Leader of the
American indie rock band Silver Jews feted particularly for his lyricsThe musician David Berman, who has died suddenly aged 52, was the leader and sole constant member of Silver Jews, a band whose poetic, experimental recordings during the 1990s and 2000s embodied American indie rock at its most literate, and of Purple Mountains, his recent Americana project. Berman, fragile and intellectual, served as a reluctant star of sorts to a generation who rejected mainstream rock’s macho posturing and found comfort in his wry musical musings.
Feted particularly for his lyrics, Berman also published a book of poetry, Actual Air (1999), and said that he always “worked harder on words” because he “couldn’t rock out harder than everybody, or overcome people with mastery like Jack White of the White Stripes”. Purple Mountains’ eponymous album, released last month, contained “what will likely be the best lyric sheet of the year”, according to the Guardian.