Dan Bejar
Encyclopedia
Daniel Bejar is an independent singer-songwriter
from Vancouver
renowned for his challenging and often cryptic lyrics and unorthodox vocals featured in many of his songs. Bejar has gained widespread popularity through his musical collaborations with Vancouver indie-rock band The New Pornographers
, but has released far more material as the frontman of his band Destroyer
. In 2006, he joined with Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes
and Spencer Krug of Sunset Rubdown
and Wolf Parade
to create another indie group known as Swan Lake
. He has more recently collaborated with his girlfriend Sydney Vermont's band Bonaparte, as well as joining with her to form the duo Hello, Blue Roses
, whose debut album The Portrait Is Finished and I Have Failed to Capture Your Beauty... was released in January 2008.
A March 2011 article in The New Yorker revealed the visual artist Dan Bejar's elaborate efforts at impersonating the musical Dan Bejar, creating confusion and errors in media coverage between the two different men with the same name.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
renowned for his challenging and often cryptic lyrics and unorthodox vocals featured in many of his songs. Bejar has gained widespread popularity through his musical collaborations with Vancouver indie-rock band The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a...
, but has released far more material as the frontman of his band Destroyer
Destroyer (band)
Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in...
. In 2006, he joined with Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes
Frog Eyes
Frog Eyes is an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada known for their highly idiosyncratic songs, which pit Carey Mercer's melodic falsetto whoops against an avalanche of guitar, keyboards, piano, and drums. Their 2010 album Paul's Tomb: A Triumph was a longlisted nominee for the...
and Spencer Krug of Sunset Rubdown
Sunset Rubdown
Sunset Rubdown is an art rock band from Montreal, Canada. The band began as a solo project for Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, who released his debut, Snake's Got a Leg, in early 2005...
and Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade is an indie rock band formed in 2003 from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band is currently on an indefinite hiatus as of May 31, 2011.-History:...
to create another indie group known as Swan Lake
Swan Lake (band)
Swan Lake is a Canadian indie supergroup comprising Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes and Blackout Beach, Daniel Bejar of Destroyer, Hello, Blue Roses and The New Pornographers, and Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes. Originally playing under the moniker "Thunder Cloud", the group...
. He has more recently collaborated with his girlfriend Sydney Vermont's band Bonaparte, as well as joining with her to form the duo Hello, Blue Roses
Hello, Blue Roses
Hello, Blue Roses is a musical collaboration involving Dan Bejar and his girlfriend, Sydney Vermont, a visual artist from Vancouver, British Columbia.-Discography:...
, whose debut album The Portrait Is Finished and I Have Failed to Capture Your Beauty... was released in January 2008.
A March 2011 article in The New Yorker revealed the visual artist Dan Bejar's elaborate efforts at impersonating the musical Dan Bejar, creating confusion and errors in media coverage between the two different men with the same name.
Discography
| Year | Title | Label | Band |
|---|---|---|---|
We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge is the debut album by Destroyer. Originally released on Tinker in 1996, it was reissued by Scratch Records on October 24, 2006.... |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Ideas for Songs Ideas for Songs is a cassette by Destroyer, released in 1997. The tape was a result of Dan Bejar being asked to contribute a song under the Destroyer moniker for a various artists compilation being curated at the time. As a response he submitted a cassette with 20 songs for them to choose from... |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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City of Daughters City of Daughters is the second studio album by Destroyer, released in 1998.-Track listing:#"Comments on the World as Will" – 0:56#"No Cease Fires! " – 3:30#"The Space Race" – 2:22#"Dark Purposes" – 2:15... |
Endearing Records Endearing Records is a Canadian independent record label established in 1994, now based in Vancouver, originally based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Endearing Records has released many albums by Canadian indie artists since the mid 90s, such as Destroyer, The Meligrove Band, Julie Doiron, The... /Triple Crown Audio |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Endearing Records Endearing Records is a Canadian independent record label established in 1994, now based in Vancouver, originally based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Endearing Records has released many albums by Canadian indie artists since the mid 90s, such as Destroyer, The Meligrove Band, Julie Doiron, The... |
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Mass Romantic Mass Romantic is the debut album by Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers. Produced by David Carswell and band bassist John Collins, it was released on Mint Records in 2000. The album was three years in the making, with musicians A.C. Newman and Dan Bejar writing songs as early as 1998... |
Mint Records Mint Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based independent record label founded in January 1991, by friends and campus radio enthusiasts Randy Iwata and Bill Baker.... ; US and EU: Matador Records Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have... ) |
The New Pornographers The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a... |
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Thief (album) Thief is the third studio album by Destroyer and the first recorded with a full band on every track. Thief is thought to be an attack on the music industry perhaps a response to the lack of success that Bejar's other band, The New Pornographers, were having after releasing their EP.-Track... |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Streethawk: A Seduction Streethawk: A Seduction is the fourth studio album by Destroyer, recorded in the fall of 2000 and released in 2001. It was recorded at JC/DC Studios and produced by JC/DC... |
Misra Records Misra Records is an independent record label run out of Durham, North Carolina with branch offices in Washington D.C., Seattle, Washington, and Los Angeles, California.... /Talitres Records |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records... /Talitres Records |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Electric Version Electric Version is the second studio album by the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. It was released on Matador/Mint on May 6, 2003.... |
