Hall of Fame Album

Silver Jews
"American Water" (1998)








My first "Hall of Fame Album" is one of witty lyrics accompanied by mood changing guitars from track to track. The album starts off with the line "In 1984, I was hospitalized for approaching perfection." Working as the Silver Jew's third LP, frontman David Berman weaves humorous lines of human observation and personal strife to connect to any one who pops in the album. The biggest treat is Stephen Malkmus (the genius behind Pavement) who plays lead guitar and pipes in on back up vocals. The album is basically made for people who live or have lived in the Kentucky area. The songs remind you of porch swings, flys swarming around a bottle of hot Dr. Pepper, and that muggy night of driving around doing nothing and everything at once.

Here are the track highlights:

Random Rules: The leadoff hitter, this song has slow strumming and lyrics that act as a portal into Berman's head. Berman exclaims "I know that a lot of what I've said has been lifted off mens room stalls."

Smith and Jones Forever: A sad pop song? A pop song that makes you think? Maybe its not a pop song at all. Whatever it is, Smith and Jones sticks in your head and the structure of the song works as a circle, "together, forever, and ever and ever..."

Send in the Clouds: Just listen below. This song is the anthem for Silver Jews and encompasses everything in which they are.


08 Send In The Clouds.mp3

By Unknown with No comments