Bright Flight

Thought thiscwas a bit tiresome initially but then I kinda give in the lonesome groove. Probably needs a few listens.

Love the lo-fi!

A very morose collection of songs.

Folk rock with indie influence, bob dylan

The tracks Tennessee and Friday Night Fever just about elevate this to a two-star album for me. The singing in general is dreadful, and I feel that this album would best be on a list called 1001 albums to listen to that will make you want to die.

Ok

I remember when David Berman passed away, I had never heard of Silver Jews. I honestly didn't take any time to listen to his music, but this album may have changed that. It's jangly, has some alt-country leanings, but if, say, Leonard Cohen did alt-country. There's a profound sadness through this that I can't help but connect to. It drags a bit (specifically, the singing gets a little tiring), and I'd argue "Tennessee" is way too saccharine, but I'd still call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "Room Games and Diamond Rain", "Friday Night Fever"

I do have a soft spot for these 90s/2000s indie artists with voices that might, traditionally, be seen as terrible. Thinking Smog/Bill Callahan, Mountain Goats, Mercury Rev, etc. I never really got into Silver Jews but listened to them a bit back when this came out.

Some interesting storytelling and lyrics in a very mellow music bed.

Never heard of Silver Jews, and after listening I'm not surprised. While entertaining it's not Top 1001 material, not even Top 2002. Intro tune sounds like a Cracker demo cut and the following songs were all stuck in first gear with no compelling reason to listen to them all the way through. The best song was the instrumental "Transylvania Blues". The other tracks have too many words, not enough music or melody. "Boring" is the word that first comes to mind. I tried. No hits, not influential from what I can tell, weak vocals, no real hooks to draw you in, overall it's a better than average album. There is NO way this album is on ANY other Top 1001 list ever made. I think this was added by mistake or the lead singer is the one assembling this list.

Not bad, although his voice was a little grating.

First time listening to this group. I enjoy melancholy music so I like this. I know he doesn't have the greatest voice but he's expressing his feelings through words and music. It takes a lot of balls to put yourself out there like that, especially when you know people are just going to gripe about it. Glad this was on the list.

Another band that I've always meant to get more into. This was really good. Just country enough to give that vibe but without treading into the insufferable aspects for me. His lyrics are really solid as well.

A nice relaxing album, I liked Slow Education and Friday Night Fever.

Decent

Interesting

It was alright, enjoyed a few tracks here and there but it didn't pull me in as much as I thought it might.

Okay album.

Was this a joke being played on us?

buhhhhhhh

Wannabe Pavement

Meh

Surprising. May listen to that again just for the clever word play.

This felt pretty one note and generic. There was nothing hugely bad about it per se, apart from a few slips into tweeness, which blights many American indie bands, but there was nothing particularly good either. I can't think why I'd want to listen to any of it again.

2.5 stars. Depressing country-tinged indie rock. Some definite songwriting skills here but it's a bit of a downer overall. Standout is the fun "Tennessee".

Enjoyable

wants to be Wilco. Not wilco

Weird I liked it 4 ⭐️

Probably one of the laziest / quirkiest sounding singers I have heard in a while. He's got a certain drawl and cadence that makes it seem as if he's at least 6 beers deep through the whole album. For some reason I can't help but picture him as Brett Gelman in my mind... This was some low-key enjoyable indie rock that doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. I went back for another listen this morning -- similar impression that the voice is campy and certainly not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Otherwise, the arrangements are nice and the lyrics, while often tongue in cheek, were enjoyable. I'd say for me this is a low 4 that probably won't get a ton of replay, but I did enjoy it.

This sounds like Kurt Vile singing santa songs... 3 stars.

Sure. Not really my taste, but sure. Reminds me of Leonard Cohen.

Through the first couple of songs I thought that this album was going to be very good with the way that the singer was so forward with a pretty powerful voice. His singing style got a little old as the album went on though unfortunately. The actual songs themselves were really quite good with the instrumentals. It was a kind of combination of country and alternative which did good things for me. Would be really nice to have on in the background on a nice day outside. Overall I would say that I was able to get through the minor annoyance of his voice because of how good the songs were. This is a mid to high 3.

Damn I remember when David Berman died a few years back. Could tell the man was sad. I enjoyed this but every song kinda sounded similar. Nothing was crazy about it but could see listening to this going to sleep (not a dig). Really liked the pedal steel on some of the songs. High 3.

As a frequent listener of the National, I’ve had some Silver Jews come across my algorithm but I’ve never paid much attention. While I’m a sucker for the non-sequitur lyrics and unpolished musicianship, I thought the album was pretty inconsistent overall. The highs were high though, I thought “Remember me” was excellent story telling. I listened to it twice back to back which is really rare for me. I haven’t looked at the discography but this sounds like the album that just precedes a really good album.

Since this (probably) going to be the only Silver Jews album on the list I will have to give it a five star rating. But only as an ode to Lookout Mountain Lookout Sea, American Water, Tanglewood Numbers and The Natural Bridge. Any of those albums would have been a better selection for the list and would have been legit 5 starers. As for bright flight I enjoy it, I think it reflects the time and place Berman was in, it was a good collection of songs and a couple of stand outs.

Hadn’t heard of this band before. I somewhat enjoyed the music, but a lot of the lyrics were a bit weird for me. And the singer’s voice may be an acquired taste, but wasn’t my cup of tea. Onto the next one.

3.5

First listen. Ok.

Boring and tiresome for the most part. Sometimes the pace picks up, but it’s just weird for my ears. I’ve never heard of the band so they must not have left

Not too bad

No lo conocía y no me he perdido nada. Indi, folkie, aburrido. Dos estrellas por pena y reservar los de 1 estrella para los discos malos.

I will never understand albums/bands like this that seem to think music is a joke or something. The singer doesn't seem to care about any of it so he just maybe purposefully "sings" in the most low effort shitty way. If you don't care about your music, why should I?

Pretty unenjoyable, I didn't like the off-key singing. Low 2.

I don't know if I was supposed to like this or not but I do. I really like the cadence of the music n the tune n the instruments.

3/10 - "My horses legs look like four brown shotguns" is quite a lyric. Why does this guy hate horse legs? His singing is pretty bad. I did not like any of the songs to be honest.

Feels a lot like pavement. As with other slacker rock, I’m a big fan of the general vibe, but I really could do without the style of signing on this. Right between a 3 and a 4

Some interesting lyrics and passable melodies. Really brought down by the voices.

Can't get past the voice.

His voice bored me. Was that purposeful?

this is trash. so far it's been a very cheap 'Dylan' and a poor attempt to be 'depressed and unbothered'.

Okay

Could have been a far better album if the guy could sing in tune.

These guys have a pretty unique sound, I really like some of the instrumentation, there's good writing and the cringe-worthy, but the vocals are odd at best - he could grow on one - like Tom Waits and Modest Mouse.

This one didn't land well with me. Not very good.

This album was a little bit strange to me. I guess it's indie rock, but the vocals were almost like spoken word so I didn't care for it very much. I would not seek this one out again.

As soon as I started this album, I blurted out: "oh god." This album is an exercise in survival.

