blue arrangements looks like it needs a vote.
― Prospective Liberal Troll (will), Thursday, 14 January 2010 01:16 (fourteen years ago) link
Seems weird to me that this was a record made by 30 yr olds somehow
― thomp, Wednesday, January 13, 2010 8:10 PM Bookmark
In what sense?
― pithfork (Hurting 2), Thursday, 14 January 2010 03:34 (fourteen years ago) link
The drums march along at the clip of an I.V. driplike sparks from a muffler dragged down the strip.I really hope you'll come around.
It's sunny and 75. It feels so good to be alive.Come on baby don't stay inside.Everybody's coming out tonight.
― Moreno, Thursday, 14 January 2010 04:27 (fourteen years ago) link
also night society is some of malkmus' finest guitar playing on record.
― Moreno, Thursday, 14 January 2010 04:31 (fourteen years ago) link
― pithfork (Hurting 2)
i dunno, actually. i guess the worldview therein works as 'late 20s'. something about the 'just a bunch of guys in a room playing' aesthetics of the sound -- i'd never considered that in relation to how long these guys had been playing music for, before. it's probably just that i heard it as a teenager.
― thomp, Thursday, 14 January 2010 17:28 (fourteen years ago) link
fucking love this record
i know a puppywho walked from Kentuckymade it to East Virginia by dawnhe had seventeen ideas in his head
― that sex version of "blue thunder." (Mr. Que), Thursday, 14 January 2010 17:30 (fourteen years ago) link
Definitely my fave Silver Jews record (though I like the others just fine). This one makes me think of Dylan, but it doesn't sound derivative of him at all. I guess the CD case spine is derivative of Dylan ... or at least Columbia Records. Love Malkmus' guitar on this, as well. I will probably be boring and vote for Random Rules ... Every line is perfect on that song. Sounded great live, too.
― tylerw, Thursday, 14 January 2010 17:36 (fourteen years ago) link
i'm trying to think of a bad lyric on this record
― that sex version of "blue thunder." (Mr. Que), Thursday, 14 January 2010 17:40 (fourteen years ago) link
haha, yeah, that's true.
― tylerw, Thursday, 14 January 2010 17:42 (fourteen years ago) link
people
― nostragaaaawddamnus (Hunt3r), Friday, 15 January 2010 00:16 (fourteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Saturday, 30 January 2010 00:01 (fourteen years ago) link
i like this better than BTC and TT after a few rescreens
― ┌∩┐(◕_◕)┌∩┐ (Steve Shasta), Saturday, 30 January 2010 02:06 (fourteen years ago) link
oh no doubt
― that sex version of "blue thunder." (Mr. Que), Saturday, 30 January 2010 02:15 (fourteen years ago) link
Random Rules and Smith & Jones v popular with me, but the 'bye, bye, good-bye, bye' in Wild Kindness gets me every time, and was also how I stumbled upon this album, so that.
― 'virgin' should be 'wizard' (GamalielRatsey), Saturday, 30 January 2010 17:33 (fourteen years ago) link
'Very popular with me'? What sort of f'ing statement is that? I like 'em, is what I mean to say.
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Sunday, 31 January 2010 00:01 (fourteen years ago) link
not much water coming over the hill :(
― ciderpress, Sunday, 31 January 2010 00:14 (fourteen years ago) link
wait, no its send in the clouds
― malicious humor victim (Hunt3r), Thursday, 4 March 2010 22:28 (fourteen years ago) link
whoever voted for buckingham rabbit is my buddy
self-ignition would have placed sooo high on this had it been an option
― iiiijjjj, Saturday, 6 March 2010 01:16 (fourteen years ago) link
i miss the joos :(
― iiiijjjj, Saturday, 6 March 2010 01:17 (fourteen years ago) link
this album rules so much
smith & jones 4ever imo
― brodie to the max (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 13 June 2011 19:55 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.latinoreview.com/images/upload/1290066077_image_1288420192_image_1278530774_image_meninblacksmall.jpg
― Pleasant Plains, Monday, 13 June 2011 19:58 (twelve years ago) link
^^holding up their pants with extension cords
― brodie to the max (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 13 June 2011 20:04 (twelve years ago) link
I had a stoned friend explain to me one night how that song - from the "mustaches caked with airplane glue" to the midnight execution - was about "Men In Black".
