Bright Flight

I appreciate the indie-alt-country vibe, but it's a little dull. I could see including it in the project for an exposure to the sound, but otherwise it doesn't belong here. I don't hate it, yet... 2 stars.

The guy can't sing, and the lyrics are some of the most lazy I've seen. "You're the only ten I see." Get over yourself.

The music is OK but the vocals really put me off. Favorite track: Transylvania Blues

New to me, I liked it

Slow

Reminded me of Lou Reed, but not in a good way.

Extremely low effort album cover. Maybe its the poin? I dont like country, or alt country. Never has never will. Its a kind of music that just bores me to death. This album is fine but the singing is really rough. And like every single country album ever made, its repetitive. Atleast its very short/5

With some records, I can't tell if the reverence for an album is out of love for the product or a sort of empathy for the pathos of the artist. This is one such case. It's a good record, definitely a New York country album, apparently about David Berman (its songwriter) contemplating suicide in Nashville. I don't think the album glorifies depression but I do think some of the press around it does. Berman writes very well about anxiety and sadness but the mid-to-upbeat tempos and the frequently somewhat bright melodies don't elicit any of that in me. It leaves a sort of disconnected or numb feeling behind: I know that the sadness is there, but I don't feel it. You can think of it as a sort of flaw or possibly a much more accurate representation of a depression hallmark that's difficult to capture: anhedonia, or emotional numbness. I tend to think it's a bit of both. With all that said, I can't say that I find this a particularly remarkable listen. With due respect to the legacy of Berman, who was a talented musician and songwriter and who lived with depression for a very long time before taking his own life in 2019, the emotional hits of harmony and melody are a bit too muted to return to this. I've a suspicion that this might grow on me but, as a part of my own recovery from depression, I don't dwell on depressive art unless it's staggeringly beautiful. Sad boys get a listen but they don't get stars. 3/5. Rest in peace, Mr. Berman. The world did love you and your work; it's OK that it didn't land for me.

deus sabe o quanto eu fiquei feliz com esse aparecendo do nada aqui eu gosto demaissssssss de silver jews, a voz do david berman é uma das que mais marcou meu período de faculdade e o poço sem fundo que eu me encontrava

david berman eh dos maiores letristas/poetas contemporâneos, gosto mto dele. acho sempre mto sincero. que deus o tenha. a sonoridade dessa banda eh boa demais, vai tomar no cu. dito isso, não sei se esse eh o que deveria tá aqui não. mas que eh pedrada, assim como todo o resto da discografia do silver jews, é sim. já me acompanhou por uns tempos bem paias. gosto DEMAIS.

I could have dug it more in a different mood -

På samma gång väldigt typisk indie och en relativt unik lyssningsupplevelse. Bra blandning och jag tyckte ändå om sångarens röst!

At least it was short - but still 35 minutes wasted on nothing. Musically bland and uninspiring lyrics. Not sure who picked this or why?

A curious novelty. I wasn't completely convinced in 2001 and now I can see I was right but enjoyed this for new reasons.

I guess the best way to describe this album is sad indie cowboy music, because that's pretty much what it is. And honestly, I think it's done pretty well. I can definitely see people being turned off by the vocals, especially with how so many of the songs start with this strong, almost out-of-tune singing. But strangely enough, it works here. There's something about that rough, imperfect delivery that really fits the depressed, melancholy atmosphere this album is going for, just with a little country twang thrown in. Now, am I a huge fan of this style? Not particularly. But I do appreciate what it's trying to accomplish. The instrumentals are enjoyable and do a great job of reinforcing the mood, even if the songs themselves don't always grab me. I also appreciate that the album is relatively short, because I could easily see this kind of music wearing out its welcome if it went on much longer. So yeah, I'm fine with Bright Flight. I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't fall in love with it either. It's a decent little album that knows exactly what kind of mood it wants to create, even if that mood isn't necessarily one I want to spend much time in. A solid 3 out of 5.

makes me depressed and cannot stand this vocalist some good parts though

Good guitar sounds. Nice balance of irony and sincerity.

Neću ovo slušati. 1/5, 1/10

I often have a hard time with David Berman's delivery and tone so not sure I can fairly judge this one but it was an okay listen.

Wow, they really evoke the Magnetic Fields for me. Also I did not know Silver Jew was slang for a blonde Jew. As for the music. The album was consistent but didn’t quite reach me to my core.

