Wasting Your Days: A blog about "Kaputt"

I made a blogpost (a couple months ago) of my favorite songs of the last 5 years. It was kinda stupid. I already disagree with a lot of it, looking back. "Kaputt" by Destroyer was #2 on said list. Looking back on the past 2 months and- well- the past 5 years, I'd have to place this song at #1. My sentimental favorite on so many levels.

When I got my mission call to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in February 2010, I had to look up what bands were from there. I had no idea, but there were a few artists I had heard of from BC! Japandroids, New Pornographers, Black Mountain, Hot Hot Heat, Destroyer... bands I didn't know too well, but liked what I heard. I dug Destroyer's lyrics if anything.
Anyways, Destroyer released his album Kaputt on January 25, 2011. At this time, I myself was serving in North Vancouver. I would have never know this album was being released if we weren't serving around the walking music connoisseur and Vancouver travelogue (and LDS member) Liam Perry-Corbett. We were driving him from Capilano University to the North Van LDS chapel when he told me Destroyer released a new album. He said people were calling it his best work and they couldn't decide what genre it is so "they're calling it 'soft disco.'" I was intrigued, but had to wait over 14 months to hear it.
So I finished my 2 years of having 0 knowledge of what the broad-scope music scene sounded like. I quickly checked out all the Pitchfork-recommended music over the last 2 years, which surprisingly included Destroyer's Kaputt as the 2nd best album of 2011. I went into the album's title track expecting anything. I was watching the music video and was gulping due to its bizarre, mild sensuality and hot disco sounds- uh, should I be watching this? Then about 20 minutes into it, this boy walks in.

As he enters, so do the lyrics. The 9th word of the song is "cocaine." OK. The song only uses 59 words. Some other words tossed out: "America," "NME," "toga," "ocean," to name a few. Behind these words, we hear a driving disco beat with lush, smooth instrumentation.

So what is this song about? Dan Bejar (AKA Destroyer) was 38 when this album was released. He's been a notable indie songwriter since the latter half of the 90s; a true representation of the genre through-and-through. The music to this song didn't sound "indie" to me. Then again- between 2010 and 2015- has anything really sounded "indie?"

Bejar's genre has gone to ruin. Even (ahem) "hipster bands" are split between 80s synth-pop fakers and cheery folk chanters. It's like you can't have a unique 4-piece rock band anymore. From the liberal capital of Vancouver, an aging indie figure ends a song with, "I wrote a song for America. Who Knew?" That "who knew" sounds like it's being choked-up on the verge of tears. The worlds you've know and have been part of is selling out or dying off. Music publications. Kids looking for drugs. Prince, maybe?

Anyways, despite how upbeat this song is, I find it beautiful and very sad. The staggering. descending guitar part repeated toward the end. The fade-out of radio static. The saxophone and trumpet parts. The few synth-chords used that are hazy enough to sleep through. And as usual, nobody knows what the frick Dan is talking (singing?) about. It's rumored that he recorded the vocal part to this song while lying on a couch. This song is an obituary to indie rock and the true heart-felt, dream-following youth who followed it; living for the lifestyle and longing to one day headline clubs in Vancouver.
I have no idea what the music video is about, but I love it.