Kaputt - Destroyer
User Score
8.5 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 65 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 65
  3. Negative: 2 out of 65

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  1. turbowingdamage
    Jul 29, 2011
    10
    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.… Collapse
  2. Dingo
    Jun 30, 2011
    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. Belmsher
    Aug 23, 2011
    10
    Perfect. I usually don't appreciate this kind of record, I mean, I often find them pleasant to listen to but never get hooked. With Kaputt, it's completely different. There's something really smooth and genious here, lyrics, instrumental, everything flows perfectly and the songs are so consistent and beautifully produced that I'm lost for words.
  4. LancelandHts
    Jan 26, 2011
    9
    It blends genres many may feel are unauthentic- disco, new age (Yanni anyone?) smooth jazz-but under Bejar's steady hand we get some beautifully lush grooves that I just can't stop listening to over and over again.
  5. jyo_tirmaya
    Apr 3, 2011
    9
    The critics are right. This album is the hottest listen out there right now. the mellow music with sax do not take away from Behar's original sound, they enhance it. The lyrics are so cool. This is one I will go back to many, many times -- sometimes an album needs to have repeated listens to appreciate it, but this album just takes one listen !!! Get it!
  6. WhiteCannon
    Jan 25, 2011
    9
    Dan Bejar's thumb is on the pulse of what's in. It could be said that this album is a throwback to 80's glitzy, gaudy, smooth rock. However, it would be more poignant to say that this album is a work of catchy hooks, and if you can imagine it, excellent 10's style. What's more is that he accomplishes great work in his music by being innovative, while avoiding the obnoxious weirdness market that's popping up all over the world. In this way, Kaputt opens up with Chinatown, luring you in with a very smooth guitar riff, and closes with Bay of Pigs, leaving anyone who happens upon it breathless.… Expand
  7. pkindieboy
    Feb 21, 2011
    10
    I love Destroyers lyrics, and the grooves and instrumentation are shamelessly 80s. I feel like Destroyer is ahead of his time, and time will tell if Ferry-esque smooth pop becomes all the rage in the next while. Either way, this album is compulsively listenable, a joy from start to finish.
  8. Vampire25
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    Kaputt is a record like no other. Each track is beautifully written and crafted together perfectly. I have no complaint for this record. It's flawless. It's some of the smoothest music I've listened too in quite sometime. It's a delight to listen to and it gets better each time I listen too it. All In All, Kaputt is an important record that needs not to be missed. A
  9. bigj452
    Jan 26, 2011
    9
    This album is pretty amazing. The beauty is subtle and flows and creeps and all of a sudden you're dancing and singing the songs over and over again in your head. And Dan Bejar's voice is irresistibly gorgeous. Fantastic.
  10. Jetepoc
    Feb 3, 2011
    9
    I was never a fan of smooth rock from the 80s, but Dan Bejar has re-constructed that vibe to near perfection. This is phenomenal album with excellent songwriting. Michael Bolton should be taking notes.
  11. altInterstate
    Feb 23, 2011
    9
    Sometimes the songs on an album just seem to effortlessly, almost seamlessly, come together where the whole is at least as significant as the sum of its parts. And sometimes an album simply washes over you and manages to sink in just enough where the only thing that saves you from withdrawal is the "repeat" button. For me, this latest Destroyer effort is both of these things. 'Kaputt' has a decidedly smooth, jazzy feel that recalls a bit of early '80s Roxy Music or even Steely Dan, but with new production and mixing techniques and Bejar's distinctive voice. Read my full review here: http://www.altinterstate.com/2011/01/album-review-destroyer-kaputt.html… Expand
  12. MorriBey
    Apr 3, 2011
    10
    This album is awesome. Its what u get when u mix Nicolas Jaar and James Blake. Stand out tracks include ' Blue Eyes', 'Poor in Love' and 'Song for America'. As of April , its my Number 1 album of 2011 so far.
  13. Tigris
    Jun 1, 2011
    10
    (note to the website editor: fyi, the album is set to be released on 13 June 2011 for UK, so a new batch of reviews have been released these just recently).

    This is surprisingly great. And holds up very well in spite of its relatively immediate accessibility. The good production value (which separates it far apart from the other school of nostalgia-inclined synthpopsters as of late,) the     non-formulaic song structures, an honest to goodness and downright delectable use of horn sections without ever tripping itself over to the "ironic" territory, the contrast between the lush (if somewhat minimal) arrangement with the somewhat rough and ineffectual singing; all these seals the deal for me. Bonus points for all those inscrutable lyrics.… Expand
  14. keep_yr_bias
    Feb 16, 2012
    10
    Good god... I don't know how I can even begin to review this album. It would be like trying to review Jesus or world peace or unconditional love. It's flawless. I think I had an eargasm listening to this album. It sounds like nothing I've ever heard, but is immediately gripping and soothing and souful all at the same time. Holy s*** I love this album. If you try to pigeon hole this album as "soft rock" or "smooth jazz" you are a complete idiot. I can pretty much gurantee that I'll be playing this album for the next 50 years. This album is flat out beautiful.… Expand
  15. cloudxchamber
    Sep 20, 2012
    10
    You could tell from 2009's Bay of Pigs EP that Destroyer's next album would be a harsh left turn from his previous one, 2006's excellent Destroyer's Rubies. But with Kaputt, a retro-flavoured quantum leap in his discography, all of Dan Bejar's individual and incredible qualities are augmented to make something startlingly unique and strangely unclassifiable. Its phenomenal cohesion means it will receive criticisms for staying for too long in one place, with only the occasional jump outside its sax-smeared universe, but Kaputt is pulled off so masterfully, with so many subtle elements woven in, that it's not a problem, it's simply a brave artistic choice that has clearly paid off massively. For example, the saxophones that present themselves around every corner: aren't they just the natural extension to Bejar's trademark breathy cynicism? The groovy retro beats and basslines: aren't they the perfect companion to his odd vocal rhythms and rhyme schemes? And the glitzy ambience as found in the title track and elsewhere: isn't it the perfect counterbalance to lines like "chasing cocaine through the back rooms of the world all night"? Not to mention the typically great songwriting, which gives the title track an infectious quality despite it not even having a refrain, and makes way for oddly-structured tracks such as the floaty "Blue Eyes" and the marimba-led 20-minute epic on the vinyl edition, "The Laziest River". But the strongest display of songwriting here must be the album's magnificent 11-minute closer "Bay of Pigs (Detail)" which transforms from a swamp of ambient synths into the most arresting song here, an effortlessly epic moment that only Bejar could pull off in quite the same way, carried by sweeping, romantic lyrics: "A ransom note written on the night sky above / Reminds me what in particular about this wine I love," before building to a satisfying climax of cheering and layered vocals around two minutes from the end, the perfect "happy ending" to an album peppered by socially-conscious anecdotes of death, drugs and whatever else. So yeah, Kaputt isn't about diversity. It's better to think of it just as the perfect execution of a single, brilliant idea.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 39 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. Expert Witness (MSN Music)
    Jan 17, 2012
    83
    This is how the pleasure principle feels to an alienated unbeliever resigned to engaging the world on his own perverse terms.
    Read full review
  2. The Guardian
    Dec 22, 2011
    100
    It's unique and warm and beautiful, as love letters are supposed to be.
    Read full review
  3. Mojo
    Jun 21, 2011
    80
    Dan Bejar's surprising mix of slinky '80s soft rock and sophisticated disco. [July 2011, p. 106]
See all critic reviews »