TUNES // Destroyer—A Light Travels Down the Catwalk

Post by Ben
The rain-smeared cobblestone street is awash in the tungsten glow of the streetlight above. It’s all slow motion as you cross your arms and your back comes to rest on the wall behind you. Smoke curls out of a nearby chimney and you take notice as you flip up your coat collar and begin to stoically observe the evening crowd spilling out of the local crawl of bars. At the same time your gaze is a sort of detached plea for intimacy, it’s also a firm declaration of unbridled pessimism about the current state of worldly affairs. While the 2am chill seeps into your skin, you make eye contact with the patrons that flutter by. You’re not looking for an answer, but rather, simply someone with whom to escape your demons.

 
This is how Destroyer makes me feel. There are times when Dan Bejar’s solo project transports me to a world soaked in noir and crisp contrasty light. He’s the person whispering elegant truths as he lights a cigarette and basks in the unfurling smoke, crossing his legs and stoking the embers of an infinitely dying fire. Bejar hasn’t been nearly this electronically brooding since the impeccable Kaputt. There’s hope. There’s disgust. There’s paradox and irony. There’s poignant and wry insight into Bejar’s worldview as he utters: “A thorn in my side told me ‘Hold, please’ / A thorn in my side told me we’ll see.” At the same time there’s biting cynicism, there’s a bleeding vulnerability that can’t quite be matched by many other songwriters right now. Thank god Ken is here.