Ken
by Destroyer
  • Record Label: Merge
  • Release Date: Oct 20, 2017
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
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  1. Jungstir
    Oct 21, 2017
    7
    Destroyer unabashed and unafraid. 1st half acoustic and the more enjoyable latter half fully electronic with fine guitar riffs and memorable keyboards with David Bowie like vocals. Truly Destroyer has loyal fans and always delivers.
  2. DavidWasHere
    Oct 21, 2017
    8
    ken is a rather interesting album. While I'm not as familiar with Destroyer's past work outside of the New Pornographers and his last album Poison Season, which has been a while, I'm not sure if ken is representative of his other work, especially coming off of Poison Season because it's a total throwback to gothic 80s post-punk, particularly the Cure. Like it is kind of scary how superken is a rather interesting album. While I'm not as familiar with Destroyer's past work outside of the New Pornographers and his last album Poison Season, which has been a while, I'm not sure if ken is representative of his other work, especially coming off of Poison Season because it's a total throwback to gothic 80s post-punk, particularly the Cure. Like it is kind of scary how super similar the instrumentation and production sounds like it would have been on a Cure album in the 80s. Which isn't a bad thing. Not at all. The album has this eerie tone and atmosphere that is complimented by beautiful spaced out guitar work that just adds to the overall vibe and mood. While some listeners might be thrown off by how relaxed and low-key the album can be, and people new to Destroyer might not like Dan's vocals, which sound like an odd mix of Bowie and Marc Bolan (I dig it), dig deeper and there is more to enjoy, especially with the lyrical content matching so well to the overall mood.… Expand
  3. Music_Observer
    Nov 2, 2017
    6
    The musicians had a nice clean slate approach that came through with sharp texture changes and prominent guitar effects, but without much pleasantry or color the sound wasn’t overwhelmingly successful and didn’t deserve to be the crux of the entire work, as the songwriting suffered from being ordinary and awkward despite keeping a basic level of interest. My Score: 118/180 (Good) = 6.5/10
  4. heady_v_goode
    Oct 23, 2017
    10
    user "jungstir" review before mine is extremely misleading. the first half of this album is not acoustic in any way! A few acoustic guitars pop up at various points throughout the album, but it's certainly not limited to the first half. The sound is consistent throughout this record. It definitely has a UK/Euro 80s throwback vibe to it, but its true heart (like Poison Season before it)user "jungstir" review before mine is extremely misleading. the first half of this album is not acoustic in any way! A few acoustic guitars pop up at various points throughout the album, but it's certainly not limited to the first half. The sound is consistent throughout this record. It definitely has a UK/Euro 80s throwback vibe to it, but its true heart (like Poison Season before it) lies squarely in the light, sophisticated sonic journey begun in earnest with Kaputt, which is when Destroyer arguably found his sound.

    Saxes and muted trumpets appear occasionally; layers of electric guitars sometimes sound so wet and smeared they resemble foggy horn sections. Destroyer music always plays well in nice weather and this is no exception, despite its grey sky vibes. No matter its influences or goals it marries everything to the aforementioned trademark Destroyer sound.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. musicOMH.com
    Nov 15, 2017
    80
    Comfortably surpassing Poison Season, ken is hugely listenable throughout, and with so many ‘80s touchpoints in evidence, it often sounds like it could actually have been made at that time. Which, despite the uneducated blindly condemning the decade due to its considerable amount of cheese and big hair, is no bad thing.
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  2. The Quietus
    Oct 31, 2017
    80
    While Poison Season sounded like the kind of late-career ‘mature’ album that Bejar could be content to make for the rest of his life, ken shows that he is still full of the potential to surprise--and long may he continue to do so.
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  3. Pretty Much Amazing
    Oct 31, 2017
    58
    This is the kind that makes you want to go back and listen to his older stuff, if only to remind you he’s capable of wonders.
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