CrackerSunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey
[429 Records]
# of spins (out of 5):
Some bands never learn and never, and sometimes you love them for that. Cracker just happens to be one of those bands. Nearly twenty years into their career, they are as sarcastic, snarky, and clever as they ever were. So this is Cracker being Cracker. Most of the material feels appropriate for middle-age men, which is odd, because lead singer David Lowery's voice is as strong as it ever was. Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey is an incredibly strong album from a band this far into its career, although the youthful dynamic has changed within the band since their early hits "Low", "Get Off This", and "Euro-Trash Girl". And they seem vaguely aware of this fact and seem to be self-conscious of that fact.
The finest moments on Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey are when the band lets go of pretense and lets it all go. This happens most effectively on the first side of the album with the rocking ode to losing touch with pop-culture, "Show Me How This Thing Works." The dense Leonard Cohen influenced "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out With Me" is a stellar song that reinvigorates an outdated reference.
"Hand Me My Inhaler" is a stand out song that is sadly WAY too short. Clocking in at only a minute-and-a-half - this is a song I so badly want to hear more of. The stand out strongest song here is the country-saturated "Friends" a duet with Patterson Hood of Drive-by Truckers. With a slew of old hillbilly riffs, sardonic lyrics, and a wonderful sing-song chant of a chorus.
There's nothing wrong with this album, but it does offer reminder that Cracker was definitely on the fore-front of a roots revival in Alternative Rock in the early 90's, and they don't get their due. They too often fall through the cracks when conversations drift into the Alternative Country spectrum, as music-geeks hail bands (and rightfully so) like Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo.
But sadly, Cracker always seems to get lost in the shuffle, and they've been right there all along.
Previous Albums:
Cracker
Kerosene Hat
The Golden Age
Gentleman's Blues
Garage D'Or
Forever
Hello Cleveland: Live From the Metro
O'Cracker Where Art Thou?
Countrysides
Greenland
Berlin (Live in Berlin December 2006)
[429 Records]
# of spins (out of 5):
Some bands never learn and never, and sometimes you love them for that. Cracker just happens to be one of those bands. Nearly twenty years into their career, they are as sarcastic, snarky, and clever as they ever were. So this is Cracker being Cracker. Most of the material feels appropriate for middle-age men, which is odd, because lead singer David Lowery's voice is as strong as it ever was. Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey is an incredibly strong album from a band this far into its career, although the youthful dynamic has changed within the band since their early hits "Low", "Get Off This", and "Euro-Trash Girl". And they seem vaguely aware of this fact and seem to be self-conscious of that fact.
The finest moments on Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey are when the band lets go of pretense and lets it all go. This happens most effectively on the first side of the album with the rocking ode to losing touch with pop-culture, "Show Me How This Thing Works." The dense Leonard Cohen influenced "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out With Me" is a stellar song that reinvigorates an outdated reference.
"Hand Me My Inhaler" is a stand out song that is sadly WAY too short. Clocking in at only a minute-and-a-half - this is a song I so badly want to hear more of. The stand out strongest song here is the country-saturated "Friends" a duet with Patterson Hood of Drive-by Truckers. With a slew of old hillbilly riffs, sardonic lyrics, and a wonderful sing-song chant of a chorus.
There's nothing wrong with this album, but it does offer reminder that Cracker was definitely on the fore-front of a roots revival in Alternative Rock in the early 90's, and they don't get their due. They too often fall through the cracks when conversations drift into the Alternative Country spectrum, as music-geeks hail bands (and rightfully so) like Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo.
But sadly, Cracker always seems to get lost in the shuffle, and they've been right there all along.
Previous Albums:
Cracker
Kerosene Hat
The Golden Age
Gentleman's Blues
Garage D'Or
Forever
Hello Cleveland: Live From the Metro
O'Cracker Where Art Thou?
Countrysides
Greenland
Berlin (Live in Berlin December 2006)
No comments:
Post a Comment