2. Knowing his history of depression, drug use, and attempted suicide, as well as his apparent mental state on "Purple Mountains", I don't think David's death was especially surprising. All of this is non-negotiable with my father, and the sooner he can avoid his childhood, the Confederate flags draped over shackled suburban garages, the better. Rapture of the Deep is Deep Purple's first release in Europe on the German label Edel Records, while in the US the record was released by Edel's sub-label Eagle Records.. As I learned more about David, I felt I could relate to him, as a political liberal who clashes with a conservative parent and as a sports fan. It’s a break away from your standard tunes and songwriting and you might not understand all of what David Berman is saying, but his sentiments wont be lost on you. How he would talk up horror storms to me about growing up in the valley, everything ramshackled, a space out of time.As a young boy, he lived in a neighborhood suffocated by two opposing ponds. I'm going to listen to it again, maybe tonight, tomorrow, we'll see, and remember his kind spirit and creativity which is evident in his music despite the sadness.No piece of music has had a bigger impact on me this year. Arrive right before the wake begins and leave as soon as the casket is in the ground. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcutsCookies help us deliver our Services. Honest with self deprecating humor. Like Bananas, the album received generally positive reviews from critics and fans. An hour was enough to make you lose your mind, the dust rolling off your back into your eyes and in your lungs, the empty earth absorbing the wretched souls who settled here.We drove down on a single tank of gas, and only plan to refill once the town is far behind us. You have value. 4. David is back! Rain would collect there during the summer, in the days following a huge storm the field became a temporary resting place for ducks, the water bombarded by birds until the heat dried up the land, leaving it barren again. How does death manipulate or alter the trajectory of life and memory?So in the meantime, discuss today's album and its write-up in the comments below!He manages to make his very obvious pain funny, relatable and heartbreaking all at the same time. Did they search for something, or did they wander from boredom. A very, very sad story this one as it panned out. Doesn't hurt that the songs are all catchy as hell as is.This is my album of the year this year. He is survived by Cassie. When I heard he had died I was devastated, but I can't say I was surprised. It’s the proper country record he’s been threatening to make since 2001’s Bright Flight, which he recorded when he actually lived in Nashville. Great sounding album. Dad had a high school friend who passed just a few days ago and I couldn’t tell if it hurt him more to lose his friend or be forced to return to his hometown, an area where segregation by railroad was still the unspoken rule of law, and the only view for a hundred miles on the highway was the desolation of farmland turned to oil fields. 43. It should surprise no one that few of the albums in my top 10—Billie Eilish, Purple Mountains, and Kim Gordon, to be precise—made much of a dent among the deciders at Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, which with Pazz & Jop kaput now host the year-end album lists of record. But still a very good record. As with all Drag City releases, there is no download code. Berman’s pain had never been laid quite so bare, nor had it ever sounded quite so urgent. Centered correctly and plays very quiet. It’s Texas, but it’s still the south, forever caught between frictional youth pressing against the old world’s surface, both eroding and wearing each other out. Great Record. but listening to it makes me more depressed, and I'm already suicidalYou have value regardless of how you feel. The other pond was not actually a pond at all, but an open field constantly flooded by storms. It seems each year we see a release that speaks more frankly and intimately about a close death than the previous. Her hair is rusty, the tattoos of past lovers on her copper forearms faded, and I can’t tell if I hope she’s younger than she looks. I think Purple Mountains is one that works outside of the context of the death, though, the quality of the lyrics and mood don't require existing knowledge of the circumstances to be enjoyed.Suicide in our heroes and role models is an incredibly tough thing to speak about and deal with, and this review was an excellent and absorbing way to capture the mood without having to delve into painful specificsOne of the best albums of the year. Up today for our season finale, /u/American_Soviet comes to talk the first, and sadly last, album from David Berman's Purple Mountains project, Purple Mountains.