Record Review: Destroyer: Trouble in Dreams

The indie rock band, led by the prolific, beloved Canadian singer/songwriter Dan Bejar, releases its follow-up to the well-received effort Destroyer's Rubies.

Rating: 4/5

Dream life is a natural world for Destroyer’s idiosyncratic Den Bejar to explore. Bejar’s poetry of loosely constructed phrases and images has always defied clear interpretation. "We live in darkness/ this is the light of dream, you see…" he says in the eight minute “Shooting Rockets.”

Trouble in Dreams is the work of a confident songwriter. Bejar is unafraid to be theatrical, obscure, and self referential. If Bejar compromised his style and shortened songs, cleared up meanings, and took out peculiar references, he would instantly lose his startling originality.

Bejar, unlike many folk artists, uses his music to compliment his poetry rather then just provide a background. His music accentuates and many times mimics the words. He stretches the folk form, which relies on simple chords, by making the music essential to the effect of the words. This is the charm of Destroyer, from Bejar’s poetic and musical collage, memorable phrases stick out.

Trouble in Dreams fully realizes Bejar’s strength. It is a dense, fragmented psychological portrait of Bejar and his dreams. Bejar’s character tumbles through his songs; a wine and coffee drinking urban poet, obsessed women, government, religion, animals, and landscapes. The strength of Trouble in Dreams is it’s literary, novelistic essence. It will piss off listeners looking for a quick and easy emotional payoff, but it will reward listeners willing to get beyond Bejar’s original weirdness.

-Matt Gasda

Destroyer - Foam Hands

Buy: Insound Amazon MySpace

Wait! There's More!

This is a note to to all of us who thought Coldplay's upcoming album would be "Viva La Vida".

The title of the album has been finalized and confirmed as "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends."

Sorry for the confusion and seemingly unending number of posts about Coldplay.

New Music: Death Cab for Cutie, RZA

Death for Cab Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart (album version)

(from the forthcoming Narrow Stairs LP, due out May 15)

Other than its typical Death Cab title, "I Will Possess Your Heart" sounds nothing like the Death Cab you and I know. I mean, really. The album version stretches out to eight and a half minutes, all of it unsettling and insistent, from the tumbling piano chords to the drifting, droning guitar to unrelenting bassline. The vocals don't even emerge until close to five minutes in, and even then Ben Gibbard isn't spouting his usual "I love you, you love me" bullshit. He sounds possessed, not proclaiming "I will possess your heart" as a playful advance, but rather as an unavoidable future event, an absolute truth. Between Gibbard's inspired, almost intimidating vocals and the perfect instrumental build-up to them, well...I never thought I would say this, but Death Cab kicks ass.

RZA (feat. Inspectah Deck) - You Can't Stop Me Now

(from the forthcoming Digi Snax LP, due out this summer)

Oh, 8 Diagrams. Didn't like it when it came out, and only feel slightly more positive about it now. I came to realize how thoroughly Raekwon tore shit up every time he rapped, but still...too much U-God and RZA, not enough Ghost, and at no point does the Clan offer the jaw-dropping fire of yesteryear Wu. While "You Can't Stop Me Now" came from the 8 Diagrams sessions, it's surprisingly good. The RZA sounds uncharacteristically focused and under control, while everyone's favorite Rebel INS spits a decent verse of own. Certainly suggests more Diagram-type production for Digi Snax, but maybe RZA can mend fences with Ghost and Rae and hit 'em up for a couple guest verses, and, uh, leave U-God, Cappadonna, and Masta Killa (no, Masta Killa isn't that great; anyone who thinks No Said Date was some great Wu feat is misguided) to do their own business.

Viva La Vida

Coldplay's upcoming album will officialy be called Viva La Vida (Long Live Life).

The album has also been pushed back from a projected May release date to June 16th.

Thanks for the tip Mike.

Also, Viva La Vida will have nothing to do with Ricky Martin.

NEW WOLF PARADE WAAA?

The following statement was released this evening on wolfparade.nonstuff.com:

"After many months of speculation and anticipation about the new Wolf Parade record, we’ve finally been given some news from a very reliable source. The source states the following: The record is done and will be officially released in June. It will have 9 songs, some short and some long. Everyone in the band is really happy with it and they will start touring in July. A press release from Subpop is due out very soon with the full track list and title."

OMG! I'm so excited that all the rumors that I had been hearing are real! I can't wait until June, but hey, at least it's not that far off, and at least it's finally confirmed. This will tide you over, in the meantime:

Wolf Parade - Language City (Live)
Wolf Parade - Billy J (Live)