist. Given that each release was a progressive step removed from Destroyer's previous indie rock template, I was half expecting, and hoping, "Kaputt" to be an experimental smorgasbord. Unfortunately it is not, on the other hand it is still a very fine album, albeit much more simplistic than I had hoped for in the wake of "Archer."

In a recent interview with Dusted, Bejar discussed having to change one's sound every few years to match "the cultural scenery," citing the Rolling Stones' use of disco elements on "Some Girls" during the era of cocaine and revolving glitter balls as an example. Bejar has always been firmly aware of himself as an indie rock persona, often channelling in self-referential lyrics either specific to Destroyer or indie rock in general, and always with a clear understanding of the indie rock landscape at a given time. Since Destroyer's last full-length, 2008's "Trouble In Dreams," that indie rock landscape has witnessed the strip mining of 80s synthesizer pop and R&B as a foundational bedrock for many new artists, and like the Stones' before him, Bejar has decided to adapt in order to match the current "cultural scenery." As a result, the sound of "Kaputt" is radically different than Destroyer's previous theatrical indie rock. I wouldn't necessarily call "Kaputt" chillwave, but it certainly owes its influences to the same influences that inform Toro Y Moi and Washed Up.

Another serious change in the program is that "Kaputt" is Destroyer's first, by Bejar's own admission, "pop" record. Even if Bejar's lyrics will never really owe themselves to pop in a traditional manner, it is true that this is Destroyer's most effervescent, bubbly and uncomplicated record to date...maybe even a bit vacuous, but more on that in a minute. In the past, Destroyer's music had a dynamic and often dramatic quality that gave it a sense of seriousness and purpose. It's fair to say that "Kaputt" lacks these elements entirely. There are many moments here when the descriptor "adult contemporary" is unavoidable, yet for all the light-rock, chilly sleek electronics and white-boy saxophone, there is always Bejar, whose lyricism elevates each track and provides an internal rhythm that is undeniably seductive, even as it seems too smart for its own good. I say seems, because for the first time with Bejar's lyrics I'm not so sure they really are as smart as they sound. In fact I'm pretty sure that Bejar's lyrics are little more than clever sounding placeholders that allow him to utilize his voice as a rhythmic instrument.

If anything, it's that Bejar's lyrics are impressionistic to a fault, sounding as clever as the listener wants them to, but if you aren't willing to give him the benefit of the doubt it's easy to dismiss them as an articulate word salad. Because his lyrics are matched to such a crisp light musical backdrop here, I cannot help but take them in the same manner as the music itself - pleasant and smart, but without really saying much. Similarly because Destroyer's music was more serious sounding in the past, I found myself taking what Bejar sang as something profound, although now I wonder just how serious those words really were, and how much I was fooled by their delivery. A listen to "Song For America" revels this underlying weakness of "Kaputt." Bejar repeats "I wrote a song for America, they told me it was clever/Jessica's gone on vacation to the dark side of town forever/who knew?" throughout the song. It fits well rhythmically with the band's light-rock groove, but really what the fuck does it mean? If you think you know, and you think it's something deep, I think you are full of shit. Maybe I'm just too dumb for Destroyer, but I highly doubt it. I just think this is a light album with clever word play that doesn't amount to much more than a great soundtrack for a cocktail party.

This isn't to say I don't like this record, or that I don't recommend it; actually, I do on both counts. This is going to be an amazing record to listen to once spring breaks and it is addictive as hell, like any good pop record. I was just expecting something a bit more, something a bit weirder and deeper. At the same time the world needs smart, albeit light, upbeat records and "Kaputt" is certainly that. Even as it boasts a song called "Suicide Demo For Kara Walker" that sounds like Bejar is talking about race and politics, and will probably have the NPR/NY Times Book Review crowd salivating, I still find the record's ultimate essence to be just a bit shallow.

"Kaputt"

Destroyer - Kaputt from Merge Records on Vimeo.

