Originally Posted by grindy

Purple Mountains



How come MB seems to be sleeping on this one?
Unfortunately I discovered this album only after I heard of Berman's suicide, which makes me ask myself how much the tragic backstory makes it stand out to me.
The lyrics certainly are pretty damn devastating in light of his death. He sings about alienation, depression, the death of his mother and the collapse of his marriage. All in a dry and matter-of-fact way, often with some wicked dark humour. The death wish is scarilly obvious here.
But the music holds up perfectly by itself. One or two tracks are a bit weak (Snow Is Falling In Manhattan, for example) but overall it's very cool and often groovy, at times sad and beautiful, at times with a nice contrast between the bleak lyrics and the upbeat music. What a farewell! RIP

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

Sounds a bit like Lambchop

Originally Posted by grindy

Nah.
Lambchop vocals are corny af.
Also the upbeat songs on Purple Mountaisn are so ****ing nice and groovy.
Also: Lyrics. I mean, **** lyrics in general, but in the case of Purple Mountains they are so ****ing important.

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

I just finished listening to it. It still reminds me of Lambchop.

Also, I disagree with your assessment of Lambchop. I think they’re great. Purple Mountains is its own creation, though. I was left with a very favorable impression and knowing the guy killed himself adds a impressive touch of sincerity. The suicide echoes around in your consciousness like a lush production. His loved ones might not be too happy about it but it improves the ambience of the record so artistically his suicide was a winner.