Destroyer's Rubies - Destroyer
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 111 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 91 out of 111
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 111
  3. Negative: 14 out of 111

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  1. JMan
    Apr 4, 2006
    4
    Although this has grown on me after multiple listens, I still can not full engage in it...'contrived is' the right word.
  2. staubin
    Apr 12, 2006
    4
    for some reason, whenever i hear bejar's voice, i am reminded of an evil scheming wizard. which is a shame, since the songs are so well constructed.
  3. SpiralJacobs
    Jun 16, 2006
    4
    Cheesy, pretentious, and contrived lyrics about nothing, sung in an annoying nasal voice that demands you believe what is being sung to be profound and not some jumbled, faux-literary garbage. Every single darn song has those ridiculous, cheesy, "Lalala la la la la la" chantings. Bejar is a fake and and a fool.
  4. BrettN
    Jun 2, 2006
    3
    Never listened to him before and I want my money back
  5. SlavekP
    Nov 24, 2006
    3
    Why does he sound and sing like a DICK?! This guy's voice ruins everything, and every song it seems. Seriously, you can't call this a great album! Take some voice lessons!! Makes David Byrne sound as good as Bowie.
  6. CliffHanger
    Jul 3, 2006
    2
    wow, these comments are so authoritive - if i hadn't listened to 'Rubies' (gall-stones) i might have found them saucy - but i have ... unfortunately. This is one long la-la-la Yawn of an album. And yes I like the New Pornographers. So there.
  7. othostice
    Jul 13, 2006
    2
    ZZZZZZZZZZ. Thank goodness Carl Newman calls the shots with the NPs and Neko sings the really good songs. Bejar should content himself with being a good writer and sideman. His voice is like fingernails on a blackboard.
  8. Crease
    Mar 8, 2006
    1
    can someone please tell me why this is good? the lyrics are contrived and unbelievable.(I mean that in a bad way, I do not believe him). Every song sounds the same, the music is not good enough to carry the album and his voice in very annoying.
  9. WilliamS
    Apr 21, 2006
    1
    Don't believe the hype! Please don't.
  10. CaseyC
    May 6, 2006
    1
    I don't know where you guys are coming from, but this music annoys me totally. The classification of this albumn shouldn't be in the Indie, Rock....more of a folk...not my stlye
  11. BrianG
    Jan 7, 2007
    0
    I find it highly questionable that any "top list" of CD's can possibly feature a CD by Dan Bejar & Co. Anyone who has witnessed this guy perform can attest to the notion that his attempts at singing are nothing more than a drunk carelessly bleating over the mic...like that annoying guy at the karaoke bar who's had way too much liquor and thinks it's hilarious to mangle the song. Did this guy just do some really big favors to better bands, and thereby elicit a lifetime of sympathy from other musicians? The only Destroyer that matters is the KISS album, period.… Expand
  12. laurenw
    Mar 2, 2006
    0
    no words neccessary...
  13. JaredS
    Nov 29, 2006
    0
    Dan Bejar shouldn't be allowed near a professional recording studio.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    His insider snipes at indie-rock pretense show Wildean wit. [24 Feb 2006, p.64]
  2. Pitchfork
    85
    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.
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  3. PopMatters
    80
    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.
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