Destroyer's Rubies Explained

Destroyer's Rubies
Type:	studio
Artist:	Destroyer
Cover:	Destroyer's Rubies (Front Cover).png
Released:	February 21, 2006
Recorded:	sporadically from May 20 to July 23, 2005^[1]
Studio:	JC/DC Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia
Genre:	Indie rock folk rock^[2] jazz
Length:
Prev Title:	Notorious Lightning & Other Works
Prev Year:	2005
Next Title:	Trouble in Dreams
Next Year:	2008

Destroyer's Rubies is the seventh studio album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer, released on February 21, 2006 on Merge Records, Scratch Records, Acuarela Discos, Architecture, and Rough Trade Records.^[3]

Musical style

Dan Bejar has stated that Destroyer's Rubies was intended to sound "Like a band playing in a room."^[4] He also called the album a "very natural record," noting that he embraced traditional songwriters such as Bob Dylan along with "image-heavy rants, but with a melodious, loping, folk-rock background."^[5] Lyrically, Bejar stated that the rest of the band is "coughing up so much melody" that he could do whatever he wanted with the words; the album was the "apex of [the lyrics] dueling with the music."^{[6] [7]} Pitchfork noted the use of stark acoustic guitar, and The New York Times described the album and as "elegant, shaggy version of classic rock," emphasizing the use of baritone saxophone, a tambourine, and Bejar's "weird, yelpy voice."^[8]

Release

The album peaked at #24 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers music chart, and made it to #30 on the magazine's Top Independent Albums chart.^[9]

Reception

Destroyer's Rubies received widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 88, based on 30 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Matt LeMay of Pitchfork gave the album a very favorable review, stating: "The album is structurally complex, thematically dense, and labyrinthine in its self-referentiality. Dan Bejar's vocals are, like many of his indie contemporaries, yelpy and dramatic, and many of his lyrics seem preordained to serve as mp3 blog headers. In other words, the qualities that once made Destroyer albums so 'difficult' make Destroyer's Rubies a perfect record for this critical moment."

Pitchfork placed Destroyer's Rubies at number 158 on their list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.^[10]

Personnel

• Dan Bejar
• Ted Bois
• Nicolas Bragg
• Tim Loewen
• Scott Morgan
• Fisher Rose
• John Collins

Notes and References

1. Web site: Destroyer – Destroyer's Rubies (2006, CD). Discogs.
2. Web site: Pitchfork Staff . The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s . . October 2, 2009. ...and Destroyer’s Rubies is his best-yet work under the moniker. The tics and themes that make his music so undeniably his are all here, as is the shaggy jazz and folk-rock.... April 28, 2023.
3. Web site: Destroyer (4) - Destroyer's Rubies. Discogs.
4. Web site: Hannan . Thomas . Destroyer: "I've always liked singing in Spanish so I thought I should try it" . Line of Best Fit . 3 May 2019 . 2 December 2013.
5. Web site: McGovern . Kyle . The SPIN Interview: Destroyer's Dan Bejar . SPIN . Valence Media . 3 May 2019 . 3 August 2015.
6. Web site: Prickett . Sam . Treating depravity: A conversation with Destroyer's Dan Bejar . Treble . Treble Media . 3 May 2019 . 9 October 2017.
7. Web site: LeMay . Matt . Destroyer . Pitchfork . 3 May 2019 . 12 June 2006.
8. Web site: Sanneth . Kelefa . A Singer on the Brink of Self-Sabotage . The New York Times . 3 May 2019 . 23 February 2006.
9. Book: Billboard . 11 March 2006 . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . 66–67 . 5 May 2019.
10. Web site: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200–151. Pitchfork. Pitchfork staff. September 28, 2009. October 1, 2009. October 2, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151002234050/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7706-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-200-151/5/. dead.