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Critic Reviews
100
It's unique and warm and beautiful, as love letters are supposed to be.
10y
100
Kaputt is a rare work of historical interpretation and pop artistry, full of beauty and wonder.
15y
100
While Bejar's arrangement decisions challenge popular notions of what delineates good and bad music, shaking off preconceptions in order to immerse yourself in Kaputt's nighttime world is worth the effort.
10y
92
It takes a few listens for all its subtle nuances to emerge; repeat visits draw attention to just how well-constructed these songs are
15y
92
For the LP, the back end of the formerly 13 minute-long track has been cribbed and a splash of Thrasher’s vocals added to its final seconds, and it’s as good a final act to Kaputt as could be found.
8y
91
An album that’s as stunning for its straight-faced chutzpah as for its unrepentant, obsessively well-coiffed lushness.
15y
91
Kaputt nods to Steely Dan and late Roxy Music, and its shimmering synths and moody soft rock would be the perfect soundtrack to a romantic urban noir.
3y
90
This is a solid album with some great ideas, and when it’s given the attention it really deserves, those qualities come out in droves.
15y
90
Kaputt is the sort of record that arrives only once in a while: an expansive world that captivates you from beginning to end, impresses you with its self-awareness and cohesiveness, then releases you from its grasp when it's all over.
15y
90
Destroyer's latest album is an unexpected change of pace from Dan Bejar and the gang. Rather than continuing to embrace the folk, glam, baroque pop aesthetics that brought the band this far, Kaputt emulates the sounds of disco, new wave, and smooth jazz.
8y
90
Kaputt is the sound of an artist released from his back catalogue and his own notions of how a song should be sung, or written. It is a mighty, mighty piece of work and really worth celebrating. In my mind, this is Destroyer's best album yet.
14y
90
He approaches near perfection by combining complex song structures with simple pop melodies.
15y
88
More than any other Destroyer record, you can just throw this on and it sounds good, and plenty will do well stopping there. But for those so inclined, there's more to explore.
15y
86
Only Bejar knows the logic behind his musical metamorphoses, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy an album as smart and as beguiling as Kaputt.
15y
85
Kind of like the whole idea of a disco album, a collaboration with a visual artist about African-Americans' tragic history is something you would never expect from Destroyer, and yet once you listen, it seems perfectly authentic, inspired, and essential.
8y
83
The world should be happy he’s not normal; it makes for good listening.
12y
80
Kaputt expresses the Vancouverite's fastidious Anglophilia, rustling up '80s pop opulence while maintaining a scruffy bohemian cred.
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3y
80
Dan Bejar's surprising mix of slinky '80s soft rock and sophisticated disco.
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3y
80
Not all of Kaputt is so dynamic, and many of the songs require a few listens before they begin to assert their individual identities. But Kaputt does contain riches to rival the previous highpoints in the Destroyer canon.
11y
80
Consequently, listeners might initially slide between its smooth grooves into a pit of cheese – but steady yourself, because Kaputt deserves perseverance.
11y
80
Sure it's a little pretentious, but poetic license feels more like a savage gift in Bejar's hands.
13y
80
Bejar creates an astonishing world in just nine songs; it's his finest work to date, and excessive, but irresistibly so.
14y
80
Bejar has relaxed his vocal delivery a little here, perhaps to better blend with the rich, shiny detail of his music.
15y
70
Kaputt expresses equal slyness via gratiutious saxophone and trumpet solos.
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3y
70
Bejar’s ninth disc detours into all manner of early-Eighties smoothness — glassy New Wave bass lines, blue-Monday synths, turquoise- sport-coat saxophones, backup singers straight off a Steely Dan record, all filtered through the obtuse, literary bent that turns Destroyer albums into such fun puzzles.
11y
70
Long on cryptic references and Euro-weary mood, the vintage electronic-pop ambience of Destroyer's ninth album recalls the days when MTV emphasized music.
15y
70
Where previous outings like This Night and Streethawk: A Seduction mined the '70s for inspiration, 2011's Kaputt utilizes '80s sophisti-pop, New Romantic, Northern soul, and straight-up adult contemporary to deliver a flawed but fascinating record.
15y
60
I'm a huge fan of long songs, straining and personal vocals much like Thom Yorke's and easy-listening, but this album and this Destroyer was a completely different side as compared to the song that made me give a listen to Bejar in the first place, but it is overall a consistent album.
13y
60
Kaputt is eccentric and enjoyable, but it's no Infidels, which is to say it never quite breaks through its sonic limitations.
15y
mfs really decided to name their band “Destroyer” and then decided to make music like this.
[Hello AOTY, I've been a bit busy lately, but I'll come back more active. This does not prevent me from following your projects and reviews closely. I'm currently working on the revisit of the year 2011 (for the 10 years anniversary you will have understood) in order to be able to publish a list in a near future of my Top. This list will be accompanied by some reviews according to my desires as the one of today and I am also open to some suggestions that you can indicate in the comments. Thanks ... read more
This album took a long while to grow on me (over a year? at least) but now I consider it my second favourite of all time.
So many times you hear people claim an album is 'atmospheric', 'transportive', 'magical', 'its own world'...this is one of the few albums that truly lives up to such billing.
Didn't expect to be brought to tears by this album lol, just really nostalgic and somehow bittersweet
Album Trade Week 9: @TreeofAllTime
Some really smooth and jazzy art pop. This just sounds really nice, it’s very easy listening to me I could put this on and work on something else in the background and it would work perfectly but I can also sit here and really appreciate the intricacies of every song as well. Instrumentally this is stellar, I loved the guitars on here and the jazzy use of horns was really nice, the synths were solid as well, everything just sounds really smooth and just ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | Chinatown 3:49 | 95 |
| 2 | Blue Eyes 4:07 | 90 |
| 3 | Savage Night At the Opera 4:23 | 89 |
| 4 | Suicide Demo for Kara Walker 8:25 | 93 |
| 5 | Poor In Love 3:26 | 86 |
| 6 | Kaputt 6:17 | 95 |
| 7 | Downtown 3:51 | 88 |
| 8 | Song for America 4:28 | 86 |
| 9 | Bay of Pigs (detail) 11:17 | 92 |
Total Length: 50 minutes
Year End Lists
| #1 | / | Obscure Sound |
| #2 | / | Pitchfork |
| #2 | / | Prefix |
| #7 | / | Pazz and Jop |
| #9 | / | Consequence of Sound |
| #9 | / | One Thirty BPM |
| #9 | / | Tiny Mix Tapes |
| #12 | / | Treble |
| #13 | / | Cokemachineglow |
| #13 | / | No Ripcord |
| #16 | / | Amazon |
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