Career Destroyer (band)

1 career

1.1 1996–2001
1.2 2002–2007
1.3 2008–2013
1.4 2014–present

career
1996–2001

we ll build them golden bridge, destroyer s 1996 debut, made of sixteen lo-fi home-recordings. 1 reviewer suggested album combines bejar s gift melodies “a concerted effort make recording downright inconsumable; guitars out of tune, , vocals of fisher-price quality. static means punk / tuning junk, bejar moans on 1 track.” (ideas songs, released on cassette in 1997, features songs akin on first album. cassette stemmed request contribute songs compilation album.)

as bejar gained popularity in vancouver s music scene, joined producer john collins 1998 s city of daughters, recorded @ proper studio. pitchfork noted songs still sounded homespun, noting [t]he wordiness become of trademark in full effect, unlike of came later, not every line worthy of examination.

thief (2000) embodied bejar s first stab @ matching grandiose, idiosyncratic vision showier sound; first feature backing band on every track. record s anthemic yet understated piano-driven ballads have characteristically enigmatic lyrics, though reviewers interpreted them critiques of music industry.

streethawk: seduction (2001) realized sonic refinement started city of daughters. bejar put way: don t think gives credence kind of conceptualization of records, hope city of daughters, thief, , streethawk pop kind of progression ends streethawk.“ critical success, album (retrospectively) received rating of 9.1/10 pitchfork.

2002–2007

the 2002 rock album night dramatic change in style. looser, less rehearsed style criticized messy [and] haphazard without purpose, though other critics praised beautiful mess of sounds challenging... [and] powerful, cohesive whole. in 2006 interview (after release of blues , destroyer s rubies), bejar said album came pretty - have used more 4 or 5 days mix whole thing, s hindsight. s still favorite destroyer record.

your blues (2004) saw destroyer take unexpected turn, using midi instrumentation backing music. bejar coined term european blues describe unique, theatrical sound. 1 reviewer pointed out bejar’s unusual voice sounds more confident, , higher in synth-rich arrangements. in yet twist, ep notorious lightning & other works reworked 6 tracks record live band, thing lp had forsaken (the band frog eyes, toured destroyer in support of blues).

bejar returned live band 2006 s destroyer s rubies, delivering arguably confident record point. backing band took new-found prominence and, according bejar, [t]he production seems... warm , lush , pretty focused on making band sound , having sit together. magazine observed, [w]hile sheer density of bejar’s writing can overwhelming, destroyer’s rubies is, on musical level, ’accessible’ disc he’s released.

2008–2013

for trouble in dreams (2008), there scary lack of ideas coming record, bejar admitted. destroyer s piano player ted bois took upon himself, alternative keyboard , piano accompaniment, create string , synth arrangements songs. @ time, bejar said hardest record make.

after 2009 ep bay of pigs came 2011 s full-length album, kaputt (featuring modified bay of pigs track). bejar cited influences such miles davis , roxy music new jazz-infused, lounge music-inspired, sophisti-pop direction. in multiple interviews, bejar variously stressed sang in different manner, unconscious of singing, more speaking vacuum, , happy results. record entailed number of firsts destroyer: first national television performance (on late night jimmy fallon); first official music video; first female backing vocals; , first time bejar performed without instrument on tour - concentration placed solely on singing. kaputt short listed 2011 polaris music prize , pitchfork s second best album of 2011.

although smaller in scale, destroyer s fourth ep 5 spanish songs continued surprise listeners. sung entirely in spanish, bejar covered songs sr. chinarro (es). bejar s own tongue-in-cheek press release announcing new songs began: 2013. english language seemed spent, despicable, not singable.

2014–present

bejar released poison season on august 28, 2015. bejar notes album s sound grew getting sounding playing live [following kaputt]. bejar added not have been able make such ambitious album if kaputt had not been successful. recorded live band , pronounced string section, album s grand cinematic set of songs feature bejar singing broader range before: first record ve ever done comes close idea of myself singer, bejar said.

in 2017, bejar released ken.