Bejar's Trouble

While much of the indie-rock world considers jangly ’60s pop, robust ’70s post-punk and synth-addled ’80s new wave important parts of the genre’s musical heritage, Destroyer’s new album Trouble in Dreams looks to a neglected and unhip pocket of rock ’n’ roll history for inspiration. The album is brimming over with trebly, roaming guitar solos, rock-ballads and ’70s psychedelia. Is this Destroyer, or is this Led Zeppelin? Or worse, is this album a cousin to ’90s-era enthusiasm for the ’70s, a la Smashing Pumpkins?

Unfortunately, Trouble in Dreams disappoints in the same way as Stephen Malkmus’ recent solo work — both are meandering exercises in the bizarre genre of ’70s make-out jamboree.
 
Prolific Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Bejar, the driving force behind the band, is also involved in The New Pornographers and Swan Lake; Destroyer, Bejar’s baby, has recorded eight albums since 1996.

Bejar’s lyrical prowess and distinctly nasal pipes place him in the pantheon of sharp-tongued bitter-ex-boyfriend songwriting greats like Leonard Cohen and Elvis Costello. 

But this album sees Bejar betraying his characteristic manic persona: He repeats lyrics, sounds exhausted and admits to “living in darkness.” The album opener “Blue Flower/ Blue Flame” even begins with the exasperated concession “OK, fine.”
 
That is not to say the album contains no redeeming qualities: “Dark Leaves Form a Thread” is as great a rock ’n’ roll song as Destroyer has ever written. With the same great winding guitar lines and Bejar’s inspired parroting of idiosyncratic speech, he delivers “No, it’s cool / You go, I’ll stay” with artful simplicity. “Rivers” is a timeless piano ballad that crashes its way to becoming the cornerstone of the album.

“My Favourite Year” is epic, but the guitar-in-a-tube-of-sound effect and reverb-y piano sounds too much like Smashing Pumpkins circa 1998. “Shooting Rockets” is an eight-minute rock-confessional that could have been sung by Stevie Nicks.

Ultimately Trouble in Dreams is a glimpse into Bejar’s pathology during his darkest hours, and – be warned – is not the make-out album it sounds like upon first listen. Dan Bejar’s emotional baggage would totally ruin your make-out session. Reserve this album for rainy days when you hate yourself.