― Pleasant Plains, Monday, 13 June 2011 20:06 (twelve years ago) link
hahahahah that must have been one amazing convo
― brodie to the max (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 13 June 2011 20:53 (twelve years ago) link
Are you honest, when no one's looking...
― Pleasant Plains, Tuesday, 14 June 2011 00:13 (twelve years ago) link
Man, just moved back to Virginia and this album has been in constant rotation, along with some spins of "Bright Flight". Just seems to be a Virginian album.
― grandavis, Tuesday, 14 June 2011 16:17 (twelve years ago) link
Top 5 album of the nineties. Question: Did Pavement have a better B-side than 'self-ignition'?
― answering_machine, Friday, 14 October 2011 10:35 (twelve years ago) link
I've never heard of Pavement.
― rustic italian flatbread, Friday, 14 October 2011 10:37 (twelve years ago) link
Who is the backing band in the Random Rules video during the first chorus?
At first glance I thought it was the Demolition Doll Rods but I don't think that's right...
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Monday, 14 January 2013 05:45 (eleven years ago) link
"Can you summon 'honey' from a telephone? "
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 00:57 (eleven years ago) link
took me way too long to give this record a proper try. this is phenomenal.
― Van Horn Street, Sunday, 10 June 2018 19:23 (five years ago) link
His best in my humble honest opinion
― calstars, Sunday, 10 June 2018 19:54 (five years ago) link
Search “self ignition” as mentioned upthread
― calstars, Sunday, 10 June 2018 19:57 (five years ago) link
I wish Berman and SM would just grow old making records together.
― calstars, Sunday, 10 June 2018 20:01 (five years ago) link
will do! might just go try the entire discography this afternoon and evening.
― Van Horn Street, Sunday, 10 June 2018 20:01 (five years ago) link
VHS – I recommend the LPs which happen to Malkmus on them (not claiming his presence is what makes those stand out, but for whatever reason they do).
― i’m still stanning (morrisp), Sunday, 10 June 2018 20:17 (five years ago) link
Yes, that's what I believe too. Although I did enjoy Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea a lot than I expected.
― Van Horn Street, Tuesday, 12 June 2018 17:58 (five years ago) link
Bright Flight might be my fave (coincidentally came out at the height of my Joos fandom), but after that the ones with SM are generally my go-tos.
― constitutional crises they fly at u face (will), Tuesday, 12 June 2018 18:39 (five years ago) link
Natural Bridge is my bummtertime favorite. That's Malkmus-less.
― circa1916, Tuesday, 12 June 2018 18:42 (five years ago) link
American Water by Silver Jews was first released two decades ago. Observing the time between then and now, the album has been half-speed mastered at Abbey Road to provide depth and nuance for all future vinyl listeners - and current ones! Additionally, a cassette version of this timeless album makes its debut, to provide an alternative aural timestamp for intrepid audio voyagers who weren't there the first time around. You can pre-order both versions NOW for the 9/28 release date. American Water - here's to the next 20 years!
(via Drag City)
― empire bro-lesque (morrisp), Saturday, 11 August 2018 21:05 (five years ago) link
That "Blue Arrangements" garnered only ONE VOTE in this poll is a crime for the ages.
― Groove(box) Denied (Raymond Cummings), Saturday, 11 August 2018 22:04 (five years ago) link
And this is emphatically my second or third favorite SJ record. (I wind up in arguments with folks about this now and again.)
― Groove(box) Denied (Raymond Cummings), Saturday, 11 August 2018 22:07 (five years ago) link
haha, i'm not sure i've ever heard anyone ever emphatically claim something as their second or third favorite! but i kind of know what you mean. i will emphatically place it in my top 2!
― Karl Malone, Saturday, 11 August 2018 22:17 (five years ago) link
This is the best SJ rekkid, and not just because SM is all over it
― calstars, Saturday, 11 August 2018 22:45 (five years ago) link
love this record but can't think of any reason why anyone would wanna shell out for an audiophile version of it
― Paul Ponzi, Saturday, 11 August 2018 22:48 (five years ago) link
Holdin up the trousers with extension cords
― calstars, Saturday, 11 August 2018 22:48 (five years ago) link
Paul — I have “Starlite Walker” on vinyl and the sound is crappy; so maybe the same was true for this album, and the remaster rectifies it(?) I have found Matador / Drag City vinyl from the ‘90s to be poorly mastered...
