Tanglewood Numbers

The Silver Jews returned after a four-year absence with 2005's TANGLEWOOD NUMBERS, one of the band's most accomplished and satisfying sets. The Jews' over-hyped status as "a Pavement side-project" (the band contains Pavement members Steve Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich) and an "all-star group" (Will Oldham, Dave Pajo, and the Jesus Lizard's Duane Denison are also involved) is dubious at best. What's more accurate is that, regardless of the line-up, the group makes beautifully ragged music that perfectly complements the freewheeling irony and heartfelt confessionalism of poet Dave Berman's lyrics.
Said confessionalism is present in spades on TANGLEWOOD NUMBERS, a consequence of lead songwriter Berman's personal trials of the early 2000s. Yet the album never descends into emotive noodling, thanks to Berman's unique command of imagery and phrase. The music is a breezy amalgam of indie rock and roots music, with a higher production value than the band's previous efforts, a touch that only makes the music shimmer more brightly.