Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea

Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
Studio album by Silver Jews
Released	June 17, 2008
Recorded	March–October 2007 [1]
Length	33:53
Label	Drag City
Producer	David Berman
Silver Jews chronology
Tanglewood Numbers (2005) Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (2008)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	76/100 [2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Blender	[4]
Drowned in Sound	8/10 [5]
MusicOMH	[6]
Pitchfork	6.7/10 [7]
PopMatters	6/10 [8]
The Skinny	[9]
Spin	[10]
Uncut	[11]

Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea is the sixth and final studio album by American indie rock band Silver Jews, released on June 17, 2008 through Drag City. ^[12] It was recorded at Marble Valley of Lexington, Virginia and Lake Fever Productions of Nashville, Tennessee. ^[1] Silver Jews records are known for featuring different casts of musicians. This album features the touring band of lead singer, David Berman, including his wife Cassie. ^[1] Berman has said that the album is "really different" compared to previous ones. ^[13]

Recording

In an interview with Pitchfork , Berman said that while recording he used a new guitar to influence a new mindset. ^[14] He wrote all of the songs before going into the studio, so that he could make sure each song took "into account its neighbors". ^[14] The vocals were not recorded until last, as he kept changing the lyrics and wanted to be able to edit them without having to re-record the entire song. ^[14] Berman went on to say that at the end of recording he wished he had more time to write, as there were still things he would have changed. ^[14] "What Is Not but Could Be If" was a 'totally different kind of writing' for Berman, and he compared it to bands that sang slogans and epigrammatic writing. ^[14]

Music

Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea has been described as one of the Silver Jews' 'lightest' albums. ^[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by David Berman, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"What Is Not but Could Be If..."		3:08
2.	"Aloysius, Bluegrass Drummer"		1:54
3.	"Suffering Jukebox"		4:21
4.	"My Pillow Is the Threshold"		3:52
5.	"Strange Victory, Strange Defeat"		2:44
6.	"Open Field"	Maher Shalal Hash Baz	2:39
7.	"San Francisco, B.C."		6:15
8.	"Candy Jail"		2:30
9.	"Party Barge"		2:55
10.	"We Could Be Looking for the Same Thing"		3:35
Total length:			33:53

References

1. "'Lookout': Silver Jews Ready Sixth Album". Billboard .
2. "Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea by Silver Jews Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved November 4, 2025.
3. Allmusic review
4. Blender review
5. "Silver Jews: Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on July 2, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
6. musicOMH review
7. Pitchfork review
8. PopMatters review
9. The Skinny review
10. Spin review
11. Uncut review
12. "Upcoming CD Releases". metacritic. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
13. "Silver Jews Reveal Lookout Track list, 2008 Live Plans". Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
14. Grayson Currin (August 18, 2008). "Interview: Silver Jews". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on September 2, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
15. Heather Phares. "Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea review". Allmusic . Retrieved September 3, 2008.

External links

• Silver Jews website
• Drag City: Silver Jews