I bought this recently, having seen it appear on lots of year-end best album lists and being sufficiently intrigued by the descriptions and reviews I had read.
What an unusual album it is, and I really like it. Slightly cheesy 80's sound mixed with modern 'art-rock', a voice that is hard to really classify and a couple of long semi-ambient sections (that somehow work really well).
Seems like a real one-off and a very hard album to describe, but worth investigating if you can listen to bits online etc and fancy something different. Closest of my collection to it would be 'Wild Beasts: Smother' although that is more guitar and band-based.
Hope a few others have been trying it, I'd be interested in your thoughts and comparisons too!
Bruce
Posted on: 10 January 2012 by hego99
Dan Bejar (Destroyer) is really good, I have a pair of his previous efforts, and just tonight enjoyed "Kaputt" for the first time.
DB is a member of Canadian pop-combo New Pornographers, where he writes/sings about 20% of the songs.
NP is more straight pop, as opposed to Destroyer's "art-rock", both bands are excellent.
Posted on: 10 January 2012 by Bruce Woodhouse
I bought the last NP album and actually it left me fairly cold! I certainly would not have realised it was related to Kaputt.
Bruce
Posted on: 10 January 2012 by hego99
NP have made about 5 albums, and they have gotten gradually worse, but the first 3 albums I really like!! Agree that NP sounds nothing like Destroyer.
Have you heard country chanteuse Neko Case's solo albums? (She's singing with NP).
Her solo stuff is also radically different to NP, but in another direction than Destroyer.
Destroyer is more artsy/electronica (but great!), Neko Case is more country/pop, really strong stuff, way off the mainstream.
Posted on: 10 January 2012 by Bruce Woodhouse
Thanks, I might have a bit of a browse through earlier NP/Neko Case.
This is what the Music Room should be for, finding new music.
Have you heard Wild Beasts: Smother? Might float your boat.
Bruce
Posted on: 11 January 2012 by reubs1981
This month's Mojo magazine has an attached CD (remember those) with artists covering the whole "Power, Corruption and Lies" album by New Order, and Destroyer tackles one of the tracks (Kompakt favourites Walls are also on it which is a recommendation from me). As ever, the mag is worth a read as well, even if you think it is a bit 'heritage'.
