Kaputt - Destroyer
Kaputt Image
Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 39 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 65 Ratings

  • Summary: Canadian pop craftsman Daniel Bejar's ninth album combines the glam of David Bowie and the rock and roll of T. Rex into a retro dance soundtrack for disco fans.
  • Record Label: Merge
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Synth Pop
  • More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 39
  2. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. Dec 22, 2011
    100
    It's unique and warm and beautiful, as love letters are supposed to be.
  2. Jan 25, 2011
    100
    Destroyer's new album Kaputt may be one of the most indefensible albums of all time. But it's also a masterpiece.
  3. Jun 21, 2011
    80
    Dan Bejar's surprising mix of slinky '80s soft rock and sophisticated disco. [July 2011, p. 106]
  4. 60
    Kaputt is filled with light, sprightly textures, all pleasant and groovy, but the album still seems to lumber along with breezy but basic sequencer rhythms, indistinct melodies, and sax blowing similarly all the way through.

See all 39 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. As of July, this is my favorite album of 2011 by at least one order of magnitude. The same relaxed, funky groove runs throughout the whole record (with the exception of 11-minute closer "Bay of Pigs"), but Dan Bejar finds tons of contrast in his soft rock/disco sound, from the ecstatic "Savage Night at the Opera" to the melancholy "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker." It's Bejar's most gorgeous record, and also his most fun. Expand
  2. 10
    I bloody adore this album. I have two things to say that ought to attract abuse. 1) Comparisons to smooth jazz are stupid and misguided. Retro, absolutely. But the smooth jazz diagnosis is pinning guilt by (mis)association. 2) Relevantly, nothing helps to clarify Bon Iver's recent disappointment more than Kaputt. It shows that Vernon's intentions were worthy and groovy, yet the product was ultimately flaccid and unappealing. Expand
  3. Destroyer frontman (and back-man, and inbetween-man) Dan Bejar hinted at the direction of 'Kaputt' with his "Bay of Pigs" single in 2009, but its realization still feels like a surprise: An album of lush horns, analog synthesizers, backup singers? Not since 2004 'Your Blues' track "It's Gonna Take an Airplane" has Bejar knocked the indie EZ-listening ball out of the park. A far cry from 2008's sloppy 'Trouble in Dreams,' 'Kaputt' restores some of the luster to the Destroyer crown, whose most dazzling jewel remains the 2006 'Destroyer's Rubies' -- an album which has more in common with '70s Bowie than the Style Council and Blow Monkeys influences found on 'Kaputt.' Tossing off funny lines like "Wasting your days chasing some girls -- all right, chasing cocaine..." in verse remains a particular gift of Bejar; and if there's anything to complain about the album, it's that he may have gone too overboard: One acoustic track, one respite from the '80s synths may have been a smart move, a toss of the bone for those who prefer their Destroyer just a little more unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed. Expand
  4. Here's the thing about destroyer's new album. It's good. It's not great, but it's good. Personally, I find the album to be kind of one note. There is a carefree stride throughout this album, and it will keep you listening for a while. Standout tracks are suicide demo for kara walker and the album title. Also, the sax is awesome, but is ruined because he puts it in every goddamn song. Expand

See all 18 User Reviews

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