From 2000, the amazing third album from Dan Bejar (Destroyer).

After much delay we are most delighted to finally offer the
third and best album yet from Vancouver's foremost pop combo. The literate
songcraft of Daniel Bejar recalls the finest efforts of Hefner, Rufus
Wainwright and Mayo Thompson. This first full band album showcases the
songs in their full glory and finds the keyboard work of Jason Zumpano
(figure it out) now much more Left Banke than Edward Bear. Destroyer's
reputation for quality is constantly growing out west and spreading. Sharp
packaging rounds out the deal. A true gem.

"That a record with such a plug-ugly cover would house such beautifully melodic pop is just one of the many contradictions that propel Destroyer's Thief; anthemic yet understated, honeyed yet acerbic, it's first and foremost a collection of piano ballads that possesses absolutely none of the sentimentality and romanticism that the style almost uniformly engenders. Though Daniel Bejar's adenoidal vocals recall Robyn Hitchcock and his superbly arranged melodies evoke early Bowie, he's nevertheless a complete original: his arch lyrics -- equal parts social commentary and stand-up comedy -- are consistently superb, and his songs ebb and flow with cabaret-like flair. Reveling in a kind of corrupted gentility, Thief is by turns playful and malicious -- sophistication at its most scabrous. 4 STARS"-AMG