Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
List Price:
Our Price: $10.28
You Save: $4.70 (31%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.96 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Music CD Cover
Artist: DestroyerEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2006-02-21
Music Label: Merge Records
Soundtracks:
- Rubies
- In Your Blood
- European Oils
- Painter In Your Pocket
- Looters' Follies
- 3000 Flowers
- Dangerous Woman Up To A Point, A
- Priest's Knees
- Water Colours Into The Ocean
- Sick Priest Learns To Last Forever
Free Music Notes for Destroyer's Rubies
Free Music Review: the effin' maniac
Hit: 5 Stars
Prior to this release, I was only familiar with Dan Bejar through the New Pornographers. To me his contributions there, while lyrically and musically interesting, seemed a bit distractive vocally. In Destroyer, Bejar is in his own element and has developed his own style. In this setting, we get a complete set of songs that are not in competition with other songwriters and singers. On Destroyer's Rubies, this focused attention reveals much complexity and range. The song arrangements couldn't be better. Some are minimally orchestrated, some have horns, most have piano, organ and rhodes-like keyboards, but all arrangements seem to achieve the songs' greatest potential. Bejar touches on musical styles as diverse as Motown ("Dangerous Woman..."), hippie classic rock a la Deja Vu-era CSNY ("Sick Priest Learns..."), power pop ("3000 Flowers"), and the indie rock of Pavement/Malkmus ("Your Blood" and "Priest's Knees").
Admittedly, Bejar's singing is not for everyone. It wasn't for me initially - but I'm among the converted now. His vocal delivery is kinda half spoken, half sung as Dylan or Lou Reed tends to be; Bejar is perhaps more over the top in his articulation and emotion. Besides his vocal delivery, the tone and quality of his voice is somewhat like Bowie's. I would think most readers who ended up here are open minded enough to get over any initial objections to the vocals. There is too much to like to dismiss it on vocals alone.
The lyrics are weird, ambiguous, and clever. Bejar slyly borrows many lyrical phrases and titles from other artists and puts them into a different melody and context. With almost each new listen, I discover new references and quotations. (he name checks Proud Mary, refers to a golden slumber, uses "I couldn't bare to..." which is an apparent reference to "Awful Bliss" by GBV, cops "Oh life is bigger.." from "Losing My Religion", and sings "kids...they were all right", a reference to The Who). I'm sure there are many more.
As other reviewers have speculated, I predict this CD will be on many "Best of 2006" lists. Highly Recommended.
Destroyer's Rubies Poster
Vancouver's Dan Bejar returns with his sixth full-length under the moniker Destroyer. As expected, it's a thoroughly unexpected collection of clever pop music that takes no prisoners. "Destroyer's Rubies" weaves a narrative of loves won and lost, missed opportunities, and artistic integrity familiar to Destroyer fans. Bejar's Dylanesque flair for biting wit and his nods to the glamorous and bombastic folk approach of early T-Rex and Bowie distance Destroyer from the more straightforward pop of his other band, The New Pornographers, without sacrificing any of the tunefulness of that band's approach.Updating AM radio's finer country-rock moments, Destroyer's Rubies showcases a new trend for Destroyer fans--the full-band, ensemble approach. The album succeeds when could-seem contrived Nashville-inspired themes and sounds (baritone saxophones, electric pianos, quoting Jim Reeves) mingle with full melodies and New Pornographer contributor Dan Bejar's self-styled lyrical phrasing. Happily, this results in a music that's totally appealing. Standouts are "European Oils," featuring some of the most gorgeously layered guitar runs and one of the best solos Bejar's recorded yet; "Painter in Your Pocket," a lovely, thoughtful, pure-pop exploration; and opener "Rubies," a song that's all at once soaring and antiphonal as well as introverted in its demo-recorded coda. The album reveals a spectrum of moods without chaos: There's ballsy rocker "3000 Flowers," breezy The Sea and Cake-at-their-finest "Watercolours into the Ocean," and grandiose psychedelia à la Buffalo Springfield on "Sick Priest Learns to Live Forever." In drawing on the theatrical, macro-orchestrations reminiscent of Scott Walker and expanding on the slapdash, quirky, musical humor of the Red Krayola's Mayo Thompson, this album reaches another peak for Bejar and is one of Destroyer's best works yet. --Gabi Knight
More of Dan Bejar and Destroyer
 Your Blues |  This Night |  Streethawk: A Seduction |
 Mass Romantic |  Electric Version |  Twin Cinema |
Alternative Rock Music CDs
Music Genres
Top music charts in Alternative Rock Music CDs
Bouncing Souls - Maniacal LaughterRelease date: 1996-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $30.00
Blondie - Parallel LinesRelease date: 1994-07-29; Music CD
Best price: $397.77
Doors - L.A. WomanRelease date: 1993-04-09; Music CD
Best price: $199.99
Amon Duul - Phallus DeiRelease date: 1997-04-08; Music CD
Price in other shops:
Tangerine Dream - MelroseRelease date: 1990-10-02; Music CD
Best price: $74.98
Tangerine Dream - Private Music of Tangerine DreamRelease date: 1992-11-10; Music CD
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
![Ska Explosion [VHS] Image](/images/Ska-Explosion-VHS-6303381014-X.jpg){kind=small}
Ska Explosion [VHS]Cleopatra; Release date: 1995-02-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
![Little Earthquakes [VHS] Image](/images/Little-Earthquakes-VHS-6302488664-X.jpg){kind=small}
Little Earthquakes [VHS]Atlantic / Wea; Release date: 1992-11-10; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops:
Exileby Geoffrey Oryema
Music CD
Best price: $4.95
![Louder Than Live [VHS] Image](/images/Louder-Than-Live-VHS-6301627865-X.jpg){kind=small}
Soundgarden - Louder Than Live [VHS]A&M Video; Release date: 1991-07-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Top Rated Albums
Girls - Father, Son, Holy GhostRelease date: 2011-09-13; Music CD
Best price: $9.93
Price in other shops:
Destroyer - ThiefRelease date: 2010-04-20; Music CD
Best price: $9.32
Price in other shops:
Destroyer - City of DaughtersRelease date: 2010-04-20; Music CD
Best price: $8.95
Price in other shops:
Atlas Sound - ParallaxRelease date: 2011-11-08; Music CD
Best price: $8.18
Price in other shops:
St. Vincent - Strange MercyRelease date: 2011-09-13; Music CD
Best price: $9.41
Price in other shops:
Destroyer - This NightRelease date: 2002-10-08; Music CD
Best price: $10.33
Price in other shops:
Destroyer - Trouble in DreamsRelease date: 2008-03-18; Music CD
Best price: $9.96
Price in other shops:
Destroyer - Your BluesRelease date: 2004-03-09; Music CD
Best price: $10.18
Price in other shops:
![Streethawk: a Seduction [Vinyl] Image](/images/Streethawk-a-Seduction-Vinyl-B003A060ZG-X.jpg)
Destroyer - Streethawk: a Seduction [Vinyl]Release date: 2010-04-20; Music CD
Best price: $15.87
Price in other shops:
Destroyer - KaputtRelease date: 2011-01-25; Music CD
Best price: $9.47
Price in other shops: