Whenever David Berman is featured in the press, there is almost always a mention of his status as both the acclaimed songwriter for indie rock band The Silver Jews and as a well-regarded poet. While technically accurate, this dual-designation falls embarrassingly short of describing the true genius of Berman’s work, an exquisite synthesis of both poetry and music. He is one of the only working artists capable of fusing the many overlapping characteristics of each medium into one inexorably singular presentation, where the music reacts to the words in such a way that appreciation for the music generates an even greater appreciation for the words.
This skill has never been more apparent than on the Jews’ sixth studio album, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea. As the title suggests, Berman takes a more hopeful and playful approach to his normally sarcastic and bleak on-record demeanour. That’s not to say that this doesn’t sound like a Silver Jews album — it still has Berman’s trademark deadpan vocals, and music that drifts indiscriminately around various touchstones in popular music, most prominently ’60s girl groups and The Replacements. The tone is more animated, though, and the music feels purposeful in its goal of providing the most appropriate atmosphere for Berman’s wild and hilarious imagery.
Revealing too many of the poignant zingers that pop up on LOM, LOC (the preferred acronym for the album, according to the group’s latest press release, in case you were wondering) would spoil half the fun of listening to it, but rest assured they are plentiful. In “Suffering Jukebox,” Berman describes an anthropomorphized jukebox, painting a sad little portrait in a helpless, Thomas-the-Tank-Engine kind of way. “San Francisco, B.C.” features a gangster incident involving an embarrassing bald spot that “wasn’t New Wave, it was human error,” while “Candy Jail” describes a comfy prison facility where “the warden keeps data on your favourite brands.” It’s wry, witty and every bit as satisfying as you’d expect from such an intuitive blend of music and poetry.
