American Water makes a virtue of sounding slightly off-centre. The playing has an easy swing; David Berman's voice sits inside it like someone sharing a thought before deciding whether to keep it to himself.
The humour never cancels the sadness, and the sadness never drains the humour. That balance is the record's great achievement. The songs can make an ordinary detail feel strange and then make a strange thought feel entirely familiar.
The verdict: beautifully imperfect songs with enough wit and ache to last a lifetime.