Destroyer - Thief
In the summer of 2002 I was living on Martha’s Vineyard and working at Mocha Mott’s - a busy little basement coffee shop that specialized in bagel sandwiches and serving the tourist community as well as a couple of big stars. I haaaate to name drop but one highlight of that summer was getting to serve coffee to Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth. I digress! My shift ended everyday at 2pm and I would leave with a pocket full of cash tips, hop on my bike and ride 6 miles to Aboveground Records in Edgartown to buy CDs. That summer I really beefed up my Kinks collection. After a few weeks I had acquired all of the Kinks essentials and then some (there are so many! And since you asked, Arthur is my favorite) and needed a new direction. Chris, the record store clerk who knew my tastes well by this point, suggested I purchase Streethawk: A Seduction by Destroyer. This was the first I’d heard of Destroyer and it began my now 22 year journey with Daniel Bejar’s music. Though Destroyer’s sound has evolved over the years and I love each iteration, Thief, which came out just before Streethawk in 2000, is the album I return to most frequently with “Queen of Languages” being my all time favorite of Bejar’s songs. Thief just has the perfect mixture of instrumentation. Each song has a simple strumming on classical guitar at its base that soon builds to crescendo with distorted guitars, organs, harpsichords and meandering piano lines. All of these are layered beautifully under Bejar’s brilliant lyrics. Like I said, there are many iterations of the Destroyer sound over the years. I Implore you to seek them all out. - WP 5/6/24
Shyira - Nyabihu District, Rwanda
Our latest Rwandan offering hails from the Shyira washing station, perched at a breathtaking 1850 meters above sea level amidst the Virunga National Park's volcanic foothills. Here, amidst a microclimate tailor-made for coffee cultivation, the coffee thrives in the perfect mix of temperate weather, high altitude, and nutrient-rich volcanic soil, crafting a flavor profile that is truly unique. And trust us when we say it’s worth tasting. Shyira is an enticing cup, one that made us immediately think ‘purple.’ A dark fruits coffee with notes of blackberry and plum and just a hint of spice to warm things up a little. Whether it's a special occasion or your daily ritual, let Shyira be your happy addition, elevating every moment.