Destroyer Reissues

Destroyer Reissues

Before producing lavish 10< min disco ballads, Dan Bejar was a simple bedroom-folkie. His unique voice and songwriting suit the genre perfectly, and though none of his earlier work matches the sheer brilliance of Rubies, it has a charm all its own. Last month Merge reissued/remastered Destroyer's first three albums, City of Daughters, Thief, and Streethawk: A Seduction.

Its clear in these three albums that Bejar had a huge influence on the folk resurgence of the 00's. Destroyer was formed in 1995, but his ever evolving work has continued to remain relevant to this day. His nonchalant, bowie-esque approach has been seen in the work of Spencer Krug, TV on the Radio, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Danielson, etc. Not to mention the importance of his collaborative work over the years with The New Pornographers and Swan Lake.

The best of these early records is Streethawk: A Seduction. Bejar first starts to really explore the bowie folk-glam-rock sound with the album, and with his weird-as-hell voice he pulls it off quite well:

Destroyer :: The Sublimation Hour
Destroyer :: Virgin With a Memory
Destroyer :: The Very Modern Dance

You can listen to more of this album and order it from Merge.