For those acquainted with the exciting world of Canadian indie rock, Dan Bejar is probably a household name. With his name attached to The New Pornographers, Swan Lake, and Destroyer, one might claim that Bejar is an indie megastar. The latter might sound like a death metal band to the less inclined, but Destroyer is more akin to Pavement or Guided by Voices than it is to Iron Maiden or Metallica.
With Trouble in Dreams, Bejar expands on the full band sound that served him so well on 2006’s brilliant Destroyer’s Rubies (one of my favourite albums from that year). Bejar has little use for trends or “what the kids are listening to.” Instead, with Trouble in Dreams, he pours himself into the music and lets it wander where it must.
The lead single, “Foam Hands,” has the typical perplexing lyrical style known to Bejar fans, but it also has a gently slow gait and a resolute progression. The full band feel is in full swing and this one feels a bit like a lilting Neil Young tune.
Other tunes come together under Bejar’s watchful eye beautifully, with the hazy and pompous wall of guitar greeting us on “My Favorite Year” or the self-parody of the nomadic tale of woe found on “Plaza Trinidad,” a truly peculiar song. The latter owns one of the meanest riffs I’ve heard in a long time, tucked beneath the maddening vocals and damn near fanatical chord progressions. “I couldn’t believe how loud it was,” Bejar sings before trailing off like a madman.
Working off the skeleton of Destroyer’s Rubies really does a lot of favours here, as the songs are profound and intricate. Bejar has obviously been arranging with a sort of showy, swaggering flamboyance. The songs are exploratory and his lyrics dance around the arrangements, refusing to play by the rules. Bejar rebels against rhythm and meanders a lot, which can either be gratifying or aggravating.
With “Leopard of Honor,” he does his best to make you choose between whether this is all a bit too absurd or whether it’s good enough to avoid being used on some Starbucks compilation. The album’s final track, “Libby’s First Sunrise,” is a soft and absorbing ballad… with hand claps.
Trouble in Dreams is a unique album. Stunningly arranged and knowingly pretentious, Bejar and Destroyer sound magnificently in control and, at the same time, reluctant passengers going where the music takes them. With strings, shifting time signatures, winding compositions, and eccentric but beguiling vocals, Trouble in Dreams is rock candy for indie fans.
Article comments
1 - Kevin Eagan
I've listened to the streaming version of this on Merge's Web site, and I'm waiting for my hard copy to come in the mail. It really is an excellent album, and I've always loved Bejar's work with The New Pornographers.