Destroyer Destroyer- The Dead Sleep Like Us For A Reason (3/10)

Debello Recordings
2006

Tracklisting:
1. Dead Weight As Far As The Eye Can See
2. Horse-Drawn*
3. Error*
4. I'm Tired Of Making You Listen And Listen "Good"
5. Chainsodomy
6. 1981-2005
7. Why Isn't Dr. Gregory's office open? Because It's Sunday. No It Aint!
8. Don't Be Ridiculous, Doctor.

Destroyer's second release is quite the disappointment, if you ask me; and I only say that because this band is absolutely amazing live, and incredibly unique. On CD however, I find it hard to distinguish them from the one hundred and fifty bajillion bands in the Nu Grind upprising. Let me explain.

The first disappointment, that immediately made me want to break something pretty, was that this album is merely their old demo, plus 3 new songs. Which leads me to my immediate response: Why the hell did you release anything at all? What's worse is they didn't even re-record the old songs. It's literally just three new recorded songs plus the old EP, each sounding radically different. I don't think I can put into words how frustrating it is that between track 3 and track 4 the production style shifts completely, and this fact alone has completely tainted my view of the entire album. I'll listen to tracks 1-3, all of which are excellent musically, and then switch to a different band (even though track 4 was my favorite track off the old EP, I just cannot handle the sound change- IT'S HORRIBLE!).

Production wise, let me go ahead and vent a little more. The album must not have been mastered, because all of the tracks, old and new, and incredibly quiet. That coupled with the fact that the recording is so muddy that hardly a single instrument can be distinguished, and then add the chaotic style of the music itself (namely Noah's drumming), and what you have is jumbled noise. That's literally what most of this cd sounds like.

But, I will say this. Overtime I have gotten past these issues to some degree, and the music itself is pretty cool. Picture a fast and heavy version of melancholic jazz, with the greatest drummer of our (well my at least) generation playing behind it, and incoherent shrieking over top. Maybe it's not your cup of tea, but that at least sounds like something that can find a market somewhere.

The layout of the CD is pretty cool, for a low budget label, definitely. The Cd itself is clear, with some crazy designwork over top, and the only part that is opaque is the is the middle, where information was written. The artwork is all very dark and well done, if maybe a bit generic.

All in all, I just can't wait for Destroyer's first release on Goodfellow Records, because I've heard the new Handshake Murders, and that lable knows what they are doing. In case you missed the point, Destroyer is a great band, and definitely worth checking out. This recording is just not the one to go with.

Sounds Like: Really, nothing I've ever heard before.