On “What Is Not But Could Be If,” David Berman sings, “The truth is not alive or dead/ The truth is struggling to be said.” On The Silver Jews’ sixth album, it seems Berman isn’t struggling to say how he feels, whether that is pain, loss, or hope. The down-home feel of “Aloysius, Bluegrass Drummer” falls in line with their southern style as Berman spits out a story of a no-good woman. Complete with seagulls, radio feedback, and air horns, you can’t help but feel like you are stranded at sea on “Party Barge.” The mouthwatering “Candy Jail” describes cells with “peppermint rails, peanut brittle bunk beds and marshmallow walls” and somehow makes it a metaphor for death. Not many songwriters today can rival Berman, and whether or not you comprehend what he is saying, you always seem to understand. On “Suffering Jukebox,” Berman’s wife, Cassie, heartbreakingly drags out her words to express this suffering David sings about. The two become the modern day June Carter and Johnny Cash, perfectly complimenting each other musically.