A satirical display of separation and dark humor on David Berman’s Purple Mountains.
Starting the iconic indie band, Silver Jews, David Berman began making simplistic indie rock with Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. Berman would remain the only constant member of Silver Jews and the lineup varied from album to album. He would go on to marry Cassie Berman and work on Silver Jews music with mainly her and others. Now I mention this because context is very important for this album. Although amazing on its own, within the context of his life it adds a lot of information.
Discussed on the album are Berman’s relationship with his separated wife, depression, solitude, family, and a lot more. For starters, when I say him referencing his family I specifically refer to one track ‘I Loved Being My Mother’s Son’ in which Berman comes at peace with his mom’s passing. In an interview with Vish Khanna on Exclaim! Berman explains the song came out shortly after his mom passed away and was in her house. It definitely textures the album to see tracks like this included because it adds some variety, this song creates an energy that is more humbling and peaceful than maybe the more depressive areas. Although the production is never outrightly sad, it can get to peaceful parts such as on ‘Snow is Falling in Manhattan’ in which Berman tells a story of shoveling snow.
As for the more saddening sections of poetry and lyrics, there are a lot. With these tracks the production doesn’t suddenly get slow and sad, it stays hopeful and positive creating an interesting irony. Berman even pokes fun when at the end of his music video for ‘Darkness and Cold’, he includes a message in a fun font that reads below:
The music also changes into a pop song that is very upbeat. The irony here of course is that the song is all about Berman dealing with him and his wife being separated. Yet, he is never angry, he just sounds incredibly lonely and accepting. A big part of the album’s theme is the concept of wanting to want nothing. Some more tracks with these dejected lyrics are ‘That’s Just the Way I Feel’, ‘All My Happiness is Gone’, ‘Nights That Won’t Happen’, and ‘Maybe I’m the Only One for Me.’
It’s quite sad the album ended with that last track I mentioned, which is all about Berman coming to terms with his personal and interpersonal relationships. Shortly after the release he sadly took his life and this album definitely was reframed with that news. Although I definitely think the last track has wit, it summarizes the album in a really good way. After listening to him describe stories, his personal conflicts, and loneliness it’s a good conclusion. It wraps up the album, not with a bow, but with a conflicting solution.
Overall if you enjoy Silver Jews music, you’ll definitely enjoy the last words of David Berman on his project from 2019. It perfectly encapsulates what a lot of people have trouble saying and I want to think it must’ve been refreshing to get this off his chest before he left.
Sound Check Chuck 