Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea

The Silver Jews are one of those bands shuffling around in the back of the club, the members sort of trading places with each other, not sure which one should settle behind the front man, who takes the stage. After years of members fading in and out, most notably the former founders of the band Pavement, the newest released from the Silver Jews features the only always-constant member David Berman, and this time his wife (a vocalist and bassist) Cassie Berman.

Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea doesn’t live up to its predecessors, but it does provide new lo-fi tunes from a man who has been hailed as a hero by many indie slacker, young men whose minds are filled with unanswered questions about our existence here on Earth. For a soul-searching young woman myself, one who has a deep-seated need to drive west and sometimes south while wearing flannel and cowgirl boots, Berman’s mellow style and yearning lyrics have long resonated with me.

Bright Flight, which came on the heels of Berman’s suicide attempt in 2001, felt aching in a way that also helped me know things would be okay. That same year, my life was in constant flux, if less painful; but he came out of it alive, didn’t he? On Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea, there is a calmness of a man married, settled, in a way. And now, I am settled too. This album is best suited for folks who love AM radio and couples who make music. There aren’t any particular stand out tracks, but I love complete albums, and this is one for the background, where the Silver Jew-types seem most comfortable anyway.

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