Truly awful! It's like an unfunny attempt at parody. There is no way you can convince me anyone wants to listen to this crap. Time Will Break the World might honestly have THE WORST lyrics I've heard in my entire life. I hope his 4 hungry children starve. Not a single redeeming thing I can say about this truly, truly, terrible music.

i just hate this vocal style, music is okay but the shitty talk singing kills it 2.5

This kinda indie rock should be right up my alley but... ehh wasn't. It's fine.

couple decent songs but mostly whack

Nice little bit of Indie noodling here, will need to check out more of the catalogue.

interesting country album, had a stripped down Johnny Cash sound. Overall enjoyed it.

Soyons honnêtes, pendant des années, pour moi et pour pas mal de snobs de ma génération, Silver Jews, c'était "le projet annexe du mec de Pavement". On écoutait pour les guitares dégingandées de Stephen Malkmus, pour retrouver un peu de cette magie slacker qui nous avait tant marqués dans les années 90. David Berman, le cerveau et la voix du groupe, était ce poète un peu dépressif qui gravitait autour, une sorte de génie maudit dans l'ombre du guitar-hero nonchalant. Et puis, il y a eu "Bright Flight", l'album de l'émancipation, l'album sans Malkmus, le moment de vérité. Et quelle vérité ! Dès les premières mesures, on comprend que la donne a changé. Fini, le son vaguement folk-rock bordélique qui pouvait rappeler les cousins de Stockton. Ici, on est en plein territoire country, mais attention, pas la country clinquante de Nashville avec les chapeaux à paillettes et les santiags immaculées. Non, on parle ici d'une country lo-fi, traînante, enregistrée avec les moyens du bord et une sincérité qui vous file des frissons. La grande star de l'album, celle qui enrobe presque chaque titre d'un voile de mélancolie sirupeuse, c'est la pedal steel. Cet instrument, c'est la bande-son officielle des coeurs brisés et des fonds de bouteilles. Elle pleure, elle gémit, elle enveloppe la voix caverneuse et faussement détachée de Berman d'une chaleur réconfortante et vénéneuse à la fois. Le disque s'ouvre, et on est immédiatement dans le bain. C'est lent, c'est lourd, c'est le son d'un dimanche après-midi qui n'en finit pas. C'est l'Amérique des petites villes, des motels anonymes et des espoirs déçus. Une nonchalance qui n'est pas feinte, qui suinte la lassitude et une forme de sagesse étrange. On est dans la plus pure tradition du rock underground américain de ces dernières années, celui qui n'a pas peur des silences, des notes qui traînent, et qui préfère l'émotion brute à la virtuosité technique. Mais le véritable coeur de Silver Jews, ce qui en fait un groupe absolument essentiel, c'est David Berman. Ce type était un putain de poète, sa voix, grave, parfois à la limite de la justesse, n'est pas celle d'un chanteur, mais celle d'un conteur. Il ne chante pas, il vous parle à l'oreille. Et ce qu'il raconte... C'est là que la magie opère. "Bright Flight" est une collection de chansons qui sont à la fois poignantes, spirituelles et, paradoxalement, incroyablement rassurantes. Berman était un maître des mots, ses paroles sont d'une intelligence folle, naviguant avec une aisance déconcertante entre des jeux de mots complètement stupides qui vous arrachent un sourire ("Horse-mounted police are friends of the police") et des images d'une beauté et d'une précision évocatrice à vous fendre l'âme. Il y a une dimension spirituelle, une quête de sens dans ce marasme ambiant, mais sans jamais tomber dans le prêchi-prêcha. C'est une spiritualité de comptoir, une théologie de barman. On y parle de chevaux, de démons, de solitude, et de la difficulté d'être un homme bon dans un monde qui s'en fout. Et au milieu de ce blues existentiel, il y a toujours une lueur d'espoir, une phrase, une mélodie qui vous dit que, malgré tout, ça vaut le coup. Alors, pourquoi seulement 4/5 ? Pourquoi ne pas crier au chef-d'oeuvre absolu ? Parce que, pour être tout à fait franc, il manque peut-être un ou deux hymnes, de ces morceaux qui vous attrapent et ne vous lâchent plus, comme on pouvait en trouver sur les monuments que sont "Starlite Walker" ou, surtout, "American Water". "Bright Flight" est plus homogène, plus subtil. C'est un album qui se dévoile sur la durée, qui demande un peu plus d'attention. Il n'a pas la fulgurance d'un "Random Rules", c'est moins un coup de poing qu'une longue étreinte un peu triste. Mais ne vous y trompez pas, c'est un disque à découvrir absolument. C'est un compagnon de route idéal pour les jours sans. C'est le son de la résilience, la preuve qu'on peut faire de la beauté avec de la douleur. C'est un très, très bon album de rock indépendant et aujourd'hui, avec la disparition tragique de David Berman, chaque note, chaque mot résonne avec une force encore plus poignante. On écoute "Bright Flight" et on se dit que ce type nous a laissé un trésor. Un trésor un peu cabossé, un peu poussiéreux, mais un trésor quand même. Et ça, ça mérite bien plus qu'un simple détour.

A near perfect balance of sincerity and tongue-in-cheek cleverness on this smelting pot of indie and Americana.

Dreary vocals and only half-interesting songwriting. Quite the drag.

Missed this group somehow, fine.

Interesting

Why is this on the list? What a waste of a spot on a list that’s supposed to be the bangingest of the bangers.

Some of the music isn't bad, but the singing is rough at best. 2/5

Albumi alkaa... When god was young..... .Bruh samaa paskaa koko albumi

Nothing Jewel-like about this tragic mess. 😑

A quirky album that revealed its charms slowly. On first listen I wasn’t feeling it but gave it another listen and liked a few cuts a bit more. Not something I think I’d revisit though; it didn’t resonate that deeply for me.

Not bad as far as it goes. Sort of like a slow-down and less pithy They Might Be Giants.

My god, this is like Mr E had to endure a massive talentectomy and went on to reprise the Eels' worst tracks. While still semiconscious from the anaesthetic. Guy's voice sounds like he's got half a cup of water in his mouth and he's trying to sing without letting you know that he's got half a cup of water in his mouth. Yes, this is genuinely, legitimately awful.

Early 2000s indie rock, but not bad. However, I have to ask, why is this here?

I remember me is a great track, but aside from that I don't think anything else stuck out. Maybe I'm not a big fan of country? I was in a sappy mood and even then I couldn't relate that much to it.

Fourth studio album? Say it isn't so, Joe. There's a mournful mix of songs, reminiscent of Dylan, and oddly, Geldof. It does get more enjoyable at the end, but difficult to raise this to a 4.

It has a "I'm a clever songwriter" feel that i get with Father John Misty and Crash Test Dummies, though with a bit more country vibe. The songs are decent and easily approachable, though the "clever" doesn't hit for me too strongly.

Having never heard the Silver Jews, I was pleasantly surprised to hear more Pavement than boring indie pop rock. 3.5/5

Don't like,,,, molt pla

Nice album and fairly different from the 1001's standard fare. I liked that the music felt slow and deliberate. The singer strayed close to talk-singing but I think it worked in the context of the music, and I liked their mellow, bassy tone. It suited the music well. I liked Slow Education the best. I'd listen to this album again.

On first listen it just sounded like Pavement to me, then reading the bio I realised the influence. Second listen it did start to grow on me and faves would be Slow Education and I Remember Me. Certinaly worth another spin.

