Interlude #9: What Could Have Been (AOTMs that nearly made the cut)
Silver Jews – American Water
12 track album
silverjews.bandcamp.com
There are many entry points for David Berman, including Purple Mountains – the project he launched shortly before he took his own life in 2019. As
@Dead C mentioned, Silver Jews are often referred to as a side project of Pavement – formed in 1989 by Berman, Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. Over the course of six albums, the Silver Jews were clearly Berman's project, with Malkmus and others backing into occasional support roles. The Silver Jews played their last show in 2009, with Berman asserting: "I always said we would stop before we got bad. If I continue to record I might accidentally write the answer song to Shiny Happy People."
Berman was continually tortured by his relationship to his father, a powerful, uber-conservative lobbyist. He once wrote of him: “My father is a despicable man...he attacks animal lovers, ecologists, civil action attorneys, scientists, dieticians, doctors, teachers. His clients include everyone from the makers of Agent Orange to the Tanning Salon Owners of America. This winter I decided that the SJs were too small of a force to ever come close to undoing a millionth of all the harm he has caused.”
Berman had actually attempted suicide previously. In 2003, he walked into the Nashville hotel in which Al Gore watched the 2000 election, requesting Gore’s suite – wanting to die where American democracy had done the same. In 2019, just a few days before Purple Mountains' first live performance, he was successful in ending his life.
When it comes to the Silver Jews,
American Water is the high water mark for me. I can't really describe it – it's somehow conversational in nature, and continues to open up with each listen – even years after the initial discovery. PItchfork called it “the pinnacle of a certain strain of indie rock: smart but unpolished, grounded but opaque, the down-home sound of Creedence Clearwater Revival and the country side of the Rolling Stones executed by college boys raised on punk.” Malkmus sings on a few tracks, which is fun. But on the whole, it's an understated masterpiece by an artist that deserves your attention.
RIP David – hope you were able to find some peace.
www.monsterfresh.com
