Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 10/08/2002
This Night is a sometimes-fragile, sometimes-bombastic
folk-rock record that plays like early-'70s
Bowie jamming with
Bright Eyes.
Daniel Bejar's bittersweet songwriting and the sparkling production match his
Dylan wordplay, earthy strumming, and crunchy, skyward electric guitar riffs to establish
This Night solidly as
Destroyer's
Hunky Dory. From
"Holly Going Lightly" -- an
indie rock tune of operatic proportions and utter levity -- to the dark,
"The Bewlay Brothers"-meets-
Calexico "The Chosen Few," it's clear that this comparison would sit perfectly well with
Bejar. And so what if he takes his influences so seriously?
Bowie fans have been waiting for another
Hunky Dory since 1972.
Destroyer's
This Night follows through on that wish without ever being a simple sound-alike and, in the process, adds a welcome dose of
Grandaddy, the criminally underrated
Television Personalites, and even some good old
Lou Reed rock.
"Snow White" is the most cryptic and downright moving hat-tip to
"Sweet Jane" and
Reed's favorite state of being ("Hey, Snow White/It's gonna be alright") and one of the most zoned-out, uncomplicated, and gratifying
rock tunes of the year.
~Charles Spano, All Music Guide
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