Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea LP

Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea LP

ID: #1621270

Description

Whether its songs were autobiographical or not, Tanglewood Numbers carried the weight of the hard times David Berman survived before making the album. By contrast, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea is one of the Silver Jews ' lightest albums, at times surpassing the most playful moments of Starlite Walker and American Water . Berman 's sly sense of humor has always been a vital -- maybe even the most vital -- ingredient in the Silver Jews ' music, but some of the songs here are so goofy, at least on the surface, they might put off fans who want him to be only a serious writer or wry raconteur. "Party Barge" opens with gleefully fake seagull sound effects and just gets wackier from there, with Berman and his wife, Cassie , trading off lyrics like "Send me your coordinates and I'll send a Saint Bernard." Yet even the silliest-seeming songs aren't trivial -- and like most Silver Jews songs, they're eminently quotable: the album's longest and wildest song, "San Francisco B.C.," a six-minute epic involving an ex-girlfriend who is a "vocal martyr in the vegan press," has almost as many narrative developments as a small novel; "Candy Jail" may have fittingly sugary marimba melodies, but the first words out of Berman 's mouth are "pain works on a sliding scale." The darkness that drove much of Tanglewood Numbers resurfaces from time to time on Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea , sometimes in strange places, like the breakneck story-song "Aloysius, Bluegrass Drummer," where a star-crossed romance with a very hungry country singer and the mysterious "region 10" combine in surreal, sinister ways. However, even on the album's most inward-looking song, the gorgeous "My Pillow Is the Threshold," which explores the night life of dreaming, that darkness feels like it's been put into a more manageable perspective. Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea also boasts a few quintessential Silver Jews songs, including the opening track, "What Is Not But Could Be If," a lonesome, open-ended musing where the rumble of Berman 's slightly frail baritone sounds like the missing link between Johnny Cash and Calvin Johnson . "Suffering Jukebox" is another classic from its title onward; written in sympathy of the mostly ignored jukeboxes in honky tonks everywhere, it's just another example of how the Silver Jews find imaginative perspectives on classic country sounds and imagery. They go a step farther on "We Could Be Looking for the Same Thing," delivering a love song sweet and straightforward enough to be a hit in a parallel country-pop universe, lyrics like "I hope I don't come across as a coyote in your eyes" and all. Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea reveals more poetic, as well as playful, layers with each listen -- and above all, underscores what an inviting songwriter Berman is, whether he's taking a darker or lighter approach. -All Music Guide

Price

$24.98

Last Updated

17 August 2026, 03:32 UTC

Store Information

Bull City Records

physical store

Location

Address: 2600, Hillsborough Road, 27705, NC, US
Coordinates: 36.010835, -78.928740
Visit Store Website

More from Bull City Records

View all
NxWorries - Yes Lawd! 2LP

NxWorries - Yes Lawd! 2LP

$29.98

Anderson .Paak + Knxwledge! "NxWorries appeared in early 2015 on Stones Throw with "Suede." Knxwledge provided the dazed production, its beat a clipped gait -- Gil Scott-Heron/Brian Jackson's "The Bottle" stretched and dragged to support Anderson Paak's freewheeling vehicular exhibition and macking seminar. Dr. Dre then sought Paak for extensive work on Compton, while the rising Knxwledge produced "Momma" on To Pimp a Butterfly and released a Stones Throw album. As Paak and Knxwledge sustained their prominence with separate collaborative and solo work, their activity as a unit gradually escalated to this full-length, released during the fourth quarter of 2016. It includes "Suede," two other cuts from an EP originally released as a download in late 2015, and 40 additional minutes of keenly bent and smudged soul loops. Though Paak is an accomplished musician and bandleader, as seen throughout 2016 in several televised performances to promote Malibu, he sticks strictly to singing and rapping, leaving Knxwledge to handle all the music. Reflective of their collaborative alias, Paak doesn't sound particularly bothered, apart from some irritation related in "H.A.N.," a deflection of leeches and critics, and some serious concerns and confessions within the supremely dreamy "Khadijah." Otherwise, he keeps it lighthearted as an irrepressible rolling stone. Audibly and lyrically coarse, he rarely sounds less than entirely self-satisfied and at least a little amused, whether he's dealing out wisecracking wordplay or quoting J Dilla as he deftly coasts over and darts between the beats. If not quite as substantive as Malibu, this is one of those albums that can be played continuously without risk of depreciation. Knxwledge and Paak are so occupied with other pursuits that this seems destined to take its place in the Stones Throw discography as one of the label's fine twosome one-offs in the manner of Madvillainy and Champion Sound." -All Music Guide

