Silver Jews
Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
Drag City
Release Date: Jun 17, 2008

On this sixth Silver Jews album, David Berman offers up another collection of highly literate takes on modern life, this time set to the capable backing of his most recent touring band. The musicianship is outstanding, but it's Berman's distinct imagery and razor wit that again demand attention. Opening with "What Is Not But Could Be If", Berman ponders pre-destination, and whether it could or should be avoided. Set to beautifully played vibrato bar guitar, Berman vocally conjures up Johnny Cash. The mood is a bit somber, but Berman seems cautiously optimistic, intoning that "when failure's got you in its grasp, and you're reaching for your very last, it's just beginning". Much like his earlier work, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea offers a showcase of Berman's amazing ability to turn a phrase and to pen narratives that are truly unique. On the up-tempo shuffle "Aloysius, Bluegrass Drummer", Berman's protagonist runs into a husky gal who "was a hardcore guzzler and a longtime gobbler of hydrogenated crap". It's a dark, slightly grisly tale of ill-advised romance, but Berman masterfully injects humor to lighten up the weirdness.

On "Suffering Jukebox", Berman's wife Cassie provides a refreshing vocal juxtaposition to her husband's gruff, lower-register delivery. Berman wearily criticizes modern folks and their "Tennessee tendencies and chemical dependencies". From his outsider's perspective, most people are sheep who "make the same old jokes and malaprops on cue". "San Francisco B.C." is a hilarious story of a former flame who hooks up with her father's murderer's father. Riding a wave of slippery lap steel, Berman weaves his tale of bohemian love gone wrong with distinct flair and sharp command. "Party Barge" is a nautically-themed story of escape from a broken home (complete with seagulls and tugboat sound effects). With the "send us your coordinates, we'll send a St. Bernard" refrain, Berman takes somber subject matter and turns it into an alt-country party theme of sorts.

Similar to The Handsome Family's Brett and Rennie Sparks, Berman's heavier themes are tempered with a wry sense of humor. No disrespect to the former, but what's different here is Berman's absolute mastery of language and imagery (he's also a published poet). In some cases, he gives Dylan a run for his money. "Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea" merits repeated listens, as the lyrics are so well-crafted that you're sure to have missed a few things at first blush.