Review
Dan Bejar's seventh studio effort "Destroyer's Rubies" emerges like a weathered novelist finally finding his voice, weaving together the raw intimacy of folk-rock with the swagger of classic rock in ways that feel both timeless and utterly contemporary. His distinctive, yelping vocals dance across stark acoustic guitars and unexpected flourishes of baritone saxophone, while songs like "European Oils" showcase dramatic fuzz guitars tangled with intricate piano melodies that pull you into smoky, contemplative spaces. The album breathes with a lived-in quality, its natural live-band sound creating barroom atmospheres where Bejar's cryptic, literary lyrics unfold like pages from a dog-eared poetry collection. Here, the influence of songwriting legends like Dylan feels less like imitation and more like conversation, as Bejar crafts his own elegant, shaggy mythology where intellectual cleverness and emotional truth engage in a beautiful, ongoing duel. - Camille
Artist Bio
Destroyer is an indie rock project based in Vancouver, led by Dan Bejar since 1995. Starting as Bejar’s solo home-recording venture, the band has continually reinvented itself, with albums spanning lo-fi beginnings to polished, genre-blending releases like the jazz-tinged *Kaputt* and the recent *Dan’s Boogie*. Known for abstract, poetic lyrics and Bejar’s distinctive vocal delivery, Destroyer often shifts style from album to album, creating a discography that’s eclectic yet unmistakably his. He’s collaborated over the years with musicians like John Collins and David Carswell, and has drawn critical acclaim while maintaining an outsider’s position in the indie rock world. Fans of The New Pornographers, Stephen Malkmus, or The Magnetic Fields might find Destroyer’s sound and sensibility appealing.