I only dipped my toes into the Silver Jews discography after enjoying the Purple Mountains project when that came along in 2019 - getting used to his vocal delivery takes an adjustment, so I imagine a lot of casual listeners hate this, but it definitely rewards the effort! I can see that more little details unlock with each listen so it's not hard to imagine this might rise to a 5 with more familiarity. Fave tracks - "Horseleg Swastikas" and "Tennessee" grabbed me hardest.

Very good album. Highly recommend. Curious vocalists, very good and well made, his voice is never once annoying. 8.75/10.

oh dear, that's not a pretty voice - couldn't make it past the first 6 tracks

Nope

Interesting album here from a band that I've never heard of before. This is like a slow indie country rock thing. On the surface it actually reminded me a lot of the Giant Sand album on here that I really liked, but ultimately this one didn't quite do it as much for me. I did some reading on this one, and it seems like the singer (David Berman) and his friends were working at the Whitney and making some music together in two bands, this one and Pavement. Pavement blew up and while these guys were pretty well-regarded in indie circles, they were never nearly as big and are often thought to be a Pavement side project. Berman seemed to resent that a bit, and I believe on this one the other guys weren't involved, but his wife is. I wanted to like this more than I did, but I'm struggling a lot with Berman's voice. It's definitely more of the talk-singing type of thing, and I'm just struggling to get on board with his sound. I'm listening to it for the third time now and it's growing on me a bit, but still not my favorite. It sounds like Berman wrote poetry too, and I can see him being great at that. The lyrics are both fairly poignant and unique (weird at times?) here. I appreciate that part of the album. And there are definitely some interesting songs on here, "I Remember Me" in particular is really great. Overall just falling a bit short for me though, though the understated sound is nice at times. Berman is definitely another on the long list of tortured musicians. He had substance abuse issues, attempted suicide in 2003, and eventually took his own life in his Park Slope apartment in 2019. It's a sad life, but he put out work that lasted, and I'm glad I heard it. Two other notes. First, terrible band name. It sounds like he eventually regretted it too, but just not sure what he was going for there. Second, his father was a corporate lobbyist and Berman really hated that a lot, he hid it for a long time and then almost wrote a book about being his nemesis. Favorite song: I Remember Me Other: Slow Education, Room Games and Diamond Rain, Transylvania Blues, Tennessee, Death of an Heir of Sorrows 8/1/24

Great album, great band.

Slow country ballad stuff. Not bad really, but then track 8, Tennessee has a lyric, "You know Louisville is death" and that means this is my first 1. Don't disparage my home you jerkholes.

Just did not hit anywhere for me.

This album was so bland and uninteresting that I didn't even notice when it ended and Spotify started auto-playing other artists

I enjoyed this. But I generally enjoy indie rock. Felt like this could have really been any generic indie rock. Lacked a bit of individuality for me. Or did this just influence loads - I dunno, I can’t be bothered to find out. 3.4

What occurred to me while listening to this album is it is something I might find in a remainder bin. If I had even a vague recollection of the group I might pick it up, listen to it once, and file it away. With respect to the performers that wanted to have their voices heard, this should not be on anyone's list of albums to hear before they die.

I very rarely listen to alt-country music. Country music and its sub-genres are really a bit of a gray area for me. The most familiar I’ve ever gotten with the genre is Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Which I actually love. Problem is I often compare everything in a similar vain that I hear to that album. Because it’s all I can compare things to. Silver Jews are a group I’ve heard mentions of occasionally. It’s very unfortunate their lead singer died. Especially after hearing this, since it’s clear he had something going here with his band mates. And it would have been interesting to see how he moved further with his other band, Purple Mountains. The thing that immediately struck me about the music is Berman’s lyricism. It gets spoken about so often for a reason. The strange, sometimes quirky, and melancholic word choice is something that used to be a staple of 60s and 70s artists like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. But I feel it is rarely found now. Lines like “Her doorbell plays a bar of Stephen Foster” or “We’re gonna live in Nashville and I’ll make a career out of writing sad songs and getting paid by the tear” do take a certain level of genius to write. Those are both apart of the same verse on Tennessee. For such a lo-fi love song, saying “Come to Tennessee, 'cause you’re the only ten I see” is beautifully lighthearted. The common criticism I saw floating around was that this is too boring and lifeless. Hilariously, I almost don’t disagree with that sentiment. I understand where people get it from. Berman’s delivery is monotone and immobile. Beyond face value, there isn’t much to get from his vocals. And the same could also be said about the music itself. It’s not the most sad or depressing thing I’ve ever heard. There are glimpses of sadness here and there. But it lies in this weird realm of being cheery and wry at the same time. It’s nothing too complex. But I don’t think this genre demands something like that. As much as I don’t want to continue making Wilco comparisons, this really does remind me of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It’s bright on the surface, but potentially hiding something deeper that you only see bits and pieces of. If you are having a bad day, and just want to lay in bed, this album isn’t going to make your mood any worse. But it also surely isn’t going to motivate you to get out of bed and do anything that day. Rating: 7/10

I quite like a good, sad album. You can really descend into a quiet, contemplative mood and let the music take you. This sad-sack approach on the other hand is really boring and irritating. His voice is so droney and half-arsed. It sounds like he's chronically depressed, and singing all the songs while sunk deep into the sofa (presumably the one on the cover). He's dragged me down to his level and left me feeling a lot worse for it. Thanks for that mate.

Not my music

Indie Country my favourite 🤢🤢

This is music? 😕

The half-spoken vocals are taking some getting used to, but I can get behind the country/indie sound in theory. Very pretty guitar harmonies on Room Games and Diamond Rain. Short instrumental Transylvania Blues is my favorite track, with driving bass and distorted guitar. Strays too far into country at times. The lyric in Tennessee is really, "cause you're the only ten I see"? Nevertheless, there's an earnestness here I appreciate.

I’ve never heard this band and I feel like it was familiar but I’m not sure why. Probably just the sound of the lead vocals. It was a good album but I wasn’t pulled in enough to listen to the lyrics well on the first go so since it’s short, I might give a second listen, which must mean I didn’t hate it.

Wow. Passable music over mediocre lyrics sung with karaoke vocals. Jesus wept, and he still forgave this effort. No surprise, Jesus is better than me

Hade det inte varit för Transylvania Blues och den otroligt feta lyriken skulle detta album fått en 1. Tråkiga vocals och tråkigt instrumentalt. Låtarna var liknande och han sjunger så jävla monotont. Verkligen inte min stil. Däremot var lyriken otrolig!! bästa lines var: ”Marry me and leave Kentucky, come to Tennesse. CAUSE YOUR THE ONLY TEN I SEE”. Eller annan lyrik som ”The snow falls down so beautiful and stupid. For the black silhouette of Abraham Lincoln trees. The sky’s low and grey like a Japanese table. And my horse’s legs look like four brown shotguns”. Världens bästa ordkonstnär efter Einar.

