Destroyer — Notorious Lightning And Other Works

Asking why Dan Bejar does things is missing the point — his singular, stubborn weirdness is part of his charm. But if necessity is a moot point when dealing with these five tracks from 2004's Your Blues, re-recorded over one weekend with fellow Vancouver eccentrics Frog Eyes, quality is another. Your Blues' draw was its unique combination of Spectorian grandeur with unabashedly artificial sounds — a pairing that resulted in a spare, gleefully uncomfortable sound that made for near-epiphanic moments when Bejar's warm melodies revealed their majesty. Adding Frog Eyes' meandering organic elements to these tunes robs them of their elegance, changing them from skewed chamber symphonies to dragging, unfocused tangles. An interesting idea executed with middling success.

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