TN is probably one of the most poorly guarded releases ever--I mean, if I could get a hold of a copy [Thanks, SD], anyone can. But that just means that I've had eight weeks to let the magic set in and I'm officially ready to declare TN not only Record of the Week but Record of the Month and Possibly the Second Half of the Year. To me (I was not a fan of their last two records), this one is like they took Natural Bridge, fiddled with the BRIGHT and the TINT and COLOR, but left the HORZ and VERT just where they are. Lyrics, orchestration, production: all better than ever. If you've never heard the Silver Jews before, this might be the album to get. (However, if you don't like singers for whom singing isn't their strong suit, you won't enjoy the Silver Jews, nor would you ever enjoy them.)

You can go to the Drag City site to download Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You, which contains one of my favorite lines on Tanglewood Numbers, "I've been working at the airport bar/It's like Christmas in a submarine."