Second bands are never supposed do as well as first bands. Mars Volta is great...but At The Drive-In is still better. Crowded House has some great hits...even great albums...but the Split Enz are still superior. And don't even get me started on Porno For Pyros. That's why Cracker's long-term success is such a fluke. Camper Van Beethoven was such an indie rock darling, it was hard to imagine that Lowry's follow-up band could be anything more than a novelty. But almost twenty years later, Cracker is still going strong. What makes their succes even more shocking is that they are one of the last bands standing from the early 90s. Many of their grunge peers are already having "reunion" tours, while Cracker has never bothered to leave the stage.
I was lucky enough to get an advance of the new album, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey. I surprised how alive the album sounded. This is easily Cracker's best release in a over a decade and solidly on par with Kerosene Hat or Gentlemen's Blues. On this release, Cracker isn't just churning out more tunes for their catalogue to keep their core fans happy, on this album, they're making a statement. With guest spots from John Doe, Patterson Hood, and Adam Duritz, they are showing that not only are they as good as the bands that they influenced, they are proving that they match up with bands that influenced them.
Here are the 11 Best Songs By Cracker:
1. Teen Angst (Cracker)
2. Low (Kerosene Hat)
3. Forever (Forever)
4. I Want Everything (Kerosene Hat)
5. The Golden Life (Gentlemen's Blues)
6. Been Around the World (Gentlemen's Blues)
7. Another Song About The Rain (Cracker)
8. 100 Flower Power Maximum (The Golden Age)
9. I Hate My Generation (The Golden Age)
10. My Life Is Totally Boring Without You (Gentlemen's Blues)
11. Ain't Going To Suck Itself (Countrysides)
Buy Cracker's new album, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey. (get a bonus track at my Amazon store)
I never do this...but here's one of the new tracks because I think the album's that good.
7 comments:
I really like Nostalgia by Cracker off Kerosene Hat. But a good list.
I think my favorite Cracker song ever is "Happy Birthday to Me"...though I also like "Another Song About the Rain"...actually that whole album is pretty solid.
My favorite Cracker song of all time has to be "Happy Birthday to Me", though that whole album is pretty solid.
Hold of Myself
Hold of Myself
The fact that Cracker is successful and has been for so long is not a fluke! It is a combination of songwriting skills, excellent musicianship, and non-stop touring that keeps them successful and relevant!
I personally think this "sunrise in the land of milk and honey" (or whatever it's called) is hardly up to Cracker standards. They miss Kenny and his keyboard terribly. Never knew how important Kenny was until he was gone.......
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