By By Jesse Cataldo

David Berman never wanted to be a rock star. But with job openings for poets (his choice career) scarce and two college friends who happened to be members of Pavement, he settled for what he could get. Now 15 years, five albums and one book of poetry later, the lone Silver Jew is at it again.

A sprawling yet concise gem, Tanglewood Numbers is packed with equal parts lyrical expertise and respected guest musicians. Berman may not fancy himself a rock star (he’s never toured and rarely performs live), but he seems to be friends with a lot of them. The guests-ranging from Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nostanovich (the Pavement connection) to Will Oldham and Papa M-work magnificently at filling out Berman’s usually uninspired musical backing.

The power of the music only adds heft to Berman’s words, the focal point of the recording and the band’s greatest asset. His gift for pairing genuine emotion with kitschy sleaze tends to be as funny as it is endearing. The album’s most ridiculous moment, a rousing refrain of “I love you to the max!” on “Punks In The Beerlight” may also be its most catchy.

Berman works his language to its full potential, filtering it through his own sardonic bent and creating unique imagery in the process. Even the most bizarre lines hold meaning. “Andre was a young black Santa Claus / didn’t want to be what his daddy was,” from “K-Hole,” could be an airy bit of throwaway humor, but instead contributes to themes of identity and confusion. “Sometimes A Pony Gets Depressed,” a jaunty romp through a barnyard full of livestock imagery, functions doubly as an examination of the absurd yet natural character of human desire. Even simple similes like “I’ve been working in an airport bar / it’s like Christmas in a submarine” are memorable.

He may consider himself more of a singing poet than a traditional rocker, but Tanglewood Numbers brings enough musical strength to match even his sharpest barbs. Impermanent as it may be, Berman has finally found a band that can keep up with him.