― empire bro-lesque (morrisp), Saturday, 11 August 2018 23:03 (five years ago) link
That makes sense. I just never thought of this as an album I needed to hear in pristine audiophile quality. My CD copy sounds fine! But tbf I've never heard it on vinyl, and 90s DC pressings were notoriously poor quality iirc
― Paul Ponzi, Sunday, 12 August 2018 00:09 (five years ago) link
Air crickets air crickets air crickets air crickets air
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Sunday, 12 August 2018 00:41 (five years ago) link
yeah i know the history, and i love all of american water now, but i dunno i also think that regardless of SMs key importance to the DNA of that sound, at the end of the day the platonic ideal of SJ was just not a duet/bg vox kind of band, in my mind. Its like hearing Eno sing on Remain in Light, for me - it works in the context of how the band and there sound are operating, but theres also always a part of my brain that goes "oh huh - that guys here too, i guess". Its interesting - especially with songwriter type stuff theres definitely something about hearing multiple voices on a song that changes the alchemy of it for a listener (beyond just "this story is being told by two people" or "this part carries special emphasis because someone is singing along with the lead"). I'll have to think about it.
― turn the jawhatthefuckever on (One Eye Open), Thursday, 5 November 2020 15:35 (three years ago) link
Just to counter some of the anachronistic revisionism ITT, from a 1994 interview with DCB & BN:
BN: Pavement is mainly Steve’s songwriting. It’s the principal reason for the band existing. Whereas Silver Jews there’s a totally different guy serving the same role. It’s a totally different thing, and Steven is really good friends with David and he’s a really good guitar player. He really enjoys David’s writing, and having the freedom to just jam on guitar and his responsibilities in Silver Jews are absolutely minimal. It’s totally great for him to relax. For me, the best two times I’ve ever been on stage have been the two nights we played the Drag City Invitational. There was an intense pressure, and I felt that I was an extremely important part of the band. In Pavement, my role has always been soley live, and pretty much to add spirit and enthusiasm; musically, it’s no where near as important as when I’m in the Silver Jews. I have far greater input in Silver Jews. With the new album, we had 12 sheets of paper with lyrics on them and we basically wrote songs around those words.DCB: Exactly. Yeah, now, for the last couple years it’s been mostly songs that either I’ve written beforehand or Steve and I sat down for a little bit and worked something out more clearly. Because none of that stuff we recorded in the house, which came out on records, was… we were just recording for our own pleasure, you know. We all worked really hard jobs and it was really tense living where we did, and it was fun for us at night to just howl. Afterwards, it became songwriting.CB: So how did Pavement work out of all this? Were the Silver Jews playing together first?DCB: Well, we played a lot together in college, but we didn’t call ourselves the Silver Jews. Steve went home and brought up Pavement, just after he graduated from college.CB: So kind of?DCB: Well, in a way, technically, on a time-line, yes, first. But, Pavement’s always been what Steve does and that’s him. Pavement is Steve. Silver Jews as at least until recently, three friends getting together and making music.CB: So you sort of play the role that Steve does in Pavement in the Silver Jews, you’re more the-DCB: Well, on this record especially. I wrote all the songs. Steve is good to have around because he’s a complete song stylist and I can bring even a really lame song out and he can polish anything up with what he does. He can make anything into gold. Now, he likes to take more of a backseat, and it’s good for me because I’ve gotten to the point where I have a vision of what I want things to be like whereas before I didn’t. I knew what I wanted this record to be like. I knew exactly what I wanted…
DCB: Exactly. Yeah, now, for the last couple years it’s been mostly songs that either I’ve written beforehand or Steve and I sat down for a little bit and worked something out more clearly. Because none of that stuff we recorded in the house, which came out on records, was… we were just recording for our own pleasure, you know. We all worked really hard jobs and it was really tense living where we did, and it was fun for us at night to just howl. Afterwards, it became songwriting.
CB: So how did Pavement work out of all this? Were the Silver Jews playing together first?
