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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Destroyer's Rubies
by Destroyer
Dan Bejar's seventh Destroyer record is as lyrically dense as ever, but marks a shift to a full-band, guitar-oriented sound after 2004's more eclectic 'Your Blues.'
| LABEL: |
Merge |
| RELEASE DATE: |
21 February 2006 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Indie, Rock |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
The Onion (A.V. Club)
It's an easy Destroyer album to love, approachable as both a collection of strong rock songs and a literary exercise in just how far songs can stretch to make sense of the words within them.
92
cokemachineglow
Destroyer’s Rubies evinces an awareness of a feeling that “I’ve heard something like this before, and really enjoyed it” while denying the listener enough material specifics to follow-up with “It was on this record, recorded by this band, which I listened to when I was this old.”
91
Spin
Hooky, spare, and lush all at once. [Mar 2006, p.95]
91
Filter
In context, Rubies [is] just another piece of the puzzle, but it's the finest jewel yet. [#19, p.99]
90
Lost At Sea
Destroyer’s Rubies is every bit as marvelous as his landmark Streethawk: A Seduction.
90
Amazon.com
In drawing on the theatrical, macro-orchestrations reminiscent of Scott Walker and expanding on the slapdash, quirky, musical humor of the Red Krayola's Mayo Thompson, this album reaches another peak for Bejar and is one of Destroyer's best works yet.
90
Dusted Magazine
It's tempting to spend hours excavating metaphors and translating references on a record this complex and interesting, but Destroyer's Rubies also works well as pop.
90
Village Voice
The stupendous Destroyer's Rubies, recorded with a full, swaggering band, is maybe his best and certainly his least theoretical album.
90
Prefix Magazine
Those who choose to fixate on Bejar's lack of a pretty singing voice are missing the point. Much like John Darnielle, everything outside of Bejar's verse should be seen as peripheral -- a means to deliver the lyrical ends.
90
Paste Magazine
The only thing about Destroyer's Rubies that might shock existing fans is that Bejar's execution, ambition and passion have been buffed to a high shine. [Apr/May 2006, p.102]
90
Neumu.net
This is the defining Destroyer work because of its size and scope, because of its melodicism ("Painter in Your Pocket" the hottest pop song Bejar's authored yet), because of the caliber of its musical chops, and because of the shots Bejar continues to fire.
90
Uncut
A singular, rhapsodic triumph. [Apr 2007, p.94]
85
Pitchfork
Encapsulating and elevating the best of Destroyer's back catalog, Destroyer's Rubies serves as a potent reminder that the intelligence of Bejar's songs has never obfuscated their emotional weight.
83
Entertainment Weekly
His insider snipes at indie-rock pretense show Wildean wit. [24 Feb 2006, p.64]
83
Stylus Magazine
Bejar is so wound up in his own idiosyncratic mythologies, so hopelessly himself that some fans have already said it sounds like a greatest hits record; appropriate that a meta-rocker’s final frontier is his own reflection in the mirror.
80
PopMatters
Bejars songs have, in the past, sometimes seemed like vehicles for his lyrics, yet with Destroyer’s Rubies he seems to have made peace with the musical element of his work as well.
80
NOW Magazine
While the sheer density of Bejar's writing can be overwhelming, Destroyer's Rubies is, on a musical level, the most 'accessible' disc he's released in years.
80
Alternative Press
Rubies is nothing if not ambitious. [Apr 2006, p.204]
80
Delusions of Adequacy
Destroyer’s Rubies is one of those rare albums whose literary value is so compelling as to make any imperfections simply blend in as an essential part of the storyline.
80
Tiny Mix Tapes
All self-examination aside, there's a lot of substance here. Vocally, he has rarely been more on point, and the instrumental ensemble is sound and uniquely Rubiesian.
80
All Music Guide
An amalgam of Streethawk: A Seduction's glam rock posturing, This Night's guitar-heavy psychedelia, and Your Blues' apocalyptic wordplay.
80
The New York Times
It feels like an event: grand, sumptuous, sometimes seductive.
80
ShakingThrough.net
Rubies is one of the most enjoyable listens from Bejar’s solo catalog and comfortably stands with 2002’s This Night as his best effort.
80
Drowned In Sound
Destroyer's Rubies is an inadvertent Guide To Destroyer - every defining quirk, every 70's pop nod and ill-advised but forgivable falsetto is condensed and framed, only without becoming something fans of Bejar will have all heard before.
80
Blender
Bejar's most accessible album yet. [Apr 2006, p.111]
80
Urb
Fey and whimsical, these songs are challenges that reward. [Apr 2006, p.96]
78
Austin Chronicle
Anyone on the fence after 2004's Your Blues need only hear Bejar bark, "I tried to enjoy myself at the society ball" on the luxurious "A Dangerous Woman up to a Point" to see his strength as a songwriter.
73
cokemachineglow
One of [Bejar's] most accomplished (and self-studied) albums, but it’s also one of his least vital.
70
Under The Radar
Adventuruous fare, somewhat mellower than previous efforts, but equally sporadic and striking. [#12, p.90]
60
Billboard
Overall, listeners will struggle to classify "Rubies," as much for Bejar's blurring of bluesy folk, pop and lo-fi indie rock as his unconventional delivery.
The average user rating for this album is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 103 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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