Mint Records Mint Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based independent record label founded in January 1991, by friends and campus radio enthusiasts Randy Iwata and Bill Baker.... ; US and EU: Matador Records Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have... ) |
The New Pornographers The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a... |
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Your Blues Your Blues is the sixth studio album by Destroyer, released in 2004.It was a notable departure from the full-band format of Destroyer's previous few albums, largely featuring MIDI-simulated orchestration as its backing music.... |
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records... /Talitres/Acuarela Discos |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Notorious Lightning & Other Works Notorious Lightning and Other Works is an EP by Destroyer, released in 2005. After shocking many fans by supporting the synth driven album Your Blues with the avant-guitar band Frog Eyes, Dan Bejar decided to put to tape some of the very different versions of songs from Your Blues... (EP Extended play An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... ) |
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records... |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Twin Cinema Twin Cinema is the third album by Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. It was released on August 23, 2005. The album was shortlisted for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize.-Critical reception:... |
Mint Records Mint Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based independent record label founded in January 1991, by friends and campus radio enthusiasts Randy Iwata and Bill Baker.... ; US and EU: Matador Records Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have... ) |
The New Pornographers The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a... |
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Destroyer's Rubies Destroyer's Rubies is the seventh studio album from Destroyer, and was the follow-up to Notorious Lightning & Other Works, the 2005 EP.-Release:... |
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records... |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Beast Moans Beast Moans is the debut album by Canadian indie rock supergroup Swan Lake, released in November 2006 on the label Jagjaguwar. It was recorded at Dead Wood Studios in Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia as well as at a house in Victoria, British Columbia.... |
Jagjaguwar Jagjaguwar is an indie rock record label based in Bloomington, Indiana.-History:In 1996, in Charlottesville, Virginia, friends of Darius Van Arman who performed in a band under the moniker The Curious Digit had just recorded a new album, but they were signed to no label... |
Swan Lake (band) Swan Lake is a Canadian indie supergroup comprising Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes and Blackout Beach, Daniel Bejar of Destroyer, Hello, Blue Roses and The New Pornographers, and Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes. Originally playing under the moniker "Thunder Cloud", the group... |
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Challengers (album) Challengers is the fourth album by Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers, released on August 21, 2007. The track listing for the album was revealed June 1, 2007... |
Last Gang Records Last Gang Records is a record label that was formed by Canadian music industry lawyer Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald Tarlton in the Fall of 2003 at the Pop Montreal Music Festival.... ; US and EU: Matador Records Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have... ) |
The New Pornographers The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a... |
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Hello, Blue Roses Hello, Blue Roses is a musical collaboration involving Dan Bejar and his girlfriend, Sydney Vermont, a visual artist from Vancouver, British Columbia.-Discography:... |
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Trouble in Dreams Trouble In Dreams is the eighth LP from Destroyer, released on March 18, 2008 by Merge Records. "Foam Hands" was released as a promotional mp3 on December 4, 2007.The album leaked in January 2008.-Production:... |
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records... /Rough Trade Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove... |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Enemy Mine (album) Enemy Mine is the second album by Canadian indie rock supergroup Swan Lake, released on March 24, 2009 on the label Jagjaguwar.-Track listing:# "Spanish Gold, 2044" - 5:15# "Paper Lace" - 3:44... |
Jagjaguwar Jagjaguwar is an indie rock record label based in Bloomington, Indiana.-History:In 1996, in Charlottesville, Virginia, friends of Darius Van Arman who performed in a band under the moniker The Curious Digit had just recorded a new album, but they were signed to no label... |
Swan Lake (band) Swan Lake is a Canadian indie supergroup comprising Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes and Blackout Beach, Daniel Bejar of Destroyer, Hello, Blue Roses and The New Pornographers, and Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes. Originally playing under the moniker "Thunder Cloud", the group... |
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Extended play An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... ) |
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records... |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Together (The New Pornographers album) Together is the fifth studio album released by Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers, consisting of 12 tracks. It was released on May 4, 2010. It debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200.... |
Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have... |
The New Pornographers The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a... |
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Archer on the Beach - Track listing :Side A: "Archer on the Beach" - 7:21Side B: "Grief Point" - 8:40- Style :Merge Records states: "The limited-edition 12-inch "Archer on the Beach" b/w "Grief Point." is inspired by the music of Kranky recording artists Tim Hecker and Loscil and achieved through their full... (EP) |
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records... |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
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Kaputt (album) -Vinyl version:-External links:*... |
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records... |
Destroyer (band) Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in... |
External links
- Destroyer at Merge Records
- Destroyer at Misra Records
- Dan Bejar talks Kara Walker and "Kaputt"
- The Ratio - Destroyer Special Issue
- *sixeyes Interview - Destroyer's Dan Bejar Interview
- Dan Bejar's 'Other' Band NPR segment aired 18 March 2006