Tanglewood Numbers
Drag City
2005
Rating: 7.5 laundry barbeque out of 10
As someone who’s been a huge fan of the Silver Jews since the days when most folks just considered it a “Pavement side project”, I’ve been trying to wrap my head around their newest release “Tanglewood Numbers.” It’s been four years or so since the Silver Jews last put out an album, and since then David Berman has struggled with any number of vices and nearly managed to kill himself. This fact alone is a big part of what makes this album especially surprising…it could probably be described as “upbeat.” Maybe Berman excised his demons and we're left with a shinier, happier Silver Jews? I dunno about that, but every time I even think about the new track “Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed” it makes me smile. In a lot of ways, the Jews are still mining a Lambchop-ish Americana sound that they’ve gone to since the beginning, but there are a few songs on this record that might almost qualify as “rock” songs. The lyrics are still amongst the best in the business…Berman is amongst the best in the business at creating witty, literate songs, but this batch is definitely a little askew of the norm. all in all, it’s a great album for everyone - a new twist for us long-time fans and a great place to start for any newcomers.
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