News
The Acclaimed Singer/Songwriter Died in 2019
May 20, 2022
By Mark Moody
For a select few of us who can claim to be bona fide hometown fans of the NFL’s Houston Oilers circa the 1980s into the early ’90s, there is a certain level of gluttony for punishment that goes along with that honor. More
New Single Out Now via Astralwerks
Mar 18, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Australia’s The Avalanches (Tony Di Blasi and Robbie Chater) have shared a new song, “Running Red Lights,” via a video for the track. The song features Pink Siifu and Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo. More
Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis and The Prodigy’s Keith Flint Also Not Included
Jan 27, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
The In Memoriam segment at this year’s The Grammy Awards failed to include some influential musicians: Scott Walker, David Berman (Silver Jews, Purple Mountains), Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis, The Prodigy’s Keith Flint, and more. On top of that, they misspelled Ric Ocasek from The Cars’ name. More
New Song “Strange Beauty” in Tribute to the Recently Deceased Silver Jews and Purple Mountains Singer/Songwriter
Aug 22, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Swedish sister alt-country/folk duo First Aid Kit (Klara and Johanna Söderberg) have shared a new song, “Strange Beauty,” in tribute to David Berman of Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, who took his own life earlier this month. They have also shared a cover of Silver Jews’ “Random Rules,” from 1998’s American Water. More
The Silver Jews and Purple Mountains Frontman Took His Own Life Last Wednesday
Aug 12, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
David Berman passed away last Wednesday. Over the weekend, The New York Times confirmed that he took his own life. We posted our own tribute to Berman on Friday. Now his longtime label Drag City have posted their own moving tribute to Berman. Read it below.
The Silver Jews and Purple Mountains Singer and Songwriter Died This Week at Age 52
Aug 09, 2019
By Timothy Michalik
America lost one of its greatest contemporary songwriters on Wednesday. It also lost its most aberrant, bizarre, and beautiful writer. Would it have gone any other way? For an artist so obsessed with mythologizing the self, I don’t think so. More
The Silver Jews and Purple Mountains Frontman Died Yesterday
Aug 08, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
David Berman passed away yesterday and in our post last night we included social media tributes from many of his fellow musicians. Since then several others have also paid tribute to Berman, most notably his original Silver Jews bandmates Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. You can read their tributes here, along with some from other musicians. More
He Was 52 Years Old; Fellow Musicians Pay Tribute to Him
Aug 07, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
David Berman has died. The 52-year-old was best known as the frontman (and sole constant member) of Silver Jews. But he recently returned to music after a long hiatus with a new project, Purple Mountains. Fellow musicians have paid tribute on social media. More
Purple Mountains Out Now via Drag City
Jul 12, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Purple Mountains is the new project of David Berman, who was previously the frontman (and sole constant member) of Silver Jews. Berman’s self-titled debut album under the Purple Mountains name was released today via Drag City. Now that the album is out, you can stream the whole thing here. More
Purple Mountains Due Out July 12 via Drag City
Jun 28, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Purple Mountains is the new project of David Berman, who was previously the frontman (and sole constant member) of Silver Jews. Berman’s self-titled debut album under the Purple Mountains name is due out July 12 via Drag City. Now he has shared another song from it, “Margaritas at the Mall.” More
Plus Bruce Springsteen, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Purple Mountains, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 14, 2019
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. We couldn’t quite limit it to a Top 10 this week, there were enough strong new tracks to stretch it to a Top 11. There were several notable albums announced this week, which meant a lot of strong new singles to choose from. More
Purple Mountains Due Out July 12 via Drag City
Jun 12, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Purple Mountains is the new project of David Berman, who was previously the frontman (and sole constant member) of Silver Jews. Berman’s self-titled debut album under the Purple Mountains name is due out July 12 via Drag City. Now he has shared another song from it, “Darkness and Cold,” via a video for the track. More
Interviews
“Listening to American Water is like having an intelligent conversation with a friend.”
Jun 29, 2020
By Jordan J. Michael
Thinking of the songs and lyrical lines from Silver Jews’ 1998 album American Water on a regular basis, Emily Haines is extremely emotional about frontman David Berman’s unexpected death on August 7, 2019 at age 52. More
Reviews
Jul 23, 2019
By Timothy Michalik
What is there to say that the man himself hasn’t already stated? The return of poet and singer/songwriter David Berman (Silver Jews) under the newly minted moniker Purple Mountains caught a restless and devoted fanbase entirely by surprise. More