Review Summary: An Artiste for all Seasons
Of all the artists releasing new music this year the last you'd expect to put a straightforward portrait on their album sleeve would be Dan Bejar, he’s always come across as far too slippery, enigmatic and evasive to sell his own image so brazenly; such a bold gesture from an artist previously averse to such choices hints that they perhaps consider their latest work to be a definitive statement of sorts. For all the protestations he’s been making in recent interviews regarding his new-found fame and success this album sleeve speaks volumes, as indeed does the music contained within which marks no retreat in terms of song writing accessibility or production values; if anything this album is even more lush and polished than its predecessor and certainly retains much of the same pop allure.
So ‘Poison Season’ represents a natural progression from ‘Kaputt’ and the two albums feel linked to the extent that you can imagine certain songs included here being slipped into the latter’s track list without sounding at all out of place; the languid tones of ‘Bangkok’ and ‘Archer on the Beach’ sound reassuringly familiar, in particular the former would have served as a perfect alternative album closer to 'Kaputt'. Elsewhere Bejar goes about the task of mixing up his formula, revelling in the opportunity to cook up a fresh brew of initially perplexing new ideas and sounds; if ‘Kaputt’ had cinematic tendencies then this album is unabashedly wide-screen and dramatic, with flourishes of brass, strings and exotic percussion deployed at will. Many of the arrangements evoke show tunes while Bejar’s vocals frequently slip into classic crooner territory and this framework allows for the inclusion of an impressively wide range of styles and tempos. The variety on display is the album’s trump card and Bejar really excels when operating at his experimental extremes; whether he’s delivering the tender vocal melodies of ‘Girl in a Sling’ and ‘Solace’s Bride’ or operating at the noisier end of the spectrum on the anthemic ‘Dream Lover’ and funk inflected ‘Midnight Meet the Rain’ he carries off everything with swagger to spare.
The trademark Bejar lyrics are the constant factor that link all Destroyer albums and here we find them just as reliably peculiar, playful and addictive as ever. There really are few comparisons to similar lyrical flights of fancy being married to the opulent and dreamlike style of music realised here; imagine Stephen Malkmus was bundled into the studio with Mercury Rev back in '97 during the ‘Deserter’s Songs’ sessions and you’d perhaps land somewhere close to the unique approach Destroyer exhibit here. The funny word plays and deadpan one-liners are very much in evidence as always and Bejar’s delivery is impeccable throughout; no one else currently operating in the sphere of popular song can make words sound quite so delicious. The only negative note that could be sounded regarding the singing on this album is the choice to exclude any female backing vocals; they worked so well in fleshing out Bejar’s unconventional croak on this album's predecessor but whether their inclusion here would have proved too sickly when paired with this album’s grand instrumentation is up for debate.
A second near-flawless release in succession is going to see Destroyer’s reputation increase further still and who knows if Bejar will find this in any way agreeable; when you’ve proven yourself to be arguably the most natural songwriter of a generation such attention is a near inevitability and when all’s said and done it’s hard to take the reluctant artist/recluse shtick too seriously while listening to bona fide pop gems like ‘Times Square’. The big tease, at this rate of progression my money’s on the next album cover featuring the man straddled on a giant eagle wearing a gold lamé suit flicking a victory sign...and it'll have been earned.