DCB: Well, we played a lot together in college, but we didn’t call ourselves the Silver Jews. Steve went home and brought up Pavement, just after he graduated from college.
CB: So kind of?
DCB: Well, in a way, technically, on a time-line, yes, first. But, Pavement’s always been what Steve does and that’s him. Pavement is Steve. Silver Jews as at least until recently, three friends getting together and making music.
CB: So you sort of play the role that Steve does in Pavement in the Silver Jews, you’re more the-
DCB: Well, on this record especially. I wrote all the songs. Steve is good to have around because he’s a complete song stylist and I can bring even a really lame song out and he can polish anything up with what he does. He can make anything into gold. Now, he likes to take more of a backseat, and it’s good for me because I’ve gotten to the point where I have a vision of what I want things to be like whereas before I didn’t. I knew what I wanted this record to be like. I knew exactly what I wanted…
https://tomsugden.github.io/cordsuit//articles/cool-beans-interview.html
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Thursday, 5 November 2020 16:30 (three years ago) link
i'm pretty sure i heard American Water before i spent much time (if any) with Pavement.
Silver Jews-style Malkmus is still my favorite
― @oneposter(✔️) (Karl Malone), Thursday, 5 November 2020 16:35 (three years ago) link
guys i get sm's role in the history of silver jews, v familiar with the stories of these bands. it took me a while to get into the presence of vox by someone other than the primary songwriter /= revisionist history
― turn the jawhatthefuckever on (One Eye Open), Thursday, 5 November 2020 16:51 (three years ago) link
This to me is the <3 of American Water
Steve is good to have around because he’s a complete song stylist and I can bring even a really lame song out and he can polish anything up with what he does. He can make anything into gold.
― a (waterface), Thursday, 5 November 2020 17:17 (three years ago) link
who’s BN?
― flopson, Thursday, 5 November 2020 23:25 (three years ago) link
bob nastanovich, i think
― @oneposter(✔️) (Karl Malone), Thursday, 5 November 2020 23:28 (three years ago) link
Fwiw it’s strictly a voice thing for me; i love Steve’s guitar all over American water. the solo on random rules is perfect. even like the goofy wah pedal on People
― flopson, Thursday, 5 November 2020 23:32 (three years ago) link
that quotes interesting.. it’s so hard for me to imagine Dave writing federal dust tho. the whole vocal melody and rhythm of it is so Steve. Blue arrangements too
― flopson, Thursday, 5 November 2020 23:34 (three years ago) link
Malkmus has writing credits on both of those tracks fwiw.
(as well as Gate Pratt on "Honk")
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 6 November 2020 00:10 (three years ago) link
For me it's probably just that I grew tired of Malkmus, fairly or not. I started with S&E and Starlite Walker as a schoolkid but have entered a long refractory period during which I don't really want to hear him, especially late Pavement. Maybe American Water gives off occasional Brighten the Corners vibes or something. It doesn't necessarily make much sense as I don't think I'm ever not in the mood for Starlite Walker.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Friday, 6 November 2020 00:21 (three years ago) link
American Water is miles better than Brighten The Corners.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 6 November 2020 00:29 (three years ago) link
Even Malkmus thought so!
― Tim Simms (morrisp), Friday, 6 November 2020 00:33 (three years ago) link
(Or maybe he said that about terror twilight, I don’t remember)
― Tim Simms (morrisp), Friday, 6 November 2020 00:35 (three years ago) link
American Water is better than Terror Twilight as well!
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 6 November 2020 00:37 (three years ago) link
yeah american water is better than 2.5-3 pavement albums
― turn the jawhatthefuckever on (One Eye Open), Friday, 6 November 2020 12:44 (three years ago) link
it's better than the last two, that's it tho
― a (waterface), Friday, 6 November 2020 13:00 (three years ago) link
I'm a huge Pavement fan and pretty much love all their albums, but I love American Water even more.
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Friday, 6 November 2020 21:00 (three years ago) link
Oh my god there is so much gold in the interview Al linked upthread.
