Purple Mountains (album)
Updated: 11/6/2025, 2:02:48 AM Wikipedia source
Purple Mountains is the only studio album by American indie rock band Purple Mountains. The album was released on July 12, 2019, by Drag City. It is the final overall album by David Berman before his death on August 7, 2019, less than four weeks after the album's release. Purple Mountains was the first new studio album from David Berman since the disbandment of Silver Jews in 2009. Created over the course of four years, the album went through numerous failed attempts at writing and recording with different musicians and producers including Dan Auerbach, Dan Bejar, Stephen Malkmus and Jeff Tweedy. It was eventually recorded in 2018 with members of the band Woods, in both Chicago and Brooklyn. Woods members Jarvis Taveniere and Jeremy Earl produced the album. The album's themes were inspired by the death of Berman's mother, his retirement from music, his struggles with depression, and his strained relationship with his wife. Berman also made the album in hopes of paying down a six-figure debt he had built up. It was preceded by the singles "All My Happiness Is Gone", "Darkness and Cold", and "Margaritas at the Mall". On release, the album received critical acclaim and was featured in numerous year-end lists.
Infobox
Tables
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.3/10 |
| Metacritic | 87/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Consequence of Sound | A− |
| The Guardian | |
| The Irish Times | |
| Mojo | |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Times | |
| Uncut | 9/10 |
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
| Bandcamp Daily | The Best Albums of 2019 | 6 | |
| BrooklynVegan | Top 50 Albums of 2019 | 4 | |
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2019 | 23 | |
| The Guardian | The 50 best albums of 2019 | 45 | |
| The Line of Best Fit | The Best Albums of 2019 | 31 | |
| Loud and Quiet | Best 40 albums of 2019 | 4 | |
| Magnet | Top 25 Albums of 2019 | 14 | |
| Mojo | The 75 Best Albums of 2019 | 9 | |
| Noisey | The 100 Best Albums of 2019 | 7 | |
| Now | The 10 best albums of 2019 | 3 | |
| Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 16 | |
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 10 | |
| PopMatters | The 70 Best Albums of 2019 | 10 | |
| Q | The 50 Albums of the Year | 39 | |
| The Ringer | The Best Albums of 2019 | 3 | |
| Rolling Stone | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 37 | |
| Slant Magazine | The 25 Best Albums of 2019 | 7 | |
| Spectrum Culture | Top 20 Albums of 2019 | 1 | |
| Spin | The 10 Best Albums of 2019 | 2 | |
| Sputnikmusic | Top 50 Albums of 2019 | 7 | |
| Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 3 | |
| Uncut | The Top 75 Albums of the Year | 3 | |
| Under the Radar | Top 100 Albums of 2019 | 11 | |
| Uproxx | The Best Albums of 2019 | 15 | |
| Vice | The 100 Best Albums of 2019 | 7 |
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
| BrooklynVegan | 141 Best Albums of the 2010s | 86 | |
| Pitchfork | The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 153 | |
| Slant Magazine | The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s | 70 | |
| Spin | The 101 Best Albums of the 2010s | 47 | |
| Stereogum | The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s | 68 |
| Chart (2019) | Peakposition |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) | 7 |
| UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC) | 1 |
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