älskade INTE hans röst - ändå unik😬 Hur kan det låta som varenda rad han sjunger är den första sången som nånsin lämnat hans mun/som han gissar hur varje ord ska uttalas😁 MEN annars var så många grejer bra!! Ibland var texten så så fin typ death of an heir of sorrows (ibland var den dock så inte fin typ tennesse söööög) Men nästan 4/5 om man bytt ut sångaren. För mig bara gifte sig det inte med så smygande instrumental och så anklagande sång damn trippy 😰 Bästa låt: i remember me och horseleg swastikas (vad är detta för titel🤪)

Väldigt monotont album, men ändå helt okej Bästa låt: Horseleg swastikas

It was aight. I liked the voice and singing style. The lyrics per unique and personal, but didn't really resonate with me that much.

nice chill album, songs were good to be fair, his voice was good but it seemed pretty tired which is probably what the band was going for, i’ll probably relisten again, good first listen

Musically interesting but ultimately there are many better records…

A solid listen. An early indie rock album, with a splash of sad southern twang here and there

Unexpectedly great. I've been hearing about Dave Berman for years, and now it's clicking. Got this Lou Reed meets Townes Van Zandt/country-Stones vibe to it. It also makes me wish J. Mascis would make a country record (maybe he has idk). I can't stand his voice in Dinosaur Jr, but it's basically the same voice here and it just works. Not sure if I'm a new fan, but I'll probably come back to this at least once.

New artist, reminded me of Crash Test Dummies. Not really interested at first but by the end (and second listen) I enjoyed it more. Subtly intricate in the background but I believe the singing would be the biggest turnoff for people. 3.35/5

An interesting sound and some questionable song titles, but not hideous. A band I would like to know more about.

I had not heard of the Silver Jews before hearing this album. I have to say that the album was a pleasant suprise, I actually thought it it was going to be a country album when I heard the first song. Will be giving this a second listen

Had such a nice run of albums that didn't suck. Over.

Lyrically, musically and productively dreadful. So gets voice somehow gets worse as each track goes on.

Perhaps it is because I'm sick, it's storming, and I just feel generally gloomy, but this album really hit for me. It's like if Pavement was put through the Americana machine and given a few extra twangs for good measure, but some of the lyrics cut so deep and are so devastatingly dripping with loneliness that I felt like I was on the verge of tears whilst listening. His voice took a bit of getting used to, not being quite as smooth as other acts in the genre, but again, that only draws more Pavement comparisons. It's actually kind of ironic, as this is one of the few albums where Stephen Malkmus didn't partake, but the slacker sound permeates still. It's intricately produced to feel like being alone at a bar, but still be the epitome of a big hug when needed most, and I overall just really vibe with this sort of stuff. I can't quite cross over to that pop country sound, no matter the era, but this wallowing bottomless well of an album is exactly what the doctor ordered, and I'm living within it.

Definitely a different approach than many use to creating songs.

Lazy music. And not as in lazy chill out mood. Lazy as in little effort.

I can't finish this album.

Hmmm? Surprised this is on here. I think I prefer the 98 album more. Some good moments, but his voice is kinda hard to get into

Not my cup of tea but got into it as it went on. I think they are really good at this style of sound

Talk singing not my thing but very pretty

NOW WE'RE TALKIN', ABSOLUTE BEAST OF A RECORD HERE

I hate this. I don't even know why. The music is pretty at times. The lyrics are often clever. Singing is serviceable. But I can't find anything I personally like here. 2/10

Silver Jews...great band. Bigger into their early stuff than this later era, but still an solid album. 4/5

I love this sort of lofi/indie sound. Always sounds like a bunch of friends having a good time making music. I’d never heard of these before and immediately thought ‘this has Terror Twilight Pavement vibes’ after the first few songs, so it wasnt a surprise to find Stephen Malkmus was a member of these. On a whole it reminds me of a cross between Pavement and Wilco, but never reaches the heights of either. It’s still good though, and I’m keen to dig a bit further with them (apparently the record before this is ace). I think this is a strong 3.5, but I’ll round it to 4 as I reckon I’ll be back and can see it being a grower

Very Nick Cagey this, and crossed with a lot of country based tunes this was never going to be my favourite. Didn't mind the singing, it reminded of something I can't quite place but was very indie in a can't quite sing kind of way. One playthrough was okay but I wouldn't come back, 1.5.

Thoroughly miserable but very enjoyable. Horseleg Swastikas stood out the most, I liked the water metaphor and some great lyrics. Transylvania Blues, and Room Games and Diamond Rain were also pretty great. Seemingly low production values positively contribute to the album. Effective use of loudness and quietness.

The first half wasn't too bad but the second half gets too slow and boring. It's a good thing this is a short album because his singing voice would have annoyed me more otherwise. Highlights: Slow Education I Remember Me

Suppose on paper I should quite like this, but it didn't do much for me. However, it's got that pessimism and misery that I often enjoy. The guy hasn't got a great voice, which somehow is fitting, but it bothered me. He also really reminded me of another act and I can't put my finger on it.... Maybe magnetic fields? 2.5

Nice chill rock album with some witty songwriting. Nothing too exciting but it didn’t waste my time so 3 stars seems appropriate.

Fun indie

Haat aan indie rock kan denk ik voor een groot deel op het conto van bands als deze geschreven worden. Monotoon geneuzel over nerdy onderwerpen. Waar artiesten als Pavement en Camper Van Beethoven het nog verheffen naar een hoog entertainment gehalte, met het integreren van intelligente melodieën, catchy hooks en rammelende instrumenten, blijven de Zilveren Joden vooral dichtbij het slaapverwekkende vertelsel van David Berman. Op zich zijn de teksten best aardig, maar het is uiteindelijk een boek zonder spannende plottwists of clues. Verrassingselementen zijn niet of minimaal aanwezig. Blij was ik dan ook toen 'Transylvania Blues' langskwam, en we even verlost waren van het gejammer van Berman. Daarop volgde een nummertje met een geinig pianoriedeltje, wat ook al voelde als een verademing. De ietwat positieve reeks werd afgesloten door 'Tennessee', wat een aardig country rock liedje is. Daarna was het weer van hetzelfde laken een pak. Ik kan het lo-fi indie genre wel goed hebben, ook al zie ik wel in wat andere mensen op afstand houdt. Op dit album hoor ik dat iets te veel. 5/10 Highlights: Tennessee

Dat Silver Jews is opgericht door twee Pavement leden verbaast me enerzijds (want ik wist het niet). Na de eerste 45 seconden van Bright Flight verbaast het me al niks meer, ook al spelen Malkmus en Nastanovich niet eens mee op dit album. Dat zanger David Berman zelfmoord heeft gepleegd verbaast me enerzijds (want ik wist het niet). Na het luisteren van enkele lyrics verbaast het me al niks meer. "Bright Flight poetically captures a drunken night spent contemplating suicide while staring at the Nashville skyline." schreef the Guardian. Als zangers dit soort lyrics maken, dan gaat het een keer echt mis. Helaas. Gelukkig is dit wel een toffe vondst. Een beetje Pavement-light. Dat heerlijke slacker-geluid, maar iets minder spannend en uniek als de band met Malkmus in the lead. Ga hier wel meer van checken. 8/10 Highlights Room Games and Diamond Rain

fine. not for me.

The good news. Transylvania Blues is a good song. The bad news. The rest of the album is extremely mediocre. Lesson to bands. Make one good song into a collection of good songs in order to have a great album. Simple.

