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Poet & songwriter best known as the frontman of “Silver Jews,“ and the lesser known “Purple Mountains,“ Berman has a way of exploring the beauty in the darker aspects of life. Berman tragically took his in 2019. He had such a special way with words both as a poet and a songwriter. My favorite song of his, “Famous Eyes” is linked above.
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If you love Silver Jews, Purple Mountains, his books "Actual Air" and "The Portable February"
Then you miss Berman as much as I do.
I only caught him live once, in Portland, OR back in 2006 with his friend/fellow Silver Jew/PDX resident Stephen Malkmus accompanying him. It was an amazing evening. I had been a fan a long time by that point and the setlist literally covered the waterfront.
“It was the light in things that made them last,” Berman wrote in his poem “Governors on Sominex.” I'm grateful that David lasted as long as he did. His perfect, specific work will stand the test of time for a long time to come.
You can read Pitchfork's beautifully written tribute here.
Jan 4, 2025
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Classic book of poems from the Silver Jews and Purple Mountains songwriter. Can’t recommend enough
Feb 11, 2024
Last night I attended an annual benefit concert that celebrates the life and work of David Berman. Last week, in preparation, a friend of mine whose obsession does not yet run as deep asked me to make a playlist. So I made this, as a (long) introduction. While it felt impossible to whittle the discography down to essential tracks, it seemed equally impossible to take a wrong turn in choosing, because every song he wrote had some magic in it.
I figured I’d share it here too, so theres the link^
Jan 5, 2025
Top Recs from @violette
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Founded in 1995, Broadcast was an English band that drew influences from 60s psychedelia, electronic, and experimental music. Following the death of their lead singer in 2011, Broadcast has found a new life and a cult following due to the mystery surrounding the band. I’ve linked my favorite album, Tender Buttons above.
Jan 29, 2024
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Due to the involvement of the US Military Sponsoring SXSW, many bands and artists have opted to pull out of SXSW as protest for the ongoing genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine. I’m very proud of my friends from Perfectly Imperfect and Baby’s All Right for dropping out of SXSW, and for standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Free Palestine 🍉
Mar 13, 2024
A previously unreleased demo, newly released last week. Beautiful, haunting, and delicate. I’ve been listening to it on repeat.
Mar 29, 2024