David: Yeah, really. What am I afraid of? I’m really afraid of hurting people. I’m really afraid of my car breaking down. I’m really afraid of dying before I get things done. I’m really afraid of my landlord’s wife.CB: Why?David: She’s a battleaxe, she’s like a lot of people in Northampton. She’s just really really harsh. They live next door, so I always hear her outside. She was yelling this morning at her grandson. Her grandson has this little stuffed owl and she was saying “The owl goes ‘hoot!’” and she asked her grandson “Now what does the owl say? ” and her grandson didn’t say anything, he was really quiet. She says “WHAT DOES THE OWL SAY? ” and her grandson didn’t say anything and so she said “THE OWL SAYS ‘HOOT!’ WHAT DOES THE OWL SAY?!!”
CB: Why?
David: She’s a battleaxe, she’s like a lot of people in Northampton. She’s just really really harsh. They live next door, so I always hear her outside. She was yelling this morning at her grandson. Her grandson has this little stuffed owl and she was saying “The owl goes ‘hoot!’” and she asked her grandson “Now what does the owl say? ” and her grandson didn’t say anything, he was really quiet. She says “WHAT DOES THE OWL SAY? ” and her grandson didn’t say anything and so she said “THE OWL SAYS ‘HOOT!’ WHAT DOES THE OWL SAY?!!”
― american primitive stylophone (zchyrs), Friday, 6 November 2020 21:42 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xug9Ty0FD0
― A Scampo Darkly (Le Bateau Ivre), Tuesday, 2 March 2021 14:03 (three years ago) link
Singing:Elisa Ambrogio, Meg Baird, Cassie Berman, Bill Callahan, Ben Chasny, Bill MacKay, Haley Fohr, David Grubbs, Cory Hanson, Emmett Kelly, Matt Kinsey, Sean O’Hagan, Will Oldham, David Pajo, Todd Rittmann, Alasdair Roberts, Matt Sweeney, Mick Turner, George Xylouris, Azita Youssefi.Featuring:Bill Callahan, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Cassie Berman, Boneman the dog, David Grubbs, Bill MacKay, George Xylouris, Shelagh Hannan, Apollonia Xylouris, Fred Somsen, Sue Ng-Espada, Matt Kinsey, Tony Crow, Azita Youssefi, Caitlin Rose Mahoney, Cory Hanson, Brett Sova, David Pajo.
Featuring:Bill Callahan, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Cassie Berman, Boneman the dog, David Grubbs, Bill MacKay, George Xylouris, Shelagh Hannan, Apollonia Xylouris, Fred Somsen, Sue Ng-Espada, Matt Kinsey, Tony Crow, Azita Youssefi, Caitlin Rose Mahoney, Cory Hanson, Brett Sova, David Pajo.
!!!
― A Scampo Darkly (Le Bateau Ivre), Tuesday, 2 March 2021 14:04 (three years ago) link
Wonder why Malkmus declined or wasn't asked?
Anyways, I was just thinking the other day of how incredible the American Water band was:
DCB: vox/guitarSM: guitar/voxMike Fellows (Rites Of Spring/Happy Go Licky/Royal Trux/Drag City house band): bassTim Barnes (The Essex Green/Drag City house band): drumsChris Stroffolino: keys/organ
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 2 March 2021 16:26 (three years ago) link
haha, clever video. I really like the part where the stuntman contemplates a better burrito
― Zach_TBD (Karl Malone), Tuesday, 2 March 2021 18:00 (three years ago) link
Oh man, I'm not sure where to put this but since I just posted about him a few weeks ago on this thread:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/tim-barnes-medical-expenses
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 23 March 2021 00:04 (three years ago) link
On a lighter note, the painter of the album cover found a photograph of the original cover painting (tho in the comments he mentions that the painting is probably in a landfill or given away):
https://www.instagram.com/p/CI5q152l7yF/
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 23 March 2021 03:10 (three years ago) link
25 years / 46k beers
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyoGeQhvmMF/
― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Saturday, 21 October 2023 04:12 (seven months ago) link
Those NY Press ads are fantastic!
― strawberry ice cream, one scoop or two (morrisp), Saturday, 21 October 2023 05:23 (seven months ago) link
NY ‘98, what a time to be alive
― calstars, Saturday, 21 October 2023 06:32 (seven months ago) link
“Night Society” remains straight Fire
― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Saturday, 21 October 2023 23:17 (seven months ago) link