Destroyer - Streethawk: A Seduction
(Misra)
Dan Bejar's Destroyer has now released four albums on various independent labels, but
he is most known for his contributions to the hyped-but-deserving New Pornographers
album. Streethawk: A Seduction showcases Bejar's own songwriting and arrangements,
carried by his unique voice and well-crafted instrumentation.
Lyrically cryptic, Destroyer songs are carried by the vocal melodies and Jason
Zumpano's piano. Formerly of his eponymous band (Canada's other under-appreciated
pop geniuses), Zumpano moves off the drums to drive several songs with a bright, crisp
piano sound that throws back to pop music of decades past without sounding retro.
Bejar's melodies are catchy as hell, especially on the seven minute opus "The Bad Arts."
His voice is fairly dry, with an odd inflection that lingers on strange syllables and
occasionally just misses the mark. It sounds great with just an acoustic guitar underneath
(as on the beautiful "Helena"), but it also works on more orchestrated parts like "The
Sublimation Hour" or "Farrar, Straus & Giroux (Sea of Tears)." The melodies are fairly
Pavement-influenced, twisting around offbeat lyrics but with a far more genuine affect.
Like a great Wallace Stevens poem, Destroyer lyrics manage to convey emotion without
being directly obvious. "Virgin With A Memory" references Werner Herzog, and "The
Bad Arts" actually steals a line from Joy Division. However, Bejar is anything but a reference-
spouting hipster; "The Crossover" is a subtle song that would belong on Sister Lovers.
If this is a concept album, the story is utterly lost on me; the album succeeds anyway, as
the suggestion of imagery works better than more explicit lyrics. The music similarly is
catchy without being corny, and the arrangements are grin-inducing but not saccharine.
Destroyer's pop niche is equally akin to Nilsson as to indie pop, and this willingness to
break with the trends makes the album so enjoyable.
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