Bad singer lmao

2.75, good moments but not my taste

Haven’t really had my “a-ha!” moment with Berman yet, but there’s some great music here and he’s clearly a great lyricist. I hope I’ll “get it” more one day. 3.5/5

Musically this is right up my alley with the mix lo fi country and indie but the vocals are distracting from the music. I kept hearing Steven Wright singing.

Though I created the rule that I will listen twice to all albums that I am presented with, I fear that this is the second album where I will only stick to that rule if I am allowed to MUTE THE VOLUME. This isn't music, don't know what to call this... A person might be a great songwriter, doesn't mean they should be allowed to record these songs! But, I will add 1 song to my 1001 album playlist, and that will be Death of an Heir of Sorrow, not because it is the least shitty of the songs, but because it is the shortest.

The style of music falls somewhere between Whiskeytown and Tom Waits. It's not bad, but sometime a little depressing.

David Berman is an under rated songwriter.

No idea who this is. Had a Lou Reed off-key thing in the vocals. The music is fantastic. Let’s not and say we did is a great track. Super fun and bouncy. Don’t know if I will listen again. But this was a fun record.

Jaa miten voikaan musiikki kuulostaa näin paljon tuolta levyn kannelta. Meni vähän liikaa puhelauluksi ja vitseiksi minusta, mutta lisääntyvä countryn määrä ilahdutti.

Levyn kantrifioituminen (eli paraneminen) kohti loppua sai minut sen verran optimistiseksi, että laitoin sen uudelleen alusta soimaan. Mmh, ei alku kauheasti innostavammalta kuulostanut (ehkä vähän). On kiva, että Lou Reed rohkaisee teknisesti kyseenalaisia laulajia esittämään biisejä, mutta olisi toivottavaa kuulostaa hieman paremmalla tavalla huonolta kuin tämän bändin solisti. 2,5

Bad vocals.

Nice instrumental, don’t like the vocals

Boring mess

Kind of a happy sad alt country vibe.

slow education isch chli country indie da gits ebe und isch no nice room games and diamond rain zeigt dass er nöööd cha singe oder nöd will? ha etz es paar songs chli glost ohni viel schribe und finds chli bisi gaggi? water doesnt give a damb segeds bi horseleg swastikas? okay. you're the only ten i see. oh gott. und sis schätzli (anschinend) singt etz au nöd so guet. nai. ich glaub sie wönd do sochli nancy & lee type musig mache aber s isch chli flach das ganze.

hahaha s albumcover SCHREIT indie slow education sochli en countryvibe au? binmer nanig sicher weg de stimm, er chan offesichtlich nöd perfekt singe aber het mengisch sehrsehr e warmi stimm uhh d gitarre huren schön also chli geklimper aber ja time will break the world hetmer bis jz am beste gfalle, ich glaub ich muss nachli meh lyrics lese, das woni usseghöre sind sicher mal nöd 08/15 lyrics water git würkli no damn AHA HORSELEG SWASTIKAS JÄSO transylvania blues findi no cool also chlini pause zwüschedurre hahaha let's not and say we did funny name und funny lied aber iwie gahtsmer gad au extrem ufd eier "I'm getting the pay per tear" sehr cooli line hahaha jz voll country bi friday night fever han gwrn wies klavier immer wieder echli fürrechunnt und echli s lied zemmehebt death of an heir of sorrow no megaaa en schöne closer jaa s album bütet na vill, mengisch findis echlii möchtegern artsy aber d text sind amigs funny und de offesichtlich country ihfluss machts album besser. schwanke zwüsche 3 und 4

Monotonous and uninspiring.

I find it really funny that a band named Silver Jews has a song called Horseleg Swastikas

Somber, deep, soft, sometimes opinionated. I dig it

This sounds like Damon Albarn without his musical and lyrical genius. Sounds like some lazy recordings.

I dig this. It’s not 100% but I like the slacker rock country vibe.

Another old favorite.I love that band so much! The voice, lyrics, and music make me feel right at home and like I’m just where I belong. And I hope the pain is gone for David now

This music is okay, but it's not good enough to justify a band name that makes me feel antisemitic to say out loud. It's calm and pleasant, but there's not a huge amount here, given that this band has two members of Pavement in it 3/5

Not a bad album, per se. It’s just a massive amount of boring and has not much going for it. I actually don’t mind the songer’s voice, I just don’t find the music very interesting.

Lyrics are pretty interesting, I feel like this would be an acquired taste with more listens as the vocals are not very immediate

I thought this was perfectly acceptable. The tunes were good and the music was fun, I really liked the slide guitar that popped up throughout. The voice isn't one for the annuls but then a lot of artists in this vein don't rely on a set of pipes.

Another album that doesn't seem to belong to the list for any reason other than the author presumably likes it. Instrumentally it's fine. A pleasant mix between indie rock and country. But it falls down with the vocals in my opinion.

Interesting but not really for me

3.5/5

Not for me. The voice, the limp songs.

took a dislike of this from the first line and then it proceeded to slip further and further into country nonsense.

Not the best mood setter for a Monday morning when motivation is already fairly low. Musically it’s not too bad, and at times if I really tried, I could pretend it was a bit like a poor man’s Pearl Jam, but ultimately I was just struggling to get through it and was glad it was only a 10-track, 35 minute record.

This guy can't really sing, but I still love it. The lyrics are interesting and catchy and I laughed out loud more than once.

Not for me

Some good tunes here. But I can only do the depressing, country-inflected misery songs for just a few tracks on the album. I understand that’s the purpose, so I’m giving him points here for accomplishing what he set out to do. Certainly conveys the feeling he’s going for well, and the lyrics are certainly poetry. Definitely a tearjerker of an album.

2 stars, weird.

The singer's voice is somewhere in between Damon Albarn and Mark Knopfler. The music is a bit subdued even for indie, but that makes for mellow listening.

Slow Education I Remember Me Friday Night Fever I truly did enjoy the lyrics and stories he tells but the vocals ruined it for me. It wasn’t awful to where I couldn’t get through it but it defiantly woulda got a higher rating if not for the vocals. Very simple and chill

Underrated

Sounds like a weird Johnny Cash

Was very neutr

I was a big fan of American Water; but otherwise, I hadn't really followed the Silver Jews very closely. I'd listened to Bright Flight a few times over the years. But it's been a while. So I got to listen today with fresh ears. I like this a lot. It doesn't seem as deeply cutting as American Water. But David Berman remains equally hilarious and depressing, often at the same time. There was nobody quite like him. I'm gonna spin Bright Flight again.

Well the music is not too terrible but the lyrics are at best boring and at worst infantile. The vocals, well let's be generous and call them uninspiring. I am sorry that the person mostly responsible for this was so unhappy with his life he choose to end it ans while I am sure his life had value to the people close to him unfortunately nothing of musical value was lost as a result of his actions.

not bad

Insightful

“All my favorite singers couldn’t sing” lol. For real tho this is good but I feel like once I get used to the guys voice more I’ll think it’s great, if I decide to keep listening

I like American Water slightly more but still some outstanding songwriting here. Love the Berman, RIP

It’s that sort of bedroom-produced slacker rock that seems to be highly loved, although usually primarily in America, where I’m sure it has more of a homely feeling. And it’s a nice, inoffensive listen. And that is all it does for me. The sort of album that I wouldn’t mind listening to a lot if it was the only CD in my car, but otherwise not something I’d really come back to.

