SILVER JEWS - Tanglewood Numbers Review

Being a clumsy and forgetful child (as well as having the burden, I mean blessing, of two younger siblings), I have only a few remaining relics of my youth. One of the most interesting of these is a tape my very religious babysitter had given me. I don't remember many of the songs, nor do I remember who sang on it, but when I was four years old, I was obsessed with a song called "Patience"....full text This last summer I finally managed to devote the necessary time to trying to understand, or at least appreciate, Bob Dylan. I tried to avoid the big names (Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited, Nashville Skyline) and instead spent weeks listening to New Morning, Desire, and Slow Train Coming....full text David Berman has never sounded more confident or focused than he does on Tanglewood Numbers, his fifth release with the Silver Jews. Unexpectedly rich layers of strings, female backup singers and rumbling electric guitars obscure the off-the-cuff charm and disinterested buzz that formed the distinctive character of his previous releases, as the arrangements here are as bold and over-the-top as the previous ones were subdued and understated....full text