Dan's Boogie

With Dans Boogie, his 14th album as Destroyer, singer/songwriter Dan Bejar jumps into the stream of consciousness and never looks back, swimming upstream for all nine of the records gloriously dizzying songs. Dense instrumentation is a hallmark of some of the best Destroyer albums, but theres a specific tone on this album that sets it apart. "Hydroplaning off the Edge of the World" is euphoric pop, a song that starts out in full gear and never diminishes. Theres a joyous melodic synth pop sound thats reminiscent of Scary Monsters-era David Bowie at play here, with handclaps, walls of guitar, and the sweet cooing of a repeating backing vocal line all seemingly designed to distract from the psychedelic poetry ranting of Bejars sung/spoken vocals. "The Same Thing as Nothing at All" also has a maximized arrangement that recalls certain Bowie albums, down to the outer-space piano plinks and woozy funk bass that could have been borrowed directly from "Ashes to Ashes." Musically, tracks like the piano-forward "The Ignoramus of Love" and the pulsing electronic ambience of the first half of "Sun Meet Snow" are more subdued, but even on these relatively relaxed instrumentals, Bejar sometimes sounds like he cant get the words out fast enough. "Sun Meet Snow" eventually succumbs to the excitement, building into a frenzy of distorted drums and laser-beam synth leads. Near the end of Dans Boogie, Bejars intensities balance out somewhat on "Cataract Time," the albums longest and most satisfying track. The song is exactly eight minutes long and rides a consistent, unhurried soft rock groove complete with sections where smooth saxophones playfully trade lines back and forth. The pleasant, sunny music and Bejars relatively relaxed vocal delivery are a foil for heavy lyrics that stare into an existential abyss. The mix eventually grows into swells of harp and a split second of overblown drumming, but it never boils over as so much of the rest of Dans Boogie does. Once again, this set of songs represents growth for Bejar, who has remained an uncompromising artist for his entire three-decade run as Destroyer. Some tracks are easier to digest than others, and the frenzied energy of much of the album might make Dans Boogie a less-than-ideal starting point for new fans. Paradoxically, some moments here (in particular "Cataract Time") rank among the best work in his catalog, making Dans Boogie another chapter of knowing contradiction, unsettlement, and self-challenge in a body of work defined by these things. ~ Fred Thomas