ARTIST: Destroyer
TITLE: Trouble in Dreams
LABEL: Merge Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 171kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 52m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-03-18
RIP DATE: 2008-03-05
Track List
----------
1. Blue Flower/Blue Flame 3:23
2. Dark Leaves Form a Thread 3:36
3. The State 3:58
4. Foam Hands 3:50
5. My Favorite Year 6:07
6. Shooting Rockets (From the Desk 7:59
of Night's Ape)
7. Introducing Angels 3:44
8. Rivers 5:14
9. Leopard of Honor 5:32
10. Plaza Trinidad 3:33
11. Libby's First Sunrise 5:59
Release Notes:
2006 marked the return of Vancouver╞s Dan Bejar with his seventh full-length
release under the moniker Destroyer. If there has been any precedent set or
pattern developed over the previous six recordings in the Destroyer canon, it╞s
that Bejar holds little regard for convention or expectations. Never one to rest
on laurels, each successive Destroyer release always explores new sonic
territories and ideas. We love Dan for that.
The album is titled Destroyer╞s Rubies and the opening track, ⌠Rubies,÷ sets the
tone well. It╞s 9 and 1/2 minutes long, a sprawling epic that opens with the
phrase: ⌠Cast myself towards infinity, trust me, I had my reasons" the perfect
summation of the Destroyer aesthetic.
Destroyer╞s Rubies is a collection of shrewd pop music that takes no prisoners
and asks no pardons. Equal parts cynicism, disdain, hope and humor;
self-referential, self-mocking, sagacious and coy. There is mythology here,
there is history, there is heartbreak and there is triumph. Follow along as
Bejar leaves his breadcrumb trail twisting through the crumbling forests and
bleak landscapes of modern popular music. It╞s all heady and ecstatic. Trust
him, he has his reasons.
Bejar╞s Dylanesque flare for biting and sardonic wit and his nods to the glam
and bombastic folk approaches of early Tyrannosaurus Rex and Bowie recordings
have clearly distanced Destroyer from the more straightforward pop of his
⌠other÷ band, The New Pornographers. But you can hear a few more colloquial pop
hooks seeping into the formula here, just to sweeten the pot. Bejar himself
claims that influences on Destroyer╞s Rubies come from the works of Kevin Coyne,
Kevin +yers, Kevin Rowlands, Kevin Junior α pretty much anyone named Kevin.
Speaking of those New Pornographers, fans and critics have often tried to
decipher the extent of Mr. Bejar╞s contributions to their favorite Canadian
supergroup (ack!), but he has always maintained a distance and mystery about his
level of involvement. The truth is his participation has consisted of a few
songs contributed to the cause over the years, and a few vocal performances on
record. Bejar does not consider himself an official member. However, in the fall
of 2005 Destroyer did head out on the road for a support slot on the New
Pornographers North American tour, and Bejar was persuaded to perform a few
songs live with the Pornographers for the first time in years. He blames it all
on the wine backstage.