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Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: Ishotdanieljohnston on 07 Jul 2007, 19:44

Title: American Water
Post by: Ishotdanieljohnston on 07 Jul 2007, 19:44: This Silver Jews album was recently brought up in athread, and it reminded me of this great great great album.
I can't think of any other album that has had a real influence on the way I think, act, and talk, and I'm not ussully an impressiionable kind of guy.
Nine years after the release of this album, I thought I'd get a discussion going fo other American Water enthusiasts...
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: CmonMiracle on 07 Jul 2007, 19:48: In 1984,
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: Hat on 07 Jul 2007, 20:18: I actually got a few Silver Jews albums the other day, and I think I actually prefer Tanglewood Numbers, although I've only given them each two or three listens.
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: Inlander on 08 Jul 2007, 00:14: Quote from: CmonMiracle on 07 Jul 2007, 19:48
In 1984,

I was hospitalised for approaching perfection.
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: Misereatur on 08 Jul 2007, 04:15: I don't think I can express in words how much I love that album.
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: Inlander on 08 Jul 2007, 06:49: Quote from: tommydski on 08 Jul 2007, 01:55
I don't know if he's working on anything right now but another generous bout of touring would be amazing since I'm yet to see them live.

I'm basically just happy he's still alive.

As anyone who's been frequenting this music forum for a while will have noticed, American Water is one of those albums I insist everyone must obtain a copy of. It's certainly my favourite of the Silver Jews albums I've heard - I like Starlite Walker, but it's a bit patchy. Tanglewood Numbers is amazing, but it almost starts too brightly: "Punks in the Beerlight" is so white-hot that the rest of the album can't help but feel like a come down from that. A pretty great way to come down, though.

But American Water is spot-on. I'm not going to say it's perfect, because (A) I've never highly valued perfection, especially in art; and (B) the whole appeal of artists like Dave Berman is their roughness, their imperfections, their sheer humanity. (This is the same reason I prefer William Carlos Williams to T.S. Eliot.) It's basically an album you can really sink your teeth into, one of those ones that you can taste for weeks after you've sat through it. And I'd rate Berman up there with Will Oldham as a songwriter: in a way he's the mirror image of Oldham - with Oldham all the sin and turmoil and badness is so up-front that it usually obscures how (very darkly) funny a lot of his lyrics are, whereas in Berman's lyrics the humour is at the forefront, with all the pain pushed to the background. For instance, the lyrics that CmonMiracle and I just quoted, which are the opening lyrics from American Water - but then later on in the same song Berman sings, to the same melody, "I asked my friend why the highways were all painted black/He said Steve it's because people leave and no highway will bring them back." Wonderful.
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: schimmy on 08 Jul 2007, 11:43: It's "I asked a painter..."
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: öde on 08 Jul 2007, 12:00: It is a perfect... album!
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: ScrambledGregs on 08 Jul 2007, 14:28: Quote from: Misereatur on 08 Jul 2007, 04:15
I don't think I can express in words how much I love that album.

Neither can I, so: agugughghg ttuuuyyyyyopop 77 dikwiwwwassss#$%

But serially, I fucking love American Water. It's always in that rotating list in my mind of favorite albums, and is pretty much Berman at his thus far peak. Tanglewood Numbers is really good, but it sounds too poppy at times. The Natural Bridge is my second favorite, but some of the songs strike me too much like poems he tried to turn into songs. I mean I'm sure most of his songs started out as poems, but some of The Natural Bridge just feels like it wasn't meant to go with music.
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: minkles on 08 Jul 2007, 15:48: One of my favorite albums of the 90s. There's something unspeakably beautiful about it. Simple perfection. I don't know. But I love it a lot.
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: Jackie Blue on 08 Jul 2007, 16:38: It's a good album, but I much prefer Starlite Walker and, to a lesser extent, Natural Bridge. Also, I really love Dime Map of the Reef and The Arizona Record. So much quirkier than the later stuff.
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: Inlander on 08 Jul 2007, 17:54: Quote from: schimmy on 08 Jul 2007, 11:43
It's "I asked a painter..."

Ehh, I knew I'd get that wrong. I'm working from memory here, I'm 700 kilometres away from my copy of the album!
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: Ishotdanieljohnston on 08 Jul 2007, 20:51: Oh man, I'm listenin to it again. So fucking great. One of the few albums that I could not possibly tire of. I deffinitely agree with the will oldham comparison- they are both amongst the top musicians in our world today.
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: Misereatur on 09 Jul 2007, 03:40: (http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i2/ffgtthttghyujjfdss/honkifyourelonely.jpg)
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: pat101 on 09 Jul 2007, 13:56: I adore this album so very much
Title: Re: American Water
Post by: thenosebleedkid on 11 Jul 2007, 22:33: Quote from: Ishotdanieljohnston on 07 Jul 2007, 19:44
and I'm not ussully an impressiionable kind of guy.

WATEVER :mrgreen: :evil: