CD Revue: Destroyer - Your Blues

Vancouver’s Dan Bejar is more widely known as a “secret” member of the New Pornographers, but his main outlet is Destroyer, which somewhat disappointingly is not a death metal band. The lack of umlauts should have been a tip off. Destroyer is, instead, a baroque folk pop band that recalls Prefab Sprout at their moodiest. No power pop gems like “Chump Change” here. It’s the baroque-iest of the baroque yet never twee. Bejar has a breathy Bowie-esqe voice that seems both mocking and sincere at the same time. Your Blues is filled dramatically titled songs like “An Actor’s Revenge”, “Notorious Lightening”, and “New Ways of Living” that more than live up to the implied drama. Lyrical and musical allusions to Fleetwood Mac and Willie Nelson are surprising but also perfect. Bejar’s lyrics are mostly dark and moody but when he shows a sunnier side, like on “What Road”, the results are genuinely affecting.

It took me along time to get into this album but over the last several months it has finally started to click with me. This a perfect example of how the best albums are not ones that grab you initially.