"Suicide Demo For Kara Walker"

DESTROYER - Archer On The Beach (Merge)

Why write a full-length review of a two track 12" single? Well, when you are Destroyer's Dan Bejar who has made a career out of increasingly living up to expectations by confounding expectations, every release is worth more than a simple listen and a mere mention. Beginning his career as a quasi-complex electric/acoustic folk singer Bejar's style and vocals were often compared to early David Bowie. Over time Bejar created his own unique indie chamber-rock that sounded a bit like Bowie fronting Pavement if they were French, and I mean that in the absolute best way, how could I not? While he was busy cultivating Destroyer, he was also acting as the New Pornographers' most essential and interesting member (sorry Neko and A.C.), while creating some truly compelling and inspiring experimental pop music alongside Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug and Frog Eye's Carey Mercer in Swan Lake. The man was steadily becoming one of the most creative voices in indie rock. Last year Bejar cemented his status as such with the "Bay Of Pigs" 12", which, like "Archer On The Beach" also only featured two tracks of experimental music that was increasingly detaching itself from any semblance of a traditionally structured song. "Bay Of Pigs" found Bejar exploring ambient dance music to great effect, so when it was announced that "Archer" would again repeat the two long track formula AND feature electronic experimental artists Tim Hecker and Loscil, I was more than a little excited about the possibilities.

"Archer" is yet another challenging yet satisfying step forward for Bejar. It is chillier than "Bay Of Pigs." If that ep sounded like the sun setting into the ocean off the coast of Miami, "Archer" sounds like a cold wind cutting across the Yorkshire coast in winter. The ep's title track features Hecker playing a subdued piano progression, while even subtler electronic effects crackle and pulse in the background. The track actually sounds a bit more like something Fennesz would compose rather than Hecker, but it works well to complement Bejar's hyper-literate and bizarre lyrics. The track is a proper song with repeated refrains and lyrical patterns (something about an Ice Queen and and Ash King, and an Archer on a Beach...and also the raver, this time on his death bed), but deeply atmospheric and ambient in nature so that it sounds more like one of Hecker's dynamic drone based pieces more than it does anything resembling the New Pornographers. The track calls to mind a couple of touchstones: Fennesz and David Sylvian's collaboration on "Transit" as well as Current 93. Although it is a lot less occult than David Tibet's long running project, it is no less obscure and obtuse and lyrically.

That obtuseness is even greater on "Grief Point," a self-referential meditation on May Day, the current state of music and Bejar's own relation to both, although if anyone can tell me what the meaning is beyond casting a rather dour mood please let me know. Musically, Loscil delivers with a beautifully pulsating and meditative dark drone that features brighter overtones which float in and out of the track, before giving way to bubbling electronics that drive Bejar's poetic ramblings forward. My personal favorite section is during Bejar's narrative when he says "I think the world does not like me grim, it likes me melancholic, but not miserable. English on the Mediterranean, which is - oddly enough - some of the worst people there is." He then promises to eventually explain this record, which may or may not be "picnic baskets filled with blood." It goes without saying that there is a lot to chew on in "Grief Point," which makes what is essentially a spoken word performance over ambient music one of the most compelling and bizarre listens this year. Bizarre, not only because of Bejar's recitation, but because like a good pop song, you actually want to listen to this repeatedly. By all rational standards you shouldn't desire to hear this kind of thing over and over again, but Loscil's riveting electronics and Bejar's rich diatribe is entirely interesting and not the least bit pretentious.

Bejar is set to release "Kaputt," Destroyer's next full length early next year. Given the scope and daring of "Bay Of Pigs" and "Archer" I can only imagine that it is going to be a record unlike any other. With "Archer" Bejar has staked his claim as one of the truly serious and creative musicians working today. There are very few pop/rock artists who can navigate the experimental waters this deftly and produce a work so enjoyable both casually and as a deep listening experience. Bejar is one of those precious few. Hopefully "Bay of Pigs" and "Archer" is only a prelude for what is to come.