caix wrote:I loved the first three albums. LOVED them. Then he got married to some chick who ruined his sound and he stopped working with Malkimus (though, The Natural Bridge was as good as American Waters).

I saw him live at Pitchfork the first year and it was terrible. His wife is horrible as a bass player/backup singer. Also, he was wasted and it just didn't sound right.

I'm disappointed where Dave Burman has gone.

same sentiment here.

well, i also read somewhere that he was happy with the last one that he finally had the chance to record an album the way he had always wanted to. tanglewood numbers is very often too busy, murky & maybe over-orchestrated. so maybe this is just a case of careful what you wish for. blaming it on his wife is kinda lame.

i think he also hit bottom personally over the last couple of years. i heard a podcast interview where he was describing his interest in studying judaism after having successfully finished drug rehab.

i feel really strange writing this, cause i loved those first three albums to death, too. & alot of the poetry too.

jimmy spako wrote:

caix wrote:I loved the first three albums. LOVED them. Then he got married to some chick who ruined his sound and he stopped working with Malkimus (though, The Natural Bridge was as good as American Waters).

I saw him live at Pitchfork the first year and it was terrible. His wife is horrible as a bass player/backup singer. Also, he was wasted and it just didn't sound right.

I'm disappointed where Dave Burman has gone.

same sentiment here.

well, i also read somewhere that he was happy with the last one that he finally had the chance to record an album the way he had always wanted to. tanglewood numbers is very often too busy, murky & maybe over-orchestrated. so maybe this is just a case of careful what you wish for. blaming it on his wife is kinda lame.

i think he also hit bottom personally over the last couple of years. i heard a podcast interview where he was describing his interest in studying judaism after having successfully finished drug rehab.

i feel really strange writing this, cause i loved those first three albums to death, too. & alot of the poetry too.

What was so great about his first albums was how simple they were. I barely know guitar, but I could pick up an acoustic and learn a whole album in less than two walk-throughs. Yet, the songs were so memorable, so good. My friends and I would sing along with his albums on road trips, something we never did with any other album. It really blows my mind how he ruined it all, as simply as he used to write his songs.

ivan wrote:saw them live back in May in Dublin. They were excellent, but I think they have a newish band with some borrowed players from lambchop which helps live for the old stuff but takes them down a strange road on the record.

I'm a big fan of american water, the new one is not crap but it takes a lot to get into, probably more than it's worth (i got stuck on a bus for 5 hours with only this to listen to)

if he's got members of Lambchop as a backup live band, that would help a whole bunch. those guys were awesome live.

caix wrote:

jimmy spako wrote:

caix wrote:I loved the first three albums. LOVED them. Then he got married to some chick who ruined his sound and he stopped working with Malkimus (though, The Natural Bridge was as good as American Waters).

I saw him live at Pitchfork the first year and it was terrible. His wife is horrible as a bass player/backup singer. Also, he was wasted and it just didn't sound right.

I'm disappointed where Dave Burman has gone.

same sentiment here.

well, i also read somewhere that he was happy with the last one that he finally had the chance to record an album the way he had always wanted to. tanglewood numbers is very often too busy, murky & maybe over-orchestrated. so maybe this is just a case of careful what you wish for. blaming it on his wife is kinda lame.

i think he also hit bottom personally over the last couple of years. i heard a podcast interview where he was describing his interest in studying judaism after having successfully finished drug rehab.

i feel really strange writing this, cause i loved those first three albums to death, too. & alot of the poetry too.

What was so great about his first albums was how simple they were. I barely know guitar, but I could pick up an acoustic and learn a whole album in less than two walk-throughs. Yet, the songs were so memorable, so good. My friends and I would sing along with his albums on road trips, something we never did with any other album. It really blows my mind how he ruined it all, as simply as he used to write his songs.

ha, this is encouraging. i've been wanting to learn some guitar basics for a while & always thought it would be fun to do it with the songs from the natural bridge.

I liked the new record a lot on first listen. Much better than the last one. Wasn't so into the last one. American Water is so raved about, but I would put it as one of my lesser favorites. Starlight Walker/Natural Bridge/Brite Flight I love. Will give the new one another spin this weekend and see how it sits.

Tanglewood was just ok.

When he was doing the press for that one he was talking a lot about substance abuse, rehab, and suicide. I really thought he would recognize the obvious cliques of all that.

I love Starlight, American Water and Natural Bridge. The Jews attraction is in the words not the music really.

I heard the new lyrics about 'imported squirrels from Connecticut just in time for the fall' . Sounds good to me

new album = a silver SNOOZE

American Water is awesome, def. in my top five favourites

I comparison, i thought Tanglewood Numbers was pretty damn bad

I've been a fan since Starlite Walker, and have loved using his poems in class -- high school kids dig "New York, New York" a lot.

But there's kind of been a downward slope in my interest. And then this recent interview, in which Berman seems either drunk or retarded.

Is he dying?

I'd rather read his very good poetry.