Starlite Walker [Vinyl]

Silver Jews | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (October 24, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Drag City
• ASIN: B0000019Q9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #317,292 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Introduction II

2. Trains Across the Sea

3. The Moon Is the Number 18

4. Advice to the Graduate

5. Tide to the Oceans

6. Pan American Blues

7. New Orleans

8. The Country Diary of a Subway Conductor

9. Living Waters

10. Rebel Jew

11. The Silver Pageant

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If it looks like Pavement and sounds like Pavement, then it must be Pavement, right? Not if it's the Silver Jews. While the Jews do in fact feature Pavement's Steve Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich, the main Jew is their old University of Virginia chum David Berman. Berman, who writes and sings most of the songs, is apparently a fan of his buddies' other band, though, because there isn't much to distinguish Starlite Walker from a lo-fi, pasted-together Pavement record. The loose electric guitar, the squawky singing, and the obscure-cool lyrics make this the record Pavement fans have been waiting for--at least until the real band's next album comes out. Beneath all the alternative trappings--the dissonance, the herky-jerky changes, the slack voices--Berman and friends manage to merge pop with art-punk experimentalism. "Trains Across the Sea," "Advice to the Graduate," "New Orleans," and "Rebel Jew" are among the more melodic and cohesive, while "The Country Diary of a Subway Conductor" is a study in guitar noise and oblique rants. Like Pavement, but to a lesser degree, the Jews know the way to please all our seemingly contradictory sensibilities. --Roni Sarig

Product Description

Starlite Walker is a first for the Silver Jews on many levels. Not only is it the group's first full-length album, it's also the first recorded in a full-fledged studio -- Memphis' 24-track Easley Recordings -- as well as the first collection of songs penned almost entirely by David Berman. The album's lyrical and musical richness comes partly from Berman's retreat to the woods of Oxford, MS in preparation for the record, and partly from the understated, intimate production. As a result, Starlite Walker collects some of the Jews' most diverse and affecting songs. Wry lyrics like "I just got back from a dream attack" from "Trains Across the Sea" and "On the last day of your life/Don't forget to die" from "Advice to the Graduate" let Berman's easygoing charm come to the forefront, while jangly and crunchy guitars, Stephen Malkmus' backing vocals, and Bob Nastanovich's steady drumming punctuate his observations. Though Starlite Walker is a more low-key, reflective affair than the Silver Jews' EPs, the album benefits from it, combining the laid-back experimentalism of the Jews' early work with more sophisticated and expressive songwriting. "Advice to the Graduate" and "New Orleans" turn from humorous to poignant with a simple chord change; "Rebel Jew" draws on the group's affection for country music; and instrumentals like "The Moon Is the Number 18" and "The Silver Pageant" add to the relaxed, homespun feel of the album. Repeated listening just enhances Starlite Walker's warm, off-the-cuff appeal. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trapped Inside This Song, July 19, 2000

By 

Mark (oakland, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starlite Walker (Audio CD)

This is where it all begins for Silver Jews fans. The introduction on this album welcomes the listener into the warm and enchanting sound of the Silver Jews and as the introduction draws to a close Mr. Malkmus whisps out a sad and lonely voice saying that "he never wants this minute to end" and then the song ends and segues perfectly into one of the greatest Jews songs ever "Trains Across the Sea". It gives me chills every time I listen to it. I have noticed that most people Starting with American Water have problems coming back and appreciating this wonderful album. It's true if your first listen to the jews is on American Water then you are getting into the more evolved sound of the Jews. This album is more straight forward than American Water, and has a more intimate folk feel to it. If you love folk music like Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and even later Dylan like Nashville Skyline and John Wesley Harding then you will love this album. On songs like "New Orleans" David Berman writes about one of the most famous folk songs ever the New Orleans whore house song "House of the Rising Sun". The lyrics in "New Orleans" will give you a true measure of just how clever and profound David Berman can be. I also think songs like Trains Across the Sea, Advice to a Graduate, and Rebel Jew feature some of David Bermans best Lyrics ever. David Bermans lyrics will pull you in and perplex you much like Bob Dylans lyrics used to pull in and perplex people from the 60's. I recommend that you pick up this album, get your friends together, and enjoy a few pints of your favorite stout as you listen to this album for the first time..."In 27 years I've drunk 50,000 beers, and they just wash against me like the sea into the peer." -David Berman

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars what has DC Berman done that is NOT great?, April 21, 2006

By 

Jack W. Erter "erter99" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Starlite Walker (Audio CD)

This record is quite good, not of the caliber of all the rest of the Silver Jews' output, but still great, plus it includes my all-time favorite lyric ever:

"In 27 years I drank 50,000 beers
And they all wash against me like the sea into a pier"

You just can't beat that kind of witty yet elegiac lyricism with a stick ...

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lazy 'n Hazy, October 10, 2003

By 

Toby Ztyles (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starlite Walker (Audio CD)

I bought this back in 1996 when I was REALLY into Pavement because I knew that Malk and Bobby N from 'ment appeared on this album. Upon the first 10 or so listens, it sounded like a mellow Pavement knock-off (which was a good thing) but subsequent listens helped to hash out David Berman's individuality as a songwriter aside from his Pavement friends. The music is slow, twangy, countrified indie rock with really clever lyrics spoke/sung in a Southern stoner drawl. A great listen for a mellow summer evening or a camping trip. Go SJ!