1. Kaputt (2011)

The 2009 release of the terrific epic single “Bay Of Pigs” tipped listeners off to a more restrained but no less intense direction for Destroyer, but there was no way of anticipating how effectively that approach would cohere on the beautiful and harrowing noir of Kaputt, one of the finest records of the past thirty years. Paradoxically, Bejar achieves ever greater things by doing less — paring away at his elaborate constructions and finding the essence of his material’s greatness through the simple repetition of unforgettable epigrams on songs like “Chinatown” and the title track. His singing has never sounded better, resting comfortably alongside a backing band that owes a lot to Roxy Music but crucially never lacks its own identity or sounds like a knockoff. By the time pop confection “Savage Night At The Opera” segues into the grandiose and disturbing sprawl of “Suicide Demo For Kara Walker,” with neither sounding remotely out of place, it is clear that Bejar has just about alchemized his vision into something like an entirely new genre — familiar, distinct, timeless, and unnamable. A brilliant party of one.