Destroyer
Poison Season (Merge)
After 11 full-length albums and four EPs, Destroyer’s Dan Bejar shows us he still has the capacity to grow as an artist, and on Poison Season we see him at his most audacious, for better or worse.
The horns and strings from 2011’s Kaputt return and are pushed to near operatic levels, with often frustratingly pretentious results.
That’s not to say there aren’t some absolute gems on this album. The lead-off single “Dream Lover”– which was released three months ago to whet the public’s appetite for Poison Season – might be Bejar’s best work to date. It explodes with visceral passion and bombast and it’s impossible not to grin ear-to-ear while listening to it. “Times Square”, one of the few songs with any guitars, rocks with Young American swagger.
The comparisons to Bowie are apt: Bejar’s arrangements are every bit as bold as the Thin White Duke’s, while the faux British accent and love affair with the saxophone draw further connections.
But make no mistake, Bejar is no Bowie. For every future classic like “Dream Lover”, there are frankly embarrassing missteps like “Hell is an Open Door” or “Midnight Meet the Rain”.
It’s frustrating, because this album could have been so much better had Bejar been able to exercise a modicum of restraint. Instead Poison Season aims too high and falls too short.
Rating: 3/5