Bastante chulos. Indie rock suave, tranquilo. Un poco a Lemonheads, pero más tristones.

Liked it more than I expected. Somewhere in between Crash Test Dummies and Cake

Even though the Pavement boys are gone by this album, this still holds tight to Pavement-style slacker rock. Unfortunately this one never quite hit the way, say, Purple Mountains hit.

Usually like this kind of music but found this quite boring, sorry.

Indie rock lento. Ni fu ni fa.

Very monotone and meandering. Kinda reminds me of destroyer

Country mellow

It's fine, I think it's another album where I'd be significantly more into it if there wasn't singing. If you were feeling down and were into country vibes this might be the ticket, but outside of that I can't imagine liking this much. I will say, I enjoyed Transylvania Blues, but when it came on at first I thought the album had finished and Spotify had just started playing something else, because it didn't sound like something that belonged on the album. When the good song instantly makes you think you've left the album, I think that tells you something about its quality.

When this came up I had never heard of the band or album, I was excited with zero expectations. Forgetable indie rock, no meaning, no standout songs and just very boring. Favourite song: there isnt one that stands out Least favourite: All of them, very dull! Album artwork: I like it, very council estate chic!

Punk rock died when the first kid said "Punk's not dead, punk's not dead" You know Louisville is death, we've got to up and move Because the dead do not improve. Rip David Berman This was great - I've been meaning to listen to Silver Jews for ages. A beautiful, if weary, y'allternative album. Good storytelling, with a mix of dark poetics, honky tonk blues and clever punchlines, just the way I like my country. The backing band is Lambchop - who I also have been meaning to check out based on recs from friends.

Can't really be more indie than this. The lyrics feel a bit simple and the singer songs like he's bored

It was ok

Nothing spectacular, but still pretty good. 3 star territory.

Magnetic Fields but worse? I don't know, this is just dismal.

Plutôt moche. Trop d'artistes sur la scène indie essayent trop de faire le même effet de non-chanteur de Cohen et plus souvent qu'autrement ce n'est pas intéressant. Cet album en est un exemple. Les instrumentations ne sont pas mauvaises, mais ne viennent pas se démarquer en comparaison à ses contemporains. Très oubliable. 3/10

The rythm is not as vivace as I'd like.

Didn't like the singer's voice.

I was liking it. It's got decent stuff. Then I got bored. What is he on about??

While I'm sure there's a dedicated audience for this style of music, I am not in their ranks. While not as bad as Radiohead, it's close.

While I know this is probably a selling point for a lot of fans of Silver Jews' music, frontman David Berman's voice grated on me for a lot of this listen. I did enjoy the opener, "Slow Education," and "I Remember Me" - the latter hits differently knowing Berman completed suicide later in life. And the twangy melodies throughout Bright Flight aren't bad, per se. In fact, the instrumental track "Transylvania Blues" was probably my favorite out of this collection given it was vocal-less and had a different sound than the others. This album as a whole just wasn't my bag, and I'm not exactly sure why it's on the list as a "must listen before you die." Even after reading the editor's blurb in the book, I don't have a solid understanding of what makes THIS particular album worthy of inclusion. (This always annoys me when I finish reading the book blurb on a 1,001 Albums album). I looked up "best of Silver Jews" articles via Google and the three articles didn't have many songs from this collection. I suppose Berman's poetry set to music is more image-ridden than other indie rock works out there and I respect that. But I don't think I'll be revisiting Bright Flight. Interesting Factoids from Wikipedia: *"Walnut Falcons" was tossed around as a potential band name before "Silver Jews" was chosen. Berman, who was Jewish, said that the name came from a billboard he saw reading "Silver Jewelry" and later revealed that the name was actually intended to be a pseudonym for a conceptual art piece but instead evolved into the actual band. Standout Tracks: Slow Education, I Remember Me, Transylvania Blues, Tennessee

This is another one of those records where I'm a bit confused how it ended up on this list. This album almost feels like a parody of indie rock at times. There doesn't seem to be anything really special about this one. I do enjoy country-rock and indie-rock so it wasn't an unenjoyable album by any means but it just didn't feel like anything special to me. The song that has stood out the most to me is Let's Not and Say We Did which is the least popular song on the album. I wonder what that says about me...

Silver Jews is another one of those bands that I never got into because the name. I just didn't know what it meant. I remember listening to a few songs here and there in the early 2000s, but I was really blown away by this record. Its that perfect mix of apathetic deadpan indie, but winking at country music the entire time. The lyrics are clever, the music is engaging. And I really like the monotone singing. It feels like its *trying* to be country but fully aware that it isn't. Its true outsider music. If I was to put Silver Jews into a headline it would say: "New York Jew Goes to Nashville Does Drugs." I super enjoyed this record.

The singer is awful. It reminds me bit of Tim Blake Nelson in "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." But that at least had some moments. This just feels like a band that is trying to put together something, but not sure what. Why again was this put on the list? I feel like some of the songs could be done well by a band with a decent singer, maybe an alt country band. At least it's short. Next.

I don't know about this. It almost sounds like a Pavement knockoff, except that their frontman (Stephen Malkmus) had already left Silver Jews by the time this album was produced and he wasn't the main singer/songwriter anyway. That's David Berman's job and he does pen unique lyrics. But at times it's just smart man nonsense - like if he puts two cryptic or quirky sentences side by side that makes for clever writing. I found it a bit tiresome. Ditto his voice and the musical arrangements. It's the same monotone delivery attached to the same metronome-like alt-country timing on almost every song. I know Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits have flawed vocals, but they can compose songs in a variety of distinct ways and they do attempt different vocal stylings - and pull it off from time to time. Transylvania Blues was different - both stylistically and for its absence of vocals - and Let's Not But Say We Did was more uptempo. But the rest felt monotonous. And not good.

kan behöva lyssna på det här igen

This has something, but it also has too much country influence to be really good.

Very Pavement/Cracker. A good listen, but nothing something I'm gaga about.

Talk about irritating vocals! The actual music was at least good.

Didn't enjoy.

Goddamn, the author certainly has a type. He loves a whiney white man playing country blues. This is terrible. It’s a surprise this band has any audience at all. The off-key droning of track 3 is enough for me. Why would anyone choose to listen to this?

Brooding country rock. Pretty good.

Drawling Indy is great.

cool

We should have left this music back in 1965. Even moreso when the singer sounds like he has zero interest in what he's doing. The vocals are so devoid of life and personality, so much that the album's best song is Transylvania Blues, which is an instrumental. Any bit of music with an oomph is overshadowed by this guy's dull voice. His songwriting is interesting at times, but then you get distracted by a dumb lyric like "you're the only ten-ah-see" which is of course, a line in the song Tennessee. Jesus Christ

…….what just happened?

Maybe I was just in the right mood, or I'm a sucker for early 2000s indie records. There was something really charming about this album, and I want to remember to revisit it down the line.

Fine album, enjoyed it more than the other album I listened by them.

