Destroyer’s previous full-length saw Dan Bejar alluding to David Sylvian, New Order,
’80s Miles Davis, Roxy Music’s Avalonǡand Bryan Ferry’s Boys and GirlsǢconstructing
lyrics from cue cards sent to him by African-American visual artist Kara Walker; and
eulogizing the pallid ghosts of the UK music press (“Sounds, Smash Hits, Melody Maker,
NME ȀAll sound likeƒdream to me”). Said album, Kaputtǡproved to be bothƒBillboard
chart commercial breakthrough and universally garlanded critical touchstone,
ascending to second place on Pitchfork’s Best of 2011 list (actually topping it would
have been gauche).
By contrast, Poison Season opens with the Vancouver native swathed in Hunky Dory
strings. He’sƒdashboard Bowie surveying four wracked characters—Jesus, Jacob, Judy,
Jack—simultaneously Biblical and musical theatre. This bittersweet, Times Square-set
fanfare is reprised twice more on the record—first as swaying, saxophone-stoked
“street-rock” and then finally asƒcurtain-closing reverie.