American Water

Berman sings and plays guitar, Malkmus plays guitar and sings backing vocals, with co-lead on "Federal Dust" and "Blue Arrangements", Mike Fellows bass and Tim Barnes drums; Chris Stroffolino plays trumpet on "Random Rules". Berman wanted a record in which you're having fun when you're doing it, and told the Washington Post in 2008 that he was taking a lot of drugs at that time. A working title was The Late, Great Silver Jews, after Townes Van Zandt. Pitchfork ranked it 12th among the best albums of 1998 and 21st among the best albums of the 1990s, and "Random Rules" 103rd among the top 200 tracks of the 1990s; a 20th anniversary vinyl reissue was half-speed mastered at Abbey Road.