Vocals are pretty bad but instrumentals are good. Favourites: room games and diamond rain, I remember me. 3/5

I guess they just let anyone pick up a guitar and sing these days huh... No offense but throughout the entire opening track I thought my man David Berman could NOT sing 💀💀 sorry Jewish people. Anyone once the second song began I KNEW he couldn't sing, but somehow it stopped bothering me so much. I guess at least we know he's not using autotune. The lyrics were easily understandable even for me which is nice, and the album was pretty cohesive sound-wise and lyrically. Also he did end up killing himself so that's sad. Lowkey I almost cried listening to the album because after his suicide his dad said "Despite his difficulties, he always remained my special son. I will miss him more than he was able to realize" which is really sad, but then I saw the song titled Horseleg Swastikas and no longer felt much of anything. Sadly my man still cannot sing to save his life (sorry), but I suppose it feels a little more relatable that way because I cannot sing either. The instrumentals were pretty good, guitar + piano + Virginian remains a classic combo, the singing (if you can call it that) detracts from the album a little. 3/5, nothing special, not terrible though. No favourites really.

Pretty average to be honest. Nothing extremely detestable or anything, it just wasn't the most memorable. However, I thought it had a really comforting sound which I liked. Kind of just calm and chill with some nice instrumental moments. Favourites were I Remember Me, Room Games and Diamond Rain, Transylvania Blues, Let's Not and Say We Did, and Friday Night Fever (!). Not a big fan of some of the really exposed singing on some tracks, but most of them were good enough that I didn't notice. 4, I really liked half the songs on the album but the rest I am indifferent to

vocalist sounded like the guy from Cake. Nothing spectacular

Aye this was awful. Voice just dragged along and I was dying having to get through the whole thing. Two thumbs down.

Of course there's a Pavement connection. There are a few exceptions for sure (weirdly: Bill Callahan who has such a similarity but he gets away with it somehow), but I hear dead-dry vocals like this and it's about a 95.12% chance I'm not gonna make it out alive. ...it's not that his voice is bad (and it is - it's terrible), it's his style. Technically bad singers can and often do get away with it with individuality and simply some effort but this slacked/slacker "i just woke up and am still in bed" voice that permeates more than a bit of indie rock over the last 20-30+ years is a big fat nope and get tf out. It's too bad - because the music can often be nice here, but these damn vocals wrecked it all. This sad sack bullshit mumblingthisclose to the microphone permeates everything else about this record to make it completely distracting. A chore to get through - hard no. 3/10 1 star.

I didn't like this. 1.

When this album first started I wasn't feeling it but by the 4th song it really grew on me. By Tennessee I was a fan.

Eh nothing interesting. Pretty boring although the vocals were nice👍

There's an audience for this but it sure isn't me. DNF.

I like this type of music but the vocals are just too jarring for me. Some clever turns of phrase and some that fall flat. I think it would be four stars if I could get around the disinterested and out of tune vocal style.

“Can’t get past the flatness of the singers voice” ~Liz Phair, probably

Rating: 6/10

напоминает рок бати, который 20 лет дрочил свои гитарки в гараже и наконец-таки решил выпустить свою музыку, которую насочинял, но конечно же никому не показывал тут и странные тексты, и НеОбЫчНыЕ музыкальные сочетания


из прикольного: Transylvania Blues напоминает местами “Перемен” Цоя не знаю, зачем это здесь

Мне жутко попало в настроение меланхолии и боли в груди Вокал при этом в начале бесил, но дальше я смог легко с ним смириться и он начал мне нравиться ну и текста очень прикольные: "Marry me, leave Kentucky and come to Tennessee, ’Cause you’re the only ten I see" "Punk rock died when the first kid said, Punk's not dead Punk's not dead" "And you got that one idea again The one about dying." ну я честно как-то давно не проникался строчками. Это не идеальный альбом, но он очень крепок Алкоальбом: бутылка водки ночью

Пиздец, это дети Вилко или что??? Вокала нет, музыки нет... на последнем альбоме Вилко хотя бы вокал какой-то был нормальный +-, музыкальность, структура. А это... ну два-три трека в середине есть нормальных. Хорошо, что он 30 минут идёт. Это можно воспринимать как музыку простых людей. Пардон - "простых бухих скуфов"

A very cool album, got them good vibes. Have saved, was a 3 on first listen but got better the second time. Real nice stuff

Как, эмм, не англоговорящий изначально, я нахожу такие альбомы самыми трудными для восприятия: ты должен слушать максимально внимательно и воспринимать каждое слово. Другого пути для восприятия этой музыки просто нет, ты либо погружаешься в поэзию, либо слушаешь пустые и скучные с точки зрения музыки песни. Такие альбомы требуют усилия и фокусирования, которые не каждый может себе позволить. Все-таки музыка воспринимается по большей части как побочное развлечение, и я обычно нахожу себя заинтересованным в тексте только если музыка сама по себе провоцирует. В этом смысле вся музыка Дэвида Бермана дается мне тяжело, хотя я и знаю, что его поэзия - это мое. Лучшая песня - I Remember Me.

Monotone and forgettable

After a few songs, and hearing this singers monotone voice lacking passion, I just stopped. No thanks.

Yeah I don't know man, do we really need this one? I think my cynicism is growing now that we are some 850 albums into the list, but each little rock album that we get that doesn't make a serious splash hurts me more and more. What does this add to the tapestry of music, of the history of all music made? Is that contribution one that, were I to have died yesterday having not heard this, my experience of music would have been incomplete? In this case, definitely not. Believe me, we have received a lot of albums that do fall into that box. This isn't one of them. It's fine. Not bad, not particularly good either. Vocals are a little strange, that's the only think remarkable here. But I'd boot it for something more deserving. Really, I'm starting to think that 1001 is just too big of a barrel to fill. Favorite tracks: I Remember Me, Transylvania Blues. Album art: It's, uh, a folder on a couch? I do like the font, and the band name "Silver Jews" is interesting, especially with a track called "Horseleg Swastikas." 2.5/5

Standard apathetic indie fare

This style of music is just ok to me. I think some other bands did it better - but good background music.

Not terrible, but forgettable.

I had never heard of this band, which is exactly why I'm here on this site - to listen to and learn about artists that I'm not familiar with. Musically I found the indie/country/whatever-you-wanna-call-it vibe of this album very well done & interesting. The lyrics had some bright spots as well, but I really, really struggled with Berman's vocals. I actually think a second listen would shine more light into some solid songwriting as Berman seems to be very well regarded in that field, but as it is, this is probably not something I'll ever listen to again. That being said, I don't feel like the last 35 minutes were a waste of time either.

I’m not cool enough to enjoy this. It’s spoken word indie, the guitar licks are good and the fidelity is nice. I just can’t connect to the vibe of not singing, and having the absolute most whimsical lyrics ever.

I don’t know what it is with the folk/indie rock albums on this list, but they’re not for me. It was alright, I liked a decent bit of the instrumentals, but the album would be better if there were no vocals.

3/5/24. Never heard of this band before but enjoyed it! Loved the vocals and easy going nature in the album, mixing country with a little psychedelia. I did wish the songs varied a little more, but this is an album I can revisit. Let's Not and Say We Did is a standout track.

Not really sure how I felt about this album. Poor start which meant I wasn't really engaged throughout. The occasional banger which took me by surprise. Good for a lazy Sunday, bad for getting you going in the morning.

Ik ging uit van weer een middelmatige indie rock band, maar deze greep me eigenlijk wel snel. Iets in het stemgeluid vind ik wel intrigerend, waar ik juist bij anderen lees dat ze het saai vinden. Verder is dit muzikaal ook interessant moet ik zeggen. Lijkt me er eentje om later nog eens bij terug te komen.

