POST NO. 14: I WANNA DESTROY YOU

Sorry Robyn Hitchcock fans, this post isn't about The Soft Boys. Instead, it's about a solitary soft boy, one Dan Bejar, who when not moonlighting on New Pornographer recordings has a lovely little band of his own called Destroyer.

If you've only recently discovered Destroyer, in either its electronic symphony version or its Frog Eyes-as-backing-band version, you may be surprised to learn that Destroyer was once a cabaret-styled rock band. Thief, released in 2000, is the proof. I like The New Pornographers as much as the next guy -- and I'm fond of Carl (A.C.) Newman's solo work, too -- but in my mind Bejar has always stood shoulders above his Vancouver brethren. His imagination -- which displays itself in both his awkward commentaries and his grandiose melodic flourishes -- simply sets him apart.

Who else but Bejar could take a collection of ballads and mold them into raucous, rockin' anthems screaming for a packed stadium audience? Dig this...

Destroyer - "Canadian Lover/Falcon's Escape"

Destroyer - "City of Daughters"

Still not convinced of this record's brilliance? Well, if you won't take my word for it, then maybe you'll listen to The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, who calls Thief "a masterpiece". Read an older interview with Bejar here, or visit him at Merge Records, where you can hear some more recent mp3s. Unfortunately, Thief is out of print (the last time I checked); but you can find a few copies for sale over at Gemm.