If you were to forget that Kaputt is a Destroyer record, it wouldn’t be surprising. At first listen, the element of it that sounds like what has come before it, is Dan Bejar’s unmistakable voice. Screw Neko Case; Bejar, for a long time, has been the only reason I listen to New Pornographers records.
This, however, is a Destroyer album. The fact that this sounds like no other Destroyer record that has come before it cannot be overstated. I consider this a good thing. I did not enjoy the previous Destroyer album, Trouble In Dreams. I thought it was over cooked, and full of things that had already been done, and better.
Kaputt is something else entirely. The last time it took me this long to figure out if I like an album was Kate Bush’s The Dreaming. It’s hard to pin down the exact sound of the album. It’s sort of a bastard child of ambient folk music, and ‘80’s synth pop. It’s full of disorienting female vocals, spacey horns, and thumping beats, and probably the most deceptively brilliant album you’ll hear this year.
It wouldn’t be a Destroyer record without lyrics that will make your head spin. Bejar outdoes himself here. Lines from this album will be littering Twitter and facebook feeds for years to come. I’ve barely begun to decipher what they mean, but, yes, I’m floored. Obscure literature, drugs, communism, pop music, it’s all here, and more. This stuff was made to provoke infinite discourses.
I suppose the inevitable question is if you should buy this. If you like good, cerebral pop music, the answer is an unequivocal yes. “Suicide Demo for Kara Walker” should be the new national anthem, and this record will transport you to a place you didn’t know existed. You’ll be richer for the journey.
Track Listing:
01. Chinatown
02. Blue Eyes
03. Savage Night at the Opera
04. Suicide Demo for Kara Walker
05. Poor in Love
06. Kaputt
07. Downtown
08. Song for America
09. Bay of Pigs (Detail)
