Dick Dank Challenge #2: Destroyer? But I barely...nevermind

(Quick note from the desk of the FishLantern: Every so often Dick Dank and I will be "challenging" each other to listen to an album we haven't heard before, reviewing it after only a few listens. The hope would be that these lead to amazing revelations and deep insights that allow us to connect like covalent bonds over a new-found passion. In all likelihood, that will happen about a third of the time. Realistically, it will end up as a somewhat messy review packed with things we'll want to go back and change after one more listen or diving deeper into said album multiple times later in life. Let's see em'!)

       One of the reasons I wanted to co-found this endeavour with Dr. Dank was to open myself up to new music. Though I'd like to think I enjoy a large swath of the musical landscape, there are certain areas/genres where I have hardly dipped an appendage in. Some might even say I've been willfully ignoring these styles, perhaps even disparaging them. This thought is swirling around my mind when I play the first song on the Destroyer album "Kaputt". It had the sound of something I would normally turn off, immediately, without any further investigation. But, being in d-bag rehab, and knowing the entire point of "The Challenge", I let 'er ride. After letting it wash over me for a few days, I wasn't hating it. In fact, the weird part was; I kind of...liked it. 
       I'm a man of decades. (Thanks Uncle Neil). Co-workers have called what I listen to "weird" (60's psychedelia or 90s grunge squall). My wife has claimed once or twice that she isn't a fan off all the guitar (70's extended wankery and the 00's modern rip-off equivalent). Assuming that most popular music began after 1959 was behind us, if you peruse those eras I enjoy, its not hard to notice one is missing. I needed to get comfortable with the 1980's. Not hair metal. Not Madonna. Not even Spandau Ballet. But, travelling the bridge that is the Smith Westerns and the Strokes (or even the Stranglers), I aim to find a place in my cadre for light airy vocals, drum machines and plenty of horn solos. 

       I'm sure the Doctor of Dankhood knew all this when he asked me to check out this 2011 tribute to the time of Marty McFly and Kenneth G. He had informed me that this was the perfect soundtrack for drifting off into a deep, dream filled sleep. Don't let the menacing moniker fool you, this album is a breezy traipse through a secluded French woods. The first track, "Chinatown", paints a clear picture of why this is the case. It opens with subtle strumming, laid back atmospherics and Daniel Bejar's far from urgent delivery. Bejar is the architect of this sound, and according to everything I read, this album was a departure from previous styles he had worked with. 
     After the first go round, I wasn't comfortable yet with the easy-listening sound that I had pulled from it. Yet once a few more listens had made their way under my belt, I started to notice the subtleties, this time in a positive light. The odd horn treatments, sprinkles of female backing vocals and guitar flourishes became a landscape that was pleasant. My personal favorite tracks (for the time being), "Blue Eyes" and "Savage Night at the Opera" even had a little mellow-swing groove going on. These were the kind of tunes a twelve year old me would have contemplated asking a girl to slow dance to, ultimately failing to do so while playing air sax in my head instead. 
     Still, I can't seem to shake a distinctly European mood when I hear this album. Between the Spanish guitar intro of "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker" and the laissez faire attitude that the music manages to convey, I imagine when all is said and done it sells more in Euros than it does in dollars. Again though, that's not to say I don't enjoy it. There are certain qualities that I'm still wrapping my head around (an awful lot of smooth jazzy horn solos) but when it comes down to it, I (surprisingly) find myself coming back for more. After digestion, the Dick Master Dank claim that it's the ideal soundtrack to slip off into a relaxing land of slumber makes perfect sense. Sometimes, that's all you want. 

This just can't be a coincidence, can it?

      Old me (read: 2 days ago) would have merely humored a friend who suggested this, listened to a track or two and politely claimed it "just wasn't hitting me right now." In fact, I think I said as much to my wife after hearing the first two songs. I was a young buck. Obviously I've grown up since then. It's important I remembered the whole point of these challenges was to broaden my horizons. Being open to other's opinions and thoughts is something I could work on in general. Music is something I appreciate/care about enough that it might allow me to pick up on some skills that could be applied elsewhere. Clearly, this might include just having a little patience. 

Final Score: .76 Dick Danksing All Over Me's