Purple Mountains

David Berman’s first album in ten years, his first under a new name since disbanding his band Silver Jews, and—very sadly—his final album before his death in August 2019. This album is a continuation of the Silver Jews’ casual alt-country sound and startlingly eloquent lyrics, but these songs are much more personal and earnest than before, often to a painful degree. The flood of grateful stories and remembrances since Berman’s passing, alongside the understated power of these songs, make it clear that Berman was both a great musician and a great citizen of the music communities he participated in: the loss is double. RIYL: Bill Callahan, The National, Waylon Jennings, Woods, Wilco at their most anguished and most cathartic (like Kicking Television). Favorites: 2, 3, 7, 8. FCC WARNING: 1, 9, 10.

1. (3:24)—FCC (f***, s***). Jaunty seventies country rock with mordant and self-admittedly autobiographical lyrics.
2. *(4:20)—Medium-fast. Jangly pop, upbeat in contrast to the lyrics.
3. *(3:58)—Mid-tempo. Sixties country-pop feel, with plaintive harmonica and lovely backing vocals.
4. (6:04)—Slow, gentle, a little psychedelic. Nice horns.
5. (3:54)—Mid-tempo, minor key, pedal steel, Western horn section. “How long can a world go on with no new word from God?”
6. (4:11)—Mid-tempo seventies country-western ramble. Rave-up guitar solo. “I want to be a warm and friendly person / but I don’t know how to do it.”
7. *(4:21)—Medium-slow, kind of a swaying 60s pop feel. Very direct song written in tribute to Berman’s mother and grieving for her loss.
8. *(6:09)—Slow. This is a standout song, painfully and beautifully dark, a little dreamy. “And when the dying’s finally done and the suffering subsides / All the suffering gets done by the ones we leave behind.”
9. (4:46)—FCC (s***) Mid-tempo, steadily rocking, the most upbeat song here. “When you’re seller and commodity / You gotta sell yourself immodestly.”
10. (3:18)—FCC (f***). Mid-tempo. Similar to track one, the sunny major key country accompaniment belies the painful subject matter.