October Born

From http://www.dragcity.com:

Big news drops in October — in case you hadn’t already heard, October 18th is the date that the new Silver Jews opus Tanglewood Numbers becomes available to a world that has desperately needed more love from the Jews! You see, Silver Jews are a tradition to the young and semi-young of our global village — they quote David Berman’s lyrics, incorporating them as catch-phrases into their impressionable lives, fashion their lifestyles after what they imagine Silver Jews’ albums to be espousing and burn their favorite songs onto mix-CDs that they seek to influence others with, the cheap bitches! Ah, what we wouldn’t do for this fandom...it seems like the least we could do (literally) to release an album every four years or so from one of Drag City’s most celebrated of bands.

Tanglewood Numbers is a celebration of life, played by more living creatures than ever before featured on a Silver Jews record. For all you dweebs out there: yes, Steve Malkmus is one of those creatures. And this helps to make Tanglewood Numbers one of the electric Jews records — as opposed to the more acoustically-flavored Bright Flight, let’s say. At times, the electricity is a bit shocking — but at the end of the day, it’s a great new Silver Jews record, full of life and death and beauty and humor and all the rest. Viva Tanglewood Numbers! It’s loaded with some of the greatest Silver Jews music.

Psst...

From http://www.dragcity.com:

Hey, American friend - wanna buy a really rare record? If you’re near a fine Drag City direct retailer, you’ll have a chance to buy one on October 18th. See, that’s the day Drag City’s little sister label Sea Note issues a mystery single so strange and mysterious...let's see, so strange and mysterious, we can’t tell you a single thing about this single! Well, perhaps just one little note — this record is related to our big October 18th release and a rumor that’s spread for some years over a collaboration with this band and another band on Drag City. That’s all we’re telling you - put together the pieces and five dollar bills and be the first in line - and you too might have this rarest of items!

Silver Jews vs. The Mountain Goats

The CD accompanying the latest issue of The Believer magazine includes a version of Pet Politics played by the Mountain Goats. For more details visit: The Believer

False Alarm

From http://www.donewaiting.com:

All masters were located in another part of the building which received little to no fire damage. Whew!

Up In Smoke

From NME:

The studio Jeff Buckley was recording in when he died has been destroyed by fire.

The Easley McCain recording studio in Memphis suffered considerable damage after an electrical fire broke out on Wednesday last week (March 2).

"The (fire) inspector said that two fires broke out at the same time at opposite ends of the building, due to some electrical reason," engineer Kevin Cubbins told Rolling Stone. "Within 15, 20 seconds, the whole place was engulfed."

The studio has witnessed sessions by Sonic Youth, The White Stripes, Guided By Voices, Wilco and Loretta Lynn among others.

Along with damage to the studio the new album by the band Silver Jews - which features former Pavement members - was also destroyed. The record had apparently been delivered to the studio to be mastered on the morning of the fire (see update).

The studio’s future is now uncertain while the insurance is being examined, however Wilco bassist John Stirratt insisted it would a great loss.

"It's unbelievable. Really, really sad," he explained. "If you tried to record in Memphis before Easley, you had to work with, well, born-agains. Easley was the first place to reflect how hip and weird and diverse Memphis really is -- the great, weird underbelly."

Punks in the Beerlight

From The Dust Congress:

Info on the upcoming Silver Jews album, from the main Jew:

We won't be finished until Feb.24th. So it should come out around July. i'm giving a reading at sarah lawrence on thurs nite at 9pm. bring a walkman and ill let you listen to what it sounds like so far. the working title is "tanglewood numbers"

you know "woodchilde masquerade" had it's chances. and i know what you're thinking-

but remember "the natural bridge" is THREE words.

the players in order of appearance:

mike fellows

steve malkmus

brian kotzur

bob nastanovich

bobby bare jr.

steve west

duane denison

azita youseffi

will oldham

pete cummings

tony crow

paz lenchatain

j.d. wilkes

songs are called :

sleeping is the only love

there is a place

punks in the beerlight

how can i love you (if you won't lie down?)

the poor the fair and the good

animal shapes

i'm getting back (into getting back into getting back into you)

sometimes the pony gets depressed

k-hole

the farmer's hotel

brian's song

freezing in the shadow of your knee

region ten

re: is it the last silver jews album? Impossible! as long as two of us walk the earth the band is still together. and, as always, thanks to you that give a damn about what we do.