Kaputt

Destroyer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 25, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B004DY4Z6O
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,085 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Dan Bejar started Destroyer as a solo home-recording project in the early to mid-nineties. Destroyer's two recent limited edition 12-inches, Bay of Pigs and Archer on the Beach, were lauded by critics and sold out in the first month of release. Upon hearing "Bay of Pigs," Pitchfork declared Bejar "a songwriter of the highest order," and The AV Club was one of many outlets to declare the song, "a real epic a meditation on life and love in times of crisis." Kaputt is Destroyer's ninth album. An 8-piece Destroyer orchestra will tour the US beginning in March.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 2011 Starts with a Dreamy 80s blast., January 26, 2011

By 

Trout - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaputt (MP3 Download)

Dan Bejar, the man behind such great acts as The New Pornographers and Destroyer, seems to have gotten lost in 1982. He's made a beautifully time altering album that literally makes me feel I have just walked into a brooding angst ridden teens bedroom in the 1980s with the sweet sounds of jazz sax, synth, and smooth bass. This is just such an amazingly chill album but at the same time makes you feel like breaking out those cheesy dance moves from middle school dances from the 80s. I can't imagine anyone hating this album, easily the best of 2011 so far and it will most likely have a high spot in my end of the year list.

Stand out tracks include -

Savage Night at the Opera

Kaputt

Bay of Pigs

But the rest are in no way filler, give it a listen, get lost, enjoy.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Destroyer - Kaputt, January 25, 2011

By 

Andrew Vice (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kaputt (Audio CD)

Destroyer's Kaputt is that rare album where you know if you're going to love it in the first two minutes. With that in mind, opener Chinatown is a lush, gorgeous pop gem with a jazzy sway and really brilliant instrumentation that evokes a kind of mid-afternoon in paradise feel. Distant horns, slinky bass, and cavernous drums create a feeling of an endless blue sky, the kind you simply walk underneath until you can't walk another step. Bejar's vocals on the record remind me of a more restrained Torquil Campbell, breathy and highly emotive, and yearning for something that no one can quite describe.

The sound of this record is pure and clean, groovy, jazzy, and totally steeped in melody. The hooks are strong and will pull you into the record in minutes, but the album isn't without a darker edge, as evidenced by the epic closer, Bay of Pigs. The song is rightfully named, evoking the tropical feel of Cuba and pairing it with an ominous, foreboding sound.

It's tough for me to say too much about this album because I'm busy getting sucked back into it as I write. Doubtlessly, this will close out the year as one of the best of 2011. I can't recommend it enough, pick it up.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 2xLP Version is Very Necessary :), January 26, 2011

By 

Scott R Wheeler - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kaputt (2xLP) (Vinyl)

I just received the vinyl version of Kaputt. When I ordered it I was expecting the usual goodies that accompany a $20+ vinyl release: beautiful packaging, good artwork, and a great sounding record. Well I got all of that, and more. In addition to the regular songs that are available on the CD or digital download, it came with over 20 minutes of extra music. Most of it is instrumental, punctuated with occasional vocal flourishes. All of the extra tracks seem like a perfect complement to what is already such a great record. If you love the relaxing production of the main record, then you deserve to hear the rest.

I know this is early, and likely a bit rash... but I'm going to call it album of the year. I know there will be other better known artists releasing big titles this year... like the Strokes, Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, etc. The thing is that with all of those artists we can pretty much know what to expect - records which are at least as good or not quite as good as their previous efforts. With Kaputt, Destroyer has not only made music that he hasn't made before, he's made music that I've never heard before (and I've heard a lot of music). This is a seriously good record, and I can't express enough how happy I am about having the vinyl version show up with the extra tracks. I'm sure that in the not too distant future the bonus stuff will be available on a special edition CD or download, but for now the best experience to be had is with the LP.