Kaputt, the new album by Dan Bejar’s indie-rock band Destroyer, is my favorite album of 2011, hands down. It takes late ’70s-early ’80s soft-rock tropes and makes them sound fresh, nostalgic, ironic, and earnest at the same time. (Bejar would definitely have won the famous Back Alley Songwriting Duel of 1978.) Couple that with Bejar’s weary vocal delivery that mixes longing, contempt, and humor — plus some of the best lyrics I’ve heard in a long time — and you’ve got a winner. The thing just simply hums beautifully for all nine tracks, and is dutifully spun daily at the Current offices. You can read my 4.5-star review of this album here (and be sure to comment if you’re so inclined).
I also reviewed the new Decemberists album (and current no.1 album in America), The King is Dead. You can read it here, but I can also sum it up in one word: Meh.
Anyway, back to Destroyer. Isn’t this video great? Yes. Yes, it is.