Tanglewood Numbers
by Silver Jews
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 2 out of 27

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  1. nofriendofyours
    Oct 19, 2005
    10
    Great stuff,man
  2. KrisB
    Feb 9, 2006
    8
    It's no American Water, but it'll do. Something is missing this time around, and i think it's probably because of the absence of Steven Malkmus.
  3. CrileyL
    Oct 19, 2005
    9
    Awesome return to a full band sound for the Jews, more rocking than previous efforts.
  4. JoeS
    Oct 20, 2005
    10
    Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  5. Henry
    Oct 23, 2005
    9
    The Sliver Jews do it again! This is a really good album. it's good to hear DCB sounding like he's having some fun and as usual, writing great music.
  6. AndyR
    Oct 25, 2005
    10
    Berman betters American Water? it can't be true. It is. 34 and a half minutes of dry, wry heaven. Thanks guys, again.
  7. marbles
    Dec 7, 2005
    8
    I have read a lot of harsh reviews and that's too bad. granted the silver jews do not jump out at you and assault you with super sonic rifs. they require a more mature, patient taste. few bands out there today bother to make their music mean somthing, and that is why the silver jews are still refreshing. my biggest complaint is that it isn't very long.
  8. MatthewP
    Oct 28, 2005
    9
    This album rocks where the other Joos albums rolled. The keyboards are a weird, cool touch.
  9. timothym
    Jan 29, 2006
    10
    dc is my hero
  10. romanmc
    Feb 27, 2006
    10
    You will not be dissapointed. Berman flat-out embarrasses anyone else out there trying to compete with him in lyrical craft. The music is varied on this outing as well. A much fuller pallete than other albums.
  11. RaulJulia
    Nov 6, 2005
    7
    After several listens it is obvious this is a decent Silver Jews album, and not a great outing. I love Punks in the Beerlight to the max. Pony is ailing and needs to be shot. K-hole sounds like a Mike Watt throw-off. Animal shapes sounds like a Smile track. I could go on, but I'd rather listen to some earlier Jews. Perhaps American Water. Ahh, that's better. blah blahh blah
  12. BrainZ
    Dec 12, 2005
    10
    He's back, niggers.
  13. JohnA
    Nov 12, 2005
    10
    "Pony is ailing and needs to be shot." Raul Julia needs to be shot for writing that! Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed is the best track on a record full of brilliance. When Berman writes, "Grass from a pasture is sharper than a bayonet," you either get or you don't...and I don't think RJ gets it. It's too early to know if this effort from the Jews will hold up to the sheer "Pony is ailing and needs to be shot." Raul Julia needs to be shot for writing that! Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed is the best track on a record full of brilliance. When Berman writes, "Grass from a pasture is sharper than a bayonet," you either get or you don't...and I don't think RJ gets it. It's too early to know if this effort from the Jews will hold up to the sheer genuis of American Water, but it's a great attempt nonetheless. Every time DC Berman and crew release a record it's an event and moment in time worth noting where your life was at at that moment.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Best Album of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. Dusted Magazine
    40
    If another band were to serve up the fiddling strings and lollygagging vocal harmonies of “Animal Shapes,” the wanky guitar breakdowns of “The Poor, The Fair, and the Good,” perhaps Tanglewood Numbers wouldn’t feel like such a disappointment. But Berman’s a brilliant lyricist with 30 or 40 minutes to spare every couple of years, and his voice seems oddly absent from this record.
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  2. AllMusic
    90
    A uniquely powerful and moving set of songs.
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  3. Amazon.com
    90
    A record that is wholly satisfying: not too overwrought and never self-assuredly slick.
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