This Night

AMG Review of This Night

Charles Spano
All Music Guide

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 ock. "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 ock tunes of the year.