"The Natural Bridge" is the second studio album by indie rock group the Silver Jews, released in 1996 on Drag City in America and Domino in Europe. Engineered and mixed by Michael Deming and Thom Monahan, the album features cover art by Mike Flood. Musicians on the album include David Berman, Matt Hunter, Rian Murphy, Peyton Pinkerton, and Michael Deming.
Originally, some tracks were recorded with members of the Scud Mountain Boys as Berman's backing band, but these recordings were scrapped and never released. According to Joe Pernice of the Scud Mountain Boys, these recordings resembled their style more than previous Silver Jews works. An unreleased cover of Echo and the Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon" was also recorded during this period.
A separate 1995 session with Pavement members Stephen Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich, and Steve West was attempted but halted abruptly when Berman left the studio. The remaining Pavement members used the studio time to record Pavement's Pacific Trim EP instead.
The album's title is inspired by two natural bridges known to David Berman, particularly one in Virginia that prompted him to name the album after it. Berman's tongue-in-cheek explanation for the title suggests he was in a gift shop at the Natural Bridge Park and realized naming the album "Natural Bridge" would instantly turn everything in the shop into promotional merchandise. This concept reflects Berman's playful and ironic approach to art and marketing.
