Destroyer, Kaputt
Destroyer is the project of Vancouver singer-songwriter Dan Bejar. On January 25th, Destroyer and Bejar will release Kaputt, their ninth full-length studio album. Having heard very little of the other eight, it is difficult to compare Kaputt to his previous work, yet, listening to the album I can’t help but think that Kaputt is the work of a brilliant songwriter at his very best.
Pulling elements from folk, electronic, funk, soul, and lots of different variations of jazz Bejar creates an utterly unique sonic landscape. Saxophones and woodwinds, instruments largely ignored in today’s indie-rock scene, give the album a distinctively smooth and, at times, smokey texture. But this is a bait-and-switch on the part of Bejar, a stylistic choice designed to distract the listener from the themes of alienation, political apathy and apocalypse that might otherwise be difficult to swallow. It is this duality between the lyrical content and the musical atmosphere that ultimately makes Kaputt such a rewarding record.
Kaputt defies comparison by design, but in many ways the listening experience reminds me of Of Montreal’s, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? On that album Kevin Barnes employs a similar strategy by cloaking his deep insecurities in up-tempo electro-pop. The odd juxtaposition of upbeat instrumentation with dark lyrical themes draws you deep into Barnes’ manic world, a world that can only be fully explored through repeated listens. I will often play Hissing Fauna three or four times in a row before realizing how much time has passed. Kaputt possesses that same quality: endless listen-ability.
The album is out on Merge on 1/25/11. I recommend you pick it up.
