Step Under the Looming Gray Sky that is ken

The project of Dan Bejar, Destroyer’s 12th full-length album recalls everything that was good about the ’80s.

Ken is dark and brooding, littered with shimmering synths and a scattering of sultry saxophone solos that are necessities to any time traveler nostalgic for noir-inspired scenery. The album title is inspired by Suede’s “The Wild Ones,” which Bejar discovered to originally have the working title “Ken,” and was clearly called to apply this to his latest release.

The album opener, “Sky’s Grey” sets the brooding tone for ken with Bowie-inspired singing and a slow piano entrance. “Sky’s Grey” begins and ends with only those lyrics, along with, “Give up acting? Fuck no! / I’m just starting to get the good parts / Walk into a room and everything clicks / Bombs in the city, plays in the sticks.” This brings to mind disjointed, dark scenery that’s tough to analyze, but easy to step into. About halfway through the song the alternating synth chords come in, giving the song a hazy feeling that compliments the grey sky imagery.

“Tinseltown Swimming in Blood” has a distinct sound that draws from New Order, and is one of the tracks that truly stands out on ken. The addition of muted trumpet takes one right back into the sultry, noir vision. Toward the end of the song, one of the most stunning moments on the entire album occurs when Bejar sings, “I was a dreamer / Watch me leave” over and over above the dreamy synth sounds.

“A Light Travels Down the Catwalk” is another standout track that opens with a dissonant synth chord before a runway-inspired resonant driving beat drums below Bejar’s vocals. The lyrics, “Your guests will soon be arriving / On the boulevard of sinners / It’s later than you think / On the boulevard of sinners, it’s sunset…” bring to mind a red light district, complete with visuals of women dancing in windows. “Rome” has another dreamy synth pattern and a droning, fuzzy bass sound as Bejar sings softly, “You do not save the date, you wait / You get out of town / You do as Romans do,” eluding to an encounter overseas before the wailing guitar takes over.

“Sometimes in the World” features a pounding synth bass beat, this time paired with heavily distorted waves of guitar sound. “I can’t pay for this, all I’ve got is money,” he sings ironically. Again, centering the song with his favorite: alternating major-third chords.

“Stay Lost” is textured nicely, with a distorted, fuzzy bass line, bright shimmering synth and unexpected, but welcomed guitar riffs that weave in and out of the track. “Out on the streets, in The Book of the Dead” he sings repeatedly, questioning if anyone can truly be “lost.”

“La Regle du Jeu” closes the album with a new sounds. Reverbed staccato piano chords open the song with synth strings accompanying, repeating the song title — which translates to “Rules of the Game,” before a wailing guitar solo closes the track.

While challenging to analyze lyrically, the dark, hazy and dreamy nature of the songs may be enough to catch a glimpse of what Bejar is trying to convey. And while it doesn’t have to make sense factually, there’s something about ken makes the listener feel like it does.