Really hated his voice on pretty much every song. Instrumentation was not bad but lacked a lot too

We get it. Its hipster cool and clever to make ironic country music. But sometimes being hipster cool and clever is just a way to avoid actually putting in the effort to pour yourself into something vulnerable and meaningful. This album just sounds lazy.

Me: "Nothing could be more depressing than yet another Leonard Cohen album." Silver Jews: "Hold my Manischewitz."

1,5/5

"tear-sodden country melodies"

I’m kind of obsessed with this album now

Not quite my tempo.

Honestly, this was a seriously rough listen. Berman's voice is a real struggle to appreciate and the lifeless production and sparse arrangements do him no favors. The first song I actually found myself getting sucked into was "Transylvania Blues", which is an instrumental track that doesn't really fit in with anything else on the album. The rest of the album is just a drag to get through and I'd rather not come back to this one unless I'm feeling severely depressed. If it wasn't for Berman's beautifully illustrative lyrics, this would be a firm 1/5, so for that I'm bumping this up to a 2/5.

Indie 2000ero aguanta un ratito pero aburre su tonadita

Love

Never heard of this band before. Not something I would listen to again. It was tedious.

Definitely not for me.

At first I found this rather derivative. Tom Waits, Bob Dylan... But the album grew on me. Will listen again but meantime, not remarkable.

What a surprise, another relatively unknown indie group on this list. Like all the others, they try to be quirky and cute while also attempting to be serious and meaningful, and sometimes you can’t have your cake and eat it too. 2/5

You know, I really enjoyed this record. Very indie folk rock, but good. Thoughtful songwriting. Mellow vibe. 4/5

If you like Pavement you will enjoy this album. If you like country tinged, lo-fi Americana you will like enjoy this album. If like me you like both then you will really enjoy this album. 4.1

The music is good, but I think the singers voice and cadence detracts from it. I know I've listened to some other songs of theirs and I thought I liked them more. But now I don't remember. 3 stars.

Is it sad? Probably. Is it depressing? Probably. But, who said music had to be fun? I found this really good. One of the best surprises in this project. Some of the lyrics are great, the guitar sound is also very good, and I think his voice really fits the mood. Very good lo-fi indie rock with a country flavour. This is at least 4 stars for me. Some songs I particularly liked: "Slow Education", "Room Games and Diamond Rain", "Horseleg Swastikas", "Transylvania Blues", "Tennessee" (probably my favourite), "Friday Night Fever", or "Death of an Heir of Sorrows" (devastating). "...I'll make a career out of writing sad songs and gettin' paid by the tear" (from "Tennessee"). Too bad his career was shorter than it should've been.

Nån slags indie country. Trivsamt att lyssna på.

30 minutes of my life I won't ever get back again. Who do I sue?

Yeah, not bad. Found it enjoyable if a little weird. Sounded a little like Dylan at times but with clearer lyrics. Listened to some of their other stuff. Not much in the way of variety but didn’t mind it. 3.5 stars rounded up…

Sad music for people who don't want to listen to music. If I'm depressed I feel way more connected to the war on drugs than this type of music. I'm not depressed now, so it is even less enjoyable.

There are some bands that are just annoying. This is one of them.

Liked this, clearly very influential on a lot of the alt country I am enjoying a lot lately.

Generally like Berman, but this is just OK.

One big exasperated groan, contained inside an album.

Once again we got the right band, wrong album. Should've been "American Water". Favorite track: Friday Night Fever 3.5/5

Aggressively not my shit

Don’t know anything about these guys. A decent listen, got that gentle American vibe going which reminds me of The Hold Steady. Be interesting to know how this made the list as it just sounds like gentle inoffensive rock to me.

I like let's not and say we did. 2 stars for me

Nick Cave-esque. I actually enjoyed this more than I expected.

It is at this point, only around 10 reviews in that I question the integrity of those that put this list together (kidding? Maybe? haha) Obviously there are few things more subjective than music and I don’t believe 2 people on this earth would truly agree to the same 1001, but to say people MUST listen to this before they die? Hmmm, I think I would have been ok. It’s not awful but is it so incredibly talented that it should make this list over millions of others? I dare say not. Maybe my random selection of albums so far has just beaten me down a bit and I need a few absolute gems to cleanse the pallet. I haven’t spoken much about this album itself in this review but ultimately I just find it meh. Some out there song titles and interesting lyrics in parts but as the song titled Horseleg Swastikas “water doesn’t give a damn” and frankly nor do I. “Lets Not and Say we did” was a bit more of a vibe but still not enough to save the dullness of the album as a whole. Would I buy this record if I saw it in the $5 bargain bin - I think I’ve made it clear, it’s a no from me

