Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 13, 2026

Bright Flight

Bright Flight is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Silver Jews, released in 2001.

Last revised
Jul 13, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
483 w
Citations
15
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Bright Flight
Studio album by
Silver Jews
ReleasedNovember 20, 2001
RecordedHum Depot, Berry Hill, TN
GenreIndie rock
Length35:18
LabelDrag City1
Domino Recording Company2
ProducerMark Nevers3
Silver Jews chronology
American Water
(1998) 		Bright Flight
(2001) 		Tanglewood Numbers
(2005)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar4
Drowned in Sound6/105
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar6
The GuardianStarStarStarStar7
Pitchfork8.5/108
The New Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarHalf star9
Stylus MagazineB3

Bright Flight is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Silver Jews, released in 2001.610

"Tennessee" was chosen as the title track for an EP that also included "Long Long Gone", "I'm Gonna Love The Hell Out of You", and "Turn Your Guns Around".

Critical reception

The Guardian wrote: "Fusing gorgeous, tear-sodden country melodies with lyrics that inspire love and anxiety in equal measure, Bright Flight poetically captures a drunken night spent contemplating suicide while staring at the Nashville skyline."11 The Stranger wrote that "the stories told and the places visited are rich with radiant imagery--not always happy, but encouraging in their pure, honest existence."12 Trouser Press wrote that the album "is not, on the whole, as agreeably encompassing as American Water, it is the work of an artist increasingly able to get to the emotional heart of a song without relying on the crutches of irony and overt cleverness."13

Track listing

All tracks are written by David Berman, except "Friday Night Fever", written by Blake Mevis, Dean Dillon and Frank Dycus.

No.TitleLength
1."Slow Education"3:07
2."Room Games and Diamond Rain"4:34
3."Time Will Break the World"3:17
4."I Remember Me"5:32
5."Horseleg Swastikas"3:20
6."Transylvania Blues"3:03
7."Let's Not and Say We Did"2:59
8."Tennessee"4:10
9."Friday Night Fever"2:44
10."Death of an Heir of Sorrows"2:35
Total length:35:18

Personnel

Musicians

  • David Berman - lead vocals, guitar
  • Cassie Berman - vocals on "Slow Education", "Let's Not and Say We Did", and "Tennessee", bass
  • William Tyler - guitar, vocals on "Let's Not and Say We Did"
  • Mike Fellows - bass
  • Tim Barnes - drums, percussion
  • Paul Niehaus - pedal steel guitar
  • Tony Crow - piano, organ, electric piano, synthesizer, vocals on "Let's Not and Say We Did" and "Friday Night Fever"

Additional Personnel

  • Hilary Small - artwork
  • Mark Nevers - engineer, producer
  • Mike Fellows - assistant producer
References

References

  1. "Silver Jews - Bright Flight | Drag City". www.dragcity.com.
  2. "Silver Jews - Bright Flight (CD) | Domino Mart". Domino Recording Company.
  3. "Silver Jews - Bright Flight - Stylus Magazine". stylusmagazine.com.
  4. "Bright Flight - Silver Jews | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  5. "Album Review: Silver Jews - Bright Flight". DrownedInSound. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  6. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. pp. 456–457.
  7. Clarke, Betty (February 21, 2002). "Silver Jews: Bright Flight". The Guardian. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  8. "Silver Jews: Bright Flight". Pitchfork.
  9. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. p. 735.
  10. "Silver Jews". www.furious.com.
  11. Aizlewood, Reviews by John; Mulholland, Garry; Simpson, Dave; Sullivan, Caroline; Lynskey, Dorian; Clarke, Betty; Wyse, Pascal (February 22, 2002). "Mississippi belter". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  12. Wilson, Kathleen. "The Gift of Travel". The Stranger.
  13. "Silver Jews". Trouser Press. Retrieved January 10, 2021.