Updated: 2026-08-17 04:29 UTC
Lambchop - FLOTUS 2LP

Lambchop - FLOTUS 2LP

$24.98

"FLOTUS (For Love Often Turns Us Still) is a new full-length from the seminal Merge band Lambchop. Kurt Wagner, inspired by hip-hop, minimalism, and early electronic music, brings us a new sound for the band—one that's totally original and refreshing, yet distinctly Lambchop. The album's closer, "The Hustle", is an 18-minute whopper, which premiered with the album's announcement back in August along with a Stereogum interview . It was the soundtrack to the archival footage film The Dockworker's Dream by Bill Morrison, which was shared by NPR's First Watch. The album's second single,"NIV", was featured on an All Songs Considered's New Mix, and a video directed by William Tyler's sister Elise premieres later this month. A long-form essay by Wagner on the inspirations behind the record will run on Medium. NPR First Listen will stream the record in advance of the release date. Another single is set to be release ahead of that, and features, interviews, and reviews are set for Magnet, The Rumpus, American Songwriter, Ghettoblaster, The Big Takeover, WUNC Morning Edition, Dinner Party Download, and more." -Merge

Updated: 2026-08-17 04:29 UTC
Goat - Requiem 2LP

Goat - Requiem 2LP

$22.98

Mysterious masked Swedish psych group dabbling in Afro-beat 'n' Japanese psych influence rock. 3rd LP. "GOAT’s only outright declaration for Requiem is that it is their “folk” album, and the album is focused more on their subdued bucolic ritualism than psilocybin freakouts. But GOAT hasn’t completely foregone their fiery charms—tracks like “All-Seeing Eye” and “Goatfuzz” conjure the sultry heathen pulsations that ensnared us on their previous albums. Perhaps the most puzzling aspect of Requiem comes with the closing track “Ubuntu”. The song is little more than a melodic delay-driven electric piano line, until we hear the refrain from “Diarabi”—the first song on their first album—sneak into the mix. It creates a kind of musical ouroboros—an infinite cycle of reflection and rejuvenation, death and rebirth. Much like fellow recluse Pynchon, rather than offering explanations for their strange trajectories, GOAT create a world where the line between truth and fiction is so obscured that all you can do is bask in their cryptic genius." -Sub Pop

Updated: 2026-08-17 04:29 UTC
Hiss Golden Messenger - Heart Like A Levee LP

Hiss Golden Messenger - Heart Like A Levee LP

$19.98

"The writing of the songs that became Heart Like a Levee started in a hotel room in Washington , DC , in January of 2015 during a powerful storm that darkened the East Coast. At that time I was feeling—more acutely than I had ever felt before—wrenched apart by my responsibilities to my family and to my music. Forgetting, momentarily, that for me, each exists only with the other. How could I forget? Though maybe my lapse was reasonable: I had just quit my job, the most recent and last, in a series of dead-end gigs stretching back 20 years, with the vow that my children would understand their father as a man in love with his world and the inventor of his own days. They would be rare in that regard. And then—driven by monthly bills and pure fear—I left for another tour, carrying a load of guilt that I could just barely lift. But in that snowy hotel room I found the refrain that became my compass: I was a dreamer, babe, when I set out on the road; but did I say I could find my way home?" -M.C. Taylor

Updated: 2026-08-17 04:29 UTC
Girl Tears - Woke Against The Tide LP

Girl Tears - Woke Against The Tide LP

$16.98

"The Los Angeles/Orange County punk trio Girl Tears has mastered the art of the three-chord attack, delivering volatile blasts to the point of fury. Four tours and 100+ shows later, playing art spaces, houses, DiY venues, bars, barns, backyards, basements, and everything in between, Girl Tears has delivered a natural, confident progression from their debut. Woke Against The Tide wrestles with themes of Love/Hate, Good/Evil - and in particular - the space between these polarizing ideas. Cold Thoughtsand Uneasy personify the album's conflict. There are hooks, melody and structure, but also a bit of chaos built on a more complex arrangement that's constantly shifting and evolving, much like the band themselves. Whereas their debut Tension was more a discovery, Woke Against The Tideis more abstract. It creates a dense and unforgiving experience, really challenging the listener to keep up."

Updated: 2026-08-17 04:29 UTC
Bull City Records T-shirt! (Brown Shirt / Gold Ink)

Bull City Records T-shirt! (Brown Shirt / Gold Ink)

$12.00

Printed locally by Holy Mountain Printing on Gildan Heavy Cotton shirts.

Updated: 2026-08-16 15:44 UTC