The only problem with an ambiguous and/or jokey band name is the expectations that it sets. For this album I thought it might be some sort of Weird Al style polka or maybe arty New York hip-hop, but it actually turned out to be a low key country album recorded in Nashville. It took a song or two to get its hooks into me, but lines like “A kitten from Great Britain sleeps behind the drapes” and the idea of moving to Nashville to make a living out of writing sad songs and getting paid by the tear are strong images. I think this is the sort of album that will really repay repeated listens. Finally, just to be on the safe side, I checked their Wikipedia page and front man David Berman is actually Jewish, so the band name is ok after all. Phew! Mazel-tastic!

Assez bien à écouter

Not a fan of the toneless vocals. Had some potential...

eee es medio raro, no me disgustó pero está ahí ajJj

"indie rock" my ass, this is country music

This album is not anything special, but it's still a pretty pleasant to listen to, in the background. A weak 3 for now. (And why don't this website implement 1-10 in rating? It would make these ratings so much easier to do)

I had never heard of this band so wasn't sure what to expect based off the name. Turned out to be some country hipster folk album. The music wasn't bad but the vocalist sounded like he wanted to be Tom Petty and Bob Dylan combined and sang off key completely tone deaf with lyrics that rarely rhymed. There were a few clever lyrical instances here and there yet the whole album felt almost spoken word or was sang without any real range besides what he thought he was capable of.

Olipas tylsää muminaa. Pitkä puolituntinen.

A little familiar

This is #day766 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to another band I've never heard of. Some indie/lo-fi rock from the early '00s, which I don't mind, but then I don't think I'll ever remember it or feel like putting it on again. Is it really a must-listen-before-you-die record, though? This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day767.

Good tunes with David Berman's plaintive voice. The Purple Mountains album is my favorite, but I like his songwriting and earnest voice.

dios mio que pedazo de embole, nothing burger at its finest. Al menos llevo haciendo este challenge tanto tiempo que ya me acostumbre a escucharme albumes enteros que no me causan nada, pero si me dabas esto en noviembre del año pasado creo que me mataba. No destaco nada, no me gustan los instrumentales (son medio vacios), no me gusta la voz del señor y tampoco como expresa las cosas. 4/10

Pass

the maoat (most average of all time)

Doesn't seem like much, but I played this almost three times in a row. Very relaxing and an oddly contemplative listen. Maybe a bit more "cosmic country" than the previous records.

7/10 - Putting this under the bucket of "I need to come back and read along" Fav Lyric: "All my poor hungry children" Heard before? --------–- ❌ Saved a new Song? ----- ❌ Saved Album? -------–-- ✅ Will Listen Again? ---––– ✅

Country music but was kind of growing on my by the end of the album.

I bet this is one of the most 'this is my first exposure' albums on the list. Lucky them. Lucky me, I listened some twenty years ago or so, being a Pavement stan.

Made it 3 songs in. Tapped out.

Really enjoyed - melancholy vibe put me in mind of Lou Reed, but also a bit of a country feel - passed me by at the time, but definitely worth taking a look at more of their stuff

when he said "we're off to the land of hot middle aged women".... i felt that....... this album is fine. i like the sound well enough, and i enjoy david berman's slurred vocal style and offbeat lyrics. the tracks can be a bit samey in places but thankfully its a short enough album that it doesn't really get grating, although it does mean the individual tracks don't tend to stick in my head so well. on that note, my favourites are the ones that change it up a bit, like the much more energetic "let's not and say we did". it's a little unfortunate that this kinda energy doesn't really show up elsewhere on the album... if i'm gonna listen to sad music like this, i need something like that to balance it out, yknow? it's not bad but like... if i wanted some weird and depressing indie/folk rock of this kinda flavour i'd sooner reach for an ajj album than this i think. i need a little more anger in there or i just end up feeling bummed out.....

