Casting a Pall Over the Last Few Weeks

The Silver Jews broke up. This is really sad. They are/were so great. I wil memorialize this the only way I know how:
:(<-that is as big as blogger lets me put the text. Otherwise, that frown emoticon would be fifty times bigger. This is a video of them playing "Smith and Jones Forever" from their last show ever at the Cumberland Caverns (that's right, in a cave) :
The Silver Jews are dead, long live the Silver Jews!

Best Albums of 2008 Part 2: Look Out Mountain, Look Out Sea by Silver Jews

Probably the best thing I discovered this year was the Silver Jews. I'd always been aware of them as attached to Pavement, but I'd never listened to them. It's a good thing then, that I downloaded their song "What is Not but Could Be If". It's a song of beginnings and wonder that hit me while lots of other people were catching Hope Fever. The albums sound is what I would call country, but others would probably disagree. You decide.
Vote or die.
Anyway, the whole album is about drawing a parallel between young people in 1914 and the youth of today. Lead Jew David Berman has said in interviews that this is the first album he has written for younger people. Taking this into account, it's easy to see why some longtime fans were disappointed with this album, however I, being devoid of the baggage of history and context, find it really, really, enjoyable. Which is strange, since this is an album about context and history.
I've since listened to all their other albums and still like this one a lot, for whatever that's worth.
Also, seeing the Jews live was amazing. I can't really explain it. David Berman is a definite hero of mine. Screw Malkmus. Not really, because if I had decided to download Real Emotional Trash, it would probably be on this "list" too.
The Silver Jews- Strange Victory, Strange Defeat