Destroyer

"Dan Bejar started Destroyer as a solo project in Vancouver in 1995. His first album, We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, was an electric folk record, setting the stage for the early Bowie comparisons that were certain to follow his particular vocal style. In 1998, Bejar added a rhythm section and took it into the studio for the first time. The resulting recording, City of Daughters, is a sparsely produced collection of catchy pop songs in which Bejar's increasingly obtuse lyrics really start to stand out. Thief, again recorded in Vancouver, was released in 2000, but by now the lineup had expanded into a quintet. The sparse production and the Bowie comparisons remained, but Bejar's cryptic lyrics and unique voice gave this rant against the music industry an original quality missing from many of that year's releases. The following year would see Destroyer's fourth album, Streethawk: A Seduction. Streethawk begins right where Thief leaves off. The production and the sound remain solid, but the lyrics have become even more obtuse. Stuck somewhere between literacy and nonsense, they must be considered poetry because any attempt to decipher meaning, however hidden, might drive the listener crazy. This Night was the next release, an oblique and melodic album that portrayed Bejar as a ranting, depressed singer.


Destroyer has not been the only vehicle for Bejar's talents -- he is also one of the songwriters (along with Carl Newman of Zumpano) responsible for the much-acclaimed New Pornographers' Mass Romantic (Mint Records). This Night, which appeared in fall 2002, marked his first for Merge. His quirkiest material to date was captured on 2004's Your Blues. In 2005 Bejar collaborated with touring partners Frog Eyes on Notorious Lightning and Other Works, a six-track EP containing re-recorded versions of material from Your Blues with Frog Eyes as the backing band. In 2005 Bejar contributed three songs to the New Pornographers' critically acclaimed Twin Cinema and spent the better part of that year on tour with the Canadian supergroup. February 2006 saw the release of Destroyer's Rubies, a return to the guitar-based sound of This Night with a touch of Streethawk-era drama. After devoting some more time to the New Pornographers and Swan Lake, he returned to the sanctuary of his solo project, and released his eighth record, Trouble in Dreams, in March of 2008. The following year saw the release of Swan Lake's second outing, Enemy Mine, as well as the ambient Bay of Pigs EP (Destroyer). He contributed three tracks to the New Pornographers' fifth studio album, 2010’s Together, before releasing 2011’s Kaputt, his ninth LP under the Destroyer moniker." - Terrance Miles, AllMusicGuide

Sandro Perri is a songwriter and producer of new music. Within the broad spectrum of his work are elements of pop, folk, electronic, dance, jazz, noise and rock. His latest LP, Impossible Spaces, experiments with new song and production beyond any of his previous efforts to date. Dusted Magazine suggested that "Perri spins anti-matter and intangibles into something undeniably real."

Since 1999, he has released more than a dozen solo and collaborative records under his given name as well as Polmo Polpo, Glissandro 70, Dot Wiggin and Continuous Dick. He founded a 12″ label (Audi Sensa) for his early releases but has since worked almost exclusively with Constellation (home of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, A Silver Mt. Zion, Colin Stetson and Do Make Say Think.)

His early music, as Polmo Polpo, explored dance music at it's fringes; slowed-down techno, crumbling rhythm and white noise provided a shifting bed of sound for lap steel guitar and cello. It was during this period that Perri developed an approach to creating musical hybrids through production and composition. Most of this music, originally only available on 12″, was compiled on CD in 2002 as The Science Of Breath. In 2003, he recorded a 28-minute cover of Arthur Russell's 1978 classic Kiss Me Again, forging a mellow but monstrous new blend of disco and drone. It was edited down and released in 2005, with blessings by Russell's original co-producer, legendary DJ Nicky Siano.

Also in 2003, Constellation released Like Hearts Swelling, Perri's full-length debut as Polmo Polpo. 5 long tracks of looped strings, guitar, percussion and heavy electronics combined to create an epic and meditative record of "perfectly structured, unstructured sound" (Pitchfork). Like Hearts Swelling was met with critical praise worldwide and an invitation to perform at London's ATP Festival in 2004.

In 2004, Perri stepped beyond loops and reshaped his music for live musicians. He started work on group arrangements and pursued songwriting (and singing) as a new challenge. He recorded an EP of vocal-based songs in 2006, Sandro Perri Plays Polmo Polpo. Proposed as a re-imagining of instrumentals from Like Hearts Swelling, it was referred to as "…like his earlier music coming apart at the seams." (Dusted)

He further refined this approach on 2007's Tiny Mirrors, an LP of liquid folk songs performed with some of Toronto's freest improvisers. Striking "a perfect balance of sophisticated writing and deceptively effortless performance," Tiny Mirrors signaled a significant breakthrough for Perri as a songwriter. It was met with critical acclaim; long-listed for Canada's Polaris Prize, nominated for SOCAN's Echo Songwriting award ("Double Suicide") and named the #1 record of 2007 by acclaimed music writer Carl Wilson.

Throughout this period, Perri continued to explore dance music (the one-off Continuous Dick 12" in 2005) and joined forces with guitarist Craig Dunsmuir to form Glissandro 70. Together they shaped Dunsmuir's solo guitar music into a s/t debut for Constellation in 2006. Threading looped guitars around odd-time rhythms and chants, they melded elements of early dance, math rock, juju and noisy electronics into a record of striking originality. Their infectious "Bolan Muppets" earned a spot on Prins Thomas' Cosmo Galactic Prism mix while music critic Philip Sherburne tweeted "I feel like Glissandro 70 invented 2011 in 2007."

Other past and present collaborators include Great Lake Swimmers, Eric Chenaux, Ryan Driver, Fond Of Tigers, Andre Ethier, Lorenz Peter, Mantler, Zongamin, Mickey Moonlight and Drew Brown. In 2010, Perri collaborated with John K Samson, Christine Fellows and filmmaker Daniel Cockburn for Canada's historic National Parks Project.

Increasingly active in studio and production work, he has also provided various levels of assistance as producer, tracking, mix, remix and mastering engineer to artists including Owen Pallett (w/Grizzly Bear), Stephen Malkmus, The Acorn, Deep Dark United, Woodpigeon, Devon Sproule and many more.

Touring internationally since 2003, Perri has appeared at numerous festivals including ATP, Domino, Nuit Blanche (playing Erik Satie's Vexations for solo piano), MUTEK, Wordless Music Series, MOMA PS/1 Warmup, Maxximalism, Suoni Per Il Popolo, Tanned Tin, Heartland, Send+Receive, X-Avant and Sappyfest.

He received composition and recording grants from the Toronto Arts Council and Ontario Arts Council in 2005, 2006 and 2010.

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Destroyer with Sandro Perri

Saturday, June 16 · 8:00PM at 9:30 Club