I first came across Destroyer when their 2011 album “Kaputt” made it on several critics best of the year list. What really drove me to dig into Destroyer’s back catalog though were the singles “Crimson Tide” and “Cue Synthesizer”. These singles were released in anticipation of the 2020 album “Have We Met”. When listening through their past releases, “Destroyer’s Rubies” was the album that stuck out to me most.
Destroyer is a Vancouver based group led by singer and songwriter Dan Bejar. Bejar is an iconic stage presence with curly afro-like hair and a loose and sometimes lackadaisical demeanor. The group also includes a recurring cast of somewhat regular band mates on drums, guitar, and horns.
“Destroyer’s Rubies” is the band’s 7th full length release. It was sporadically recorded from May 20 – July 23, 2005 in JC/DC Studios in Vancouver. Bejar is on vocals, rhythm/acoustic guitar, and tambourine. Additional credits include: Ted Bois on piano, Nicola Bragg on lead guitar, Tim Loewen on bass guitar, Scott Morgan on drums and sax, and Fisher Rose on vibraphone and trumpet. Long-time collaborators John Collins and David Carswall produced the record.
The album is both dense in its lyrical content and its run length of 54 minutes across 10 tracks. Bejar’s wine drenched poetic ramblings on the record never seem to drag on too long though with every word feeling like it’s needed. His vocal cadence is something like Bob Dylan’s yet has a personality much his own. The singing style can feel a bit aloof with dry humor sprinkled in which adds a certain swagger to the songs. The listener could interpret that Bejar would rather be somewhere else than singing these tunes and that very well may be the case, which only adds to the aura.
There is a noticeable dichotomy between the singing and musical melodies that comes across as pleasant to my ears. The production on the record is warm, which plays nicely when listening on vinyl. The acoustic guitars are rich and pair well with the piano and tambourine. The bass on the horns adds a smooth low end that helps drive the music forward.
Listening to this album transports me to an outdoor screened in back porch of an old lake house. A glass of full bodied red wine and some book I can’t seem to finish on the table in front of me. Rays from the setting sun highlight a layer of thick dust in the air. Bugs chirping in the background.. The album artwork does a fine job highlighting this feeling.
I enjoy every track on this project. My favorites being “Rubies”, European Oils”, and “Painter in Your Pocket”. The most memorable lyrics for me are “All good things must come to an end, the bad one’s just go on forever” from the opener “Rubies”. It reminds me that much like life, it’s only good if it eventually will come to an end. The things you love will turn to the things you despise and overlook if they simply never stop. Bejar does a much better job than me by distilling this thought to just two lines.
I picked up my copy of “Destroyer’s Rubies” from the Reckless Records location in the Loop of Chicago. It is a 2012 reissue and remaster under the Merge Records label.
Since listening to “Destroyer’s Rubies”, I have seen Destroyer live twice at Thalia Hall in support of their records “Have We Met” and “Labyrinthitis”. The energy that Bejar brings to the stage is infectious. I’m having the time of my life at the shows while also feeling a careless attitude and swagger like I’d rather be somewhere else. I recommend seeing Destroyer if they come through your area.
