David Berman could probably be regarded as a figurehead for all wordy North American alternative rock singer/songwriters out there at the moment. The Mountain Goats and Destroyer have certainly followed in the footsteps of Silver Jews' lo-fi, shambling poetics, but as Berman ages his voice commands the listener with ever-greater gravitas. It's this voice, and these words that are at the very heart of everything Silver Jews is about: the music is really a secondary concern, and the lo-fi country rock back-up provided by Berman's band - although above and beyond the functional - never does too much to attract attention to itself. The music knows it comes 2nd. With titles like 'Aloysius, Bluegrass Drummer' and 'Party Barge', Berman really doesn't have to do much to hook you in with some off-hand funnies, but the wit only signposts a way to greater, subtler insights, and as the album slowly but inevitably creeps into your consciousness, you start to get the feeling that Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea might just be up there with the very best Silver Jews LPs.
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David Berman could probably be regarded as a figurehead for all wordy North American alternative rock singer/songwriters out there at the moment. The Mountain Goats and Destroyer have certainly followed in the footsteps of Silver Jews' lo-fi, shambling poetics, but as Berman ages his voice commands the listener with ever-greater gravitas. It's this voice, and these words that are at the very heart of everything Silver Jews is about: the music is really a secondary concern, and the lo-fi country rock back-up provided by Berman's band - although above and beyond the functional - never does too much to attract attention to itself. The music knows it comes 2nd. With titles like 'Aloysius, Bluegrass Drummer' and 'Party Barge', Berman really doesn't have to do much to hook you in with some off-hand funnies, but the wit only signposts a way to greater, subtler insights, and as the album slowly but inevitably creeps into your consciousness, you start to get the feeling that Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea might just be up there with the very best Silver Jews LPs.
David Berman could probably be regarded as a figurehead for all wordy North American alternative rock singer/songwriters out there at the moment. The Mountain Goats and Destroyer have certainly followed in the footsteps of Silver Jews' lo-fi, shambling poetics, but as Berman ages his voice commands the listener with ever-greater gravitas. It's this voice, and these words that are at the very heart of everything Silver Jews is about: the music is really a secondary concern, and the lo-fi country rock back-up provided by Berman's band - although above and beyond the functional - never does too much to attract attention to itself. The music knows it comes 2nd. With titles like 'Aloysius, Bluegrass Drummer' and 'Party Barge', Berman really doesn't have to do much to hook you in with some off-hand funnies, but the wit only signposts a way to greater, subtler insights, and as the album slowly but inevitably creeps into your consciousness, you start to get the feeling that Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea might just be up there with the very best Silver Jews LPs.
David Berman could probably be regarded as a figurehead for all wordy North American alternative rock singer/songwriters out there at the moment. The Mountain Goats and Destroyer have certainly followed in the footsteps of Silver Jews' lo-fi, shambling poetics, but as Berman ages his voice commands the listener with ever-greater gravitas. It's this voice, and these words that are at the very heart of everything Silver Jews is about: the music is really a secondary concern, and the lo-fi country rock back-up provided by Berman's band - although above and beyond the functional - never does too much to attract attention to itself. The music knows it comes 2nd. With titles like 'Aloysius, Bluegrass Drummer' and 'Party Barge', Berman really doesn't have to do much to hook you in with some off-hand funnies, but the wit only signposts a way to greater, subtler insights, and as the album slowly but inevitably creeps into your consciousness, you start to get the feeling that Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea might just be up there with the very best Silver Jews LPs.