This is a band that always ends up snapping me out my enjoyment of indie playlists on music platforms. There will be five or six songs where I am going about my day, enjoying brooding melodies and intelligent lyrics when I am jolted from my revelry by this flat vocalist. Then I see that the Silver Jews are playing, I click skip and move on about my day. Well, it's time to put that skip button away, as I continue to stagger towards completion of this Oregon Trail of music. Dysentery be damned, you're going to listen to the Silver Jews make the "Tennessee? You're the only TEN I SEE" joke in SONG FORM. My mind is broken. My body is spent. I don't have it in me to hate this, but I can't listen to this vocalist anymore. I made it past the Silver Jews casting couch, not unscarred, but able to limp forward into a mercifully longer than normal weekend. Lets at least enjoy those until they become exclusively available via the premium tier of our subscription "DownTime" model under our new, fully corporation based government in 2029. 2 GENRE: Futonian

For fans of Berman, this will confirm that he is one of the most brilliant and unique lyricists of the past 30 years. For non-fans, this will confirm his being a despondent, lethargic man with a rather weak propensity for melody - and I mean, that *is* all kind of true, really. They probably should've picked American Water instead.

The first few songs of this album had me thinking I wouldn't care about it much. But the middle of the album absolutely picks it up and has banger after banger. "I Remember Me" is an all timer. "Tennessee" ruins it a bit with that dumb refrain to end the song. The last 2 bring it back though

After David Ackles ruined my day, I could have been mad about David Berman’s rusty-hinge sort-of-on-Jey singing, but I wasn’t. The lyrics are funny, wistful and biting, and the music is pretty irresistible. I like it. After Ackles, anything would sound better, but this album carries its own weight.

Favorite Track: Let's Not and Say We Did

They aight

Boring af

The music should be up my alley but the singers voice kills it for me

I don't want to say "right artist, wrong album" for this, simply because David Berman's entire output is pretty excellent if you're at all into what he's selling - extremely indie vocals, weird little song structures that gradually become more fleshed out throughout his career, honest-to-God poetry in his lyrics. But I do think I would have picked *American Water* over this. That said, Berman is in an interesting, and tragic, mode here - having recently married his wife Cassie (who plays bass and provides some crucial vocal counterpoints here) and looking to her on some level to fix him, and dimly realizing that she can't. "I Remember Me" and "Tennessee" are genuinely sweet love songs, albeit cut with Berman's trademark wicked humor; the former imagines him getting hit by a truck just as he's about to propose, while the latter gives Nashville its most honest 21st-century appellation - "the land of hot middle-aged women." But his demons are forever lurking, waiting to pounce; "Time Will Break the World" feels like a series of barbs directed at his father Richard (whose Wikipedia bio makes him sound like an actual supervillain), while "Horseleg Swastikas" finds Berman drunk and despondent in somebody else's house, wishing that he could find a way to not care about anything. "We're like plug-in reindeer whose cords can't stretch far enough to fly," he sings on "Room Games and Diamond Rain," and damned if I don't feel that way all the time. I wish I could tell you Berman's story gets better from here.

2 - not great

Solid dude jams

This album is a very warm one, and, still, a very melancholic one too. I love how the instruments sound so delicious and raw at the same time, giving the impression of a very acoustic record, very sentimental and intimate too. And, in that sense, those broken vocals, which are not perfectly delivered almost at any time, fit so well the atmosphere this album creates. They are nothing interesting, nor something pleasant at some points, but in those songs they work perfectly. Mostly because there are songs about love (many of them being melancholic too), and others about being lost. It is a wonderful record lyrically too. There is some poetry to it, some really beautiful descriptions, letting you also picture the songs, give them an image. Added to the atmospheric aspect, this album really outshines at creating a concept, one that you can imagine. It is that intimate that really makes you visualise those songs. And it is something wonderful, and very powerful, that this album has.

Dude doesn’t even sound like the dude wants to be on his own album

Aside from Transylvania Blues, it's unremarkable.

These guys cannot be taking themselves seriously bro. In a flat tone voice: "And he turned to her to ask if she'd marry him when a runaway truck hit him where he stood"

One of those bands I've had a vague notion of checking out but never got around to, so it was good to have 1001 to give me a nudge. These kinds of sleepy semi-spoken vocals aren't my favourite, but they assert a lot of personality here, and the deadpan affect is a great match for the vivid, peculiar lyrics. A bit of a downer vibe but I don't mind that.

Is he half asleep, drugged up to his eyeballs or actually drunk when recording these to gain maximum effect? The only track where he seemed to wake up was Lets Not and Say We Did but by then I had already written them off. That's enough country to hear before I die thanks...suspect there will be more though :(

This record and the Silver Jews are just so wonderful! They always just seem so personal like they are my band alone and something I don’t really want to have to share but still an absolute treat to have this on the list ❤️ I know it’s not for everyone but to me it’s so beautiful it brings me to tears. Berman was an absolute genius, a poet and is greatly missed.