Didn't click with me

vind het wel een beetje saai, denk echt aan 2 sterren ofs

Bien pero nada especial. 3

Favorite Tracks: I Remember Me Tennessee Horseleg Swastikas

I have never heard of these guys, but they were pretty good. I like it.

So I was completely wrong about who Silver Jews were. For some reason thought they were like White Lies or Interpol. Not alternative country. This was pretty good though. Might revisit.

Feels like country meets The Velvet Underground meets Presidents of the USA. While I like those two bands, and while this is a sweet album, I found the strong country aspect too offputting and I couldn’t get past it. Listens: Fave Track: Transylvania Blues Rating: 2

Good indie

Mest gnöl och gnäll.

Its very much in the "Its alright" category

Mumbled incoherent nonsense accompanied with shitty music.

Decent but lyrics are pretty terrible.

Vildt god! lidt Lou Reed agtig stemme. Aldrig hørt om dem før

Der er virkelig et par all timers på den her plade (I Remember Me!! så god!!) men det er ikke det hele der virker for mig. Har kun hørt den en gang før for en del år siden, tror i virkeligheden det er en kæmpe grower hvis man hørte den noget mere. Men synes helt sikkert The Natural Bridge og American Water er bedre plader.

Jeg er bare vild med hans stemme.. Burde nok lære bedre efter hvad han synger... RIP :(

Had never heard of them. Loved this and ended up playing over and over, once I got past the initial surprise of the lead vocal.

detached and lamenting

Want to look up more about this band

Het zit niet mee deze week, wat is dit voor een saai album ook? Helemaal omdat ik deze meteen na Tim Buckley luister pakt dit me totaaaaaaaal niet. Het is niet 1 ster, want dat is voor mij echt een slecht/dramatisch album, maar het is gewoon zo niets zeggend. Kunnen we alsjeblieft weer wat sterkere albums krijgen?? Ok laat maar, in Let's not say and we did lukt het ze om het toch compleet te verpesten. Dan pakt ie het toch een beetje terug in Tennessee cause "You're the only ten I see" god wat ben ik soms toch makkelijk te vermaken. Ook op Tennessee zingt een vrouw mee, die qua stem een stuk beter is dan de zanger op alle andere nummers, mag ze alsjeblieft wat vaker meedoen?

Tuneless vocalists often work for me, but not in this case! Dreary

Not my kind of singing. Lead singer seemed off tune in many songs.

Ja dit voelde alsof het een parodie was op iets

Nope really didn’t get this album. Or why it made the list.

OK stuff, I didn't object to it

Kind of boring to be honest...

Country/Dylan wannabe with a Barenaked Ladies vibe. Weird.

Great Album. RIP David Berman

I was first introduced to Silver Jews when they featured on Uncut's "New sounds of the Old West" back in the late 1990s. The track was 'How to rent a room', I liked what I heard and was particularly intrigued by the links to Stephen Malkmus and other Pavement alumni. David Berman's World weariness, surreal lyrics and sense of humour always remind me of Mark Linkous and Bill Callahan, firm favourites of mine. This is a great album of laid back Americana, beautifully played, with the standouts track being the gorgeous 'Horseleg Swastikas'. Well recommended!

War schon ein gutes Album, könnte man nochmal für im Hintergrund anmachen. Die eine Review, dass das Album eine drunk night in nashville einfängt, trifft es gut, und aus mir wird kein Southern gal mehr

this is probably fine but it also seems clever but not catchy enough to account for the cleverness

While I liked the voice of the singer, all songs similarly blended together into one long blur of sound. It was gentle to listen to but nothing stood out.

There's some great lyrics in there, but overall he and the music both sound bored of themselves. I'd potentially like it if I listened to it more, but I'm just not going to.

David Berman was a more cynical, sorrowful Stephen Malkmus and he was great. Bright Flight is an excellent alt-country album. There’s so much humour, poetry and vivid storytelling by Berman on this album, it’s fantastic. He takes a break from the words on Transylvania Blues and it kicks ass. The duo and wordplay on Tennessee was fantastic. There was a ton of dark humour on this too, great album 4.5 stars

I have literally never heard of this before. Wow. 30 seconds in and this is already a no from me. I'm on track 3 now and I can't explain how much I detest this. Like is he trying to sound horrible on purpose? Is this satire or something? I don't hate track 6, simply because it is an instrumental song and no one is singing. 1/5. I would give it zero, but I don't know if the system will let me.

A drunk-sounding man rambling "I'm 14 and this is deep" lyrics, and the whole thing sounds vaguely discordant. The Tennessee/"ten I see" pun was physically painful to hear.

Uninteresting to me 2/5

Bad country music. Dull vocals, dull instrumentation. Stand-out: Let's Not and Say We Did

Surprised there are multiple Silver Jews albums on here, not sure if that’s needed but I love them so not mad. This is either my second or third favorite of theirs with American Water easily being the best. This is still such a solid album. Silver Jews is probably my favorite fall time band. Rating: 4.7

Overall, this is a good album. I hadn't heard or them or heard any of their music before, so, as always, I welcome the introductions this project is making for me. At times, the vocal delivery gets a little tiresome to me, but I admire the songwriting and performances (very well performed!), and the lyrics are well-crafted.

Good, but probably needs a deeper dive than it got today.

Trying to be open minded, but this seems like ironic overrated lo-fi indie rock that someone chose just to mess with people. Is this hipster rock? At first I thought Berman's vocal delivery was a choice but now I am certain this vocal delivery is the result of someone who is too high to perform well. I was not impressed with the lyrics, so I was surprised to learn after listening to the album that David Berman was considered a lyrical genius. Really? If I were Robert Dimery I would swap this album out for a Hank Williams Sr album. Particularly perplexing since Robert Dimery wrote a book about the final days of the lives of 100 musicians with Bruno Macdonald that book included Hank Williams.

Noioso e scontato

This album is conflicting for me. There were parts that I liked and flashed potential. And then there were parts that were boring, annoying, and confusing. I generally don't consider lyricism when rating, but the lyrics were also so bipolar that I had to comment on it. There are some very good lyrics on here. "I want to be like water if I can because water doesn't give a damn" is damn clever. But for every line like that, there's a headscratcher like "We're off to the land of hot middle-aged women" or this so-bad-I-had-to-laugh line: "The sky is low and gray like a Japanese table and my horse's legs look like four brown shotguns." Highlights: the parts of Time Will Break The World that didn't make me laugh, and the last minute of Transylvania Blues goes hard

Good lyrics, but the sound gets a little monotonous by the end of the record.

Gefällt mir nicht

Excelente de principio a fin.

How have I not listened to this album before - it's really good.

Quite endearing in it's own way. Odd wistful, whimsical songs sung out of tune but the accompaniment is good. It begins to grow on you after a bit and I admire the guts to just go out there and make something like this that stands on it's own.

Verrassend. Kende dit niet. Inmiddels ook wat gelezen over de frontman. Interessant verhaal. Doorspekt van drugs, schuldgevoel over zijn vader en maatschappijkritiek. Wil ik meer van horen! (Strakke drummer trouwens)

Best heel aardig, niet zijn mooiste plaat