Destroyer - “Suicide Demo for Kara Walker”
Maybe “Suicide Demo” isn’t the ideal song to pick from Kaputt—not the catchiest, most concise, or most redolent of the compositional shifts Destroyer has undergone—but it’s the first time on the album that Dan Bejar intentionally halts his momentum and allows his band to wander through the pale, smoky, urbane landscape he’s envisioned. We’re treated to increasingly poignant melodies from guitar, piano, and flute, all laid on a pillow of airy synth pads, that illustrate a particular loneliness found somewhere between grey skyscrapers, austere night clubs, and dark basement bars. By the time the lite-disco beat kicks in and Bejar rolls out his laconic new singing voice, there’s such a strong sense of mood and place that we almost know what he’s going to say before he says it. “Poor child, you’re never gonna make it / New York City just wants to see you naked and they will.” It’s one of Kaputt’s most devastating lines (penned for him by visual artist Kara Walker) precisely because—as with the rest of the album—he’s given it the perfect backdrop to bring it to life.
runners-up: “Chinatown,” “Poor in Love”
4 Notes/ Hide
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