Whilst I prefer American Water (because of Malkmus' involvement obvs) this is still a damn fine slice of lo-fi Americana, with some absolutely fantastic lyrics and tons of catchy hooks. David Berman had a great ear for a chord change and for that sort of loose, ramshackle sound that's actually very well considered that I love about this sort of music. 'Tennessee' makes me think of my wife singing along, too (the only ten I see)

I just couldn't listen to the flat tonal vocals. Gave up by the 3rd song and listened to yesterday's album again.

Þetta var bara allt í lagi. Ekkert sem stendur sérstaklega upp úr þannig að ég býst ekki við að hlusta aftur á þetta og verð búinn að gleyma þessu mjög fljótlega. Bara meðalplata.

What a surprise, one of my favorite bands of the 21st century is on the list. Shocked it was not American Water that was included, but Bright Flight is also great. Sonically nothing special, Steve Malkmus was not a collaborator on this album so it has more of a plain indie sound. However Silver Jews has always been about the lyrics. David Berman was an amazing poet, and the lyrics do not disappoint. I Remember Me is a highlight, and achingly sad song about what could have been. And Tennessee is the best on the album, witty and earnest. RIP David.

Album #258 Silver Jews: Bright Flight I’m a little disheartened by the negative reception to this album. I understand that the late 90s and early 2000s birthed a lot of aspiring indie bands and singer-songwriters who more often than not were just a load of nepo-babies and talentless hacks trying to cling on to a scene; so trust me, I get it when people are just sick of that sound in general. But in my opinion, Silver Jews, and more importantly David Berman, are far from that cliché. Berman is not just one of the best songwriters of his generation, but of all time for my money. The reason for that isn’t necessarily that he has the most clever wordplay or impressive technical melodies, but he does have the absolute most important quality that a songwriter needs to stand out: personality. Not just any personality, but one that stands out, one that is authentic and individual. Bob Dylan is as revered as he is because he wrote the songs that only he can write, because he wrote authentically to himself; he wasn’t trying to emulate anyone. Berman’s voice is far from impressive, yet it somehow manages to be utterly captivating due to just how real it feels. Listening to him sing, you can tell that he is a real person, with real problems, not just another silver-spoon Ivy League art school graduate who was gifted a record deal by their dad. Even Berman’s lyrics on paper seem mediocre, almost corny at times; he has a tendency to just sing overdone one-liners and pickup lines, like in the song Tennessee off this album whose chorus is literally “You’re the only ten I see”; and yet somehow he manages to turn them from a line that deserves a wry chuckle, to something that feels immensely deep. My favourite example of this style of Berman’s writing is on the song The Frontier Index, which is essentially just a bunch of jokes read dryly to existential-sounding instrumentals; and the result is one of the most powerful songs that I’ve heard. The reason he is so proficient is that Berman just gets the formula for what makes lyrics last: they have to be familiar enough so the listener can relate, yet vague enough that they can fill in the blanks with their own experience. Now this isn’t my favourite Silver Jews album, and I’m a little upset that this is so many people on this website's only exposure to the band, since The Natural Bridge and American Water are probably in a league above Bright Flight; but I still think a lot of what makes the band great is present here. Berman stood out for his authenticity in a scene where being inauthentic was the norm, and he continued to bear his soul until the very end, releasing great music along the way. A modern legend, and his work is definitely deserving of being represented on this list. Best Songs: I Remember Me, Tennessee, Friday Night Fever Worst Song: Transylvania Blues Score out of 10: 8

Really can’t figure out if I actually liked this on its own merit, or if it just reminded me of a bunch of other albums I've loved for years. Leaning toward the latter. Not as vital as I hoped it would be, but RIP king.

Kinda difficult to rate. Like half the songs I liked and the other half I barely care about

Sounds cool. Nothinh brilliant, but cool.

I don't think I recognize this artist or any of these tracks by title. I believe I'm going into this totally blind. One question: Why? It seems to be absolutely nothing special in any way. I want to chalk this up to another case of "in order to appreciate the truly great albums, you also have to sit through utter pointlessness." Although this album is relatively short, it still also felt longer than it was. For all of those reasons, I can only give this 1 star. If they wanted more, they should have tried harder.