Poor Dan Bejar. I've given him such a hard time. But it's only because I love him so, and I expect nothing but brilliance from him. And after the premature blah I felt for In Rainbows, which I presently regard as one of Radiohead's most gorgeous, I knew that I'd be discovering Destroyer's latest with some...trepidation. Apprehension? Uncertainty? Unreasonably high expectations? Yep, all of that.
And, lo and behold, I downloaded Trouble in Dreams, listened to it once through, and didn't like it. It was my second or third week in France, and I was so super pumped to find an early/illegal download of the whole album. I had heard "Foam Hands," and loved it, so I had a good feeling. But that didn't make me any less critical; on the contrary, it made my anticipation that much more intense.
I listened to it for the first time one day on my walk to class. Oh, how I was disappointed. Crushed, even. So let down, in fact, that I made no attempt to hide it; many a Francais I encountered on my path to the university undoubtedly witnessed my dislike - a couple of the songs stirred such immediate, instinctive displeasure in me, that I made faces. I cringed. And I thought, "Oh God...oh no, what is this. This is not good. What did he do? What has Dan Bejar done to me? Oh dear." The two main culprits of this aversive reaction were "The State" and "Shooting Rockets."
Alors, I wanted nothing to do with the album. I just wanted it to go away. I wanted to forget that I had heard it. So I just flocked back to Your Blues, because I just didn't want to think that Dan Bejar had created something that displeased me. What a cruel notion!
But, after some time away from it, I decided that I couldn't ignore it. Dan's one of my favorite artists, and honestly, I hadn't given the album a fair chance. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was never about the album - it's about the strange complex I have for hearing new material from my favorite artists. It was the same with IR - I had been waiting for it to come out, hadn't heard from Radiohead in a long time, was expecting something extraordinary...I mean, that's a pretty tough crowd. When you expect perfection, even if something is brilliant, when you expect perfection, you will always be let down. Always.
So, it took me understanding how I function as a music fan/critic, how hearing a new album from an old fave is a totally, 100% different experience from discovering a new artist whose work you've never heard before. And once I understood that, I felt I could return to TiD with a little bit more clarity, and with a more open mind.
I was ready, so I re-approached it, this album that I had shoved under the rug for a lil' while. And now, now that I'm ready for it, it's so much better. The music sounds better, and the experience itself is so much more enjoyable. I just needed some time, that's all.
And after some time, and a few more listens, I've concluded that there is a definitely a beauty to this album. It's a different kind of beauty than that of Rubies, and it's just about the polar opposite of Your Blues. But I'm feelin' it right now. It's fitting together. Even "The State" and "Shooting Rockets" have won my heart, in varying degrees. Previously, I had been "opposed, against, contre" Shooting Rockets, but, like I said, premature. I appreciate it now.
My favorites have to be...well, crap. I know that "Foam Hands" is still way, way up there; also, "My Favorite Year," and now I really like "Libby's First Sunrise" and "Introducing Angels." Oh, and "Dark Leaves From A Thread." Well, Jesus, I guess I like all of them.
Fickle, I am. For music, and music only. Fickle for music.
And, lo and behold, I downloaded Trouble in Dreams, listened to it once through, and didn't like it. It was my second or third week in France, and I was so super pumped to find an early/illegal download of the whole album. I had heard "Foam Hands," and loved it, so I had a good feeling. But that didn't make me any less critical; on the contrary, it made my anticipation that much more intense.
I listened to it for the first time one day on my walk to class. Oh, how I was disappointed. Crushed, even. So let down, in fact, that I made no attempt to hide it; many a Francais I encountered on my path to the university undoubtedly witnessed my dislike - a couple of the songs stirred such immediate, instinctive displeasure in me, that I made faces. I cringed. And I thought, "Oh God...oh no, what is this. This is not good. What did he do? What has Dan Bejar done to me? Oh dear." The two main culprits of this aversive reaction were "The State" and "Shooting Rockets."
Alors, I wanted nothing to do with the album. I just wanted it to go away. I wanted to forget that I had heard it. So I just flocked back to Your Blues, because I just didn't want to think that Dan Bejar had created something that displeased me. What a cruel notion!
But, after some time away from it, I decided that I couldn't ignore it. Dan's one of my favorite artists, and honestly, I hadn't given the album a fair chance. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was never about the album - it's about the strange complex I have for hearing new material from my favorite artists. It was the same with IR - I had been waiting for it to come out, hadn't heard from Radiohead in a long time, was expecting something extraordinary...I mean, that's a pretty tough crowd. When you expect perfection, even if something is brilliant, when you expect perfection, you will always be let down. Always.
So, it took me understanding how I function as a music fan/critic, how hearing a new album from an old fave is a totally, 100% different experience from discovering a new artist whose work you've never heard before. And once I understood that, I felt I could return to TiD with a little bit more clarity, and with a more open mind.
I was ready, so I re-approached it, this album that I had shoved under the rug for a lil' while. And now, now that I'm ready for it, it's so much better. The music sounds better, and the experience itself is so much more enjoyable. I just needed some time, that's all.
And after some time, and a few more listens, I've concluded that there is a definitely a beauty to this album. It's a different kind of beauty than that of Rubies, and it's just about the polar opposite of Your Blues. But I'm feelin' it right now. It's fitting together. Even "The State" and "Shooting Rockets" have won my heart, in varying degrees. Previously, I had been "opposed, against, contre" Shooting Rockets, but, like I said, premature. I appreciate it now.
My favorites have to be...well, crap. I know that "Foam Hands" is still way, way up there; also, "My Favorite Year," and now I really like "Libby's First Sunrise" and "Introducing Angels." Oh, and "Dark Leaves From A Thread." Well, Jesus, I guess I like all of them.
Fickle, I am. For music, and music only. Fickle for music.
2 comments:
i still don't care for destroyer. i said it. his VOICE... does something icky to me.
I know, I know. I'm not going to force you to like him, because he's a very hit-or-miss artist. You either love him, or ya hate him. So you fall into the group of the latter. Which is cool. It's just that I, personally, adore him and all of his music. But I never thought you would, because of the voice thing, which is understandable. It just happens to work for me, that's all. Whatevs.
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