If we are to believe that Cracker was formed as a reaction to the direction Camper Van Beethoven was taking at the end of their career, then we would also have to believe David Lowery when he says The Golden Age is Crackers attempt to veer away from their previous roots-rock foundation to make a grandiose pop record. So it makes perfect sense that former Camper David Immergluck would come along to play pedal steel on the bulk of the disc, right?
Well, sense is not something I expect from Lowery anymore, and Crackers third full-length release is not at all what I expected it to be. From the glam-rock leanings of cuts such as Im A Little Rocket Ship and Nothing to Believe In, to stark ballads such as Big Dipper and Dixie Babylon, to the closing Bicycle Spaniard, which sounds like a long-lost score from the musical South Pacific, The Golden Age proves to be as confounding as it is varied. Pedal steel guitars compete for space with mellotrons, synthesizers, talkboxes and a 15-piece string orchestra. Perhaps some of the credit is due to producer Dennis Herring, who also produced Camper Van Beethovens final album Key Lime Pie.
Lowery continues to write clever songs full of scorn and wit. Now everybody wants to be our friend / So we act real zen, and hang around with movie stars, gibes Lowery in Useless Stuff. In Big Dipper, he manages to affect a slight Southern drawl even while hes singing about college students in Santa Cruz, California.
And once again, the cast of supporting players around Lowery has changed. Bob Rupe (Silos) and Charlie Quintana (Los Plugz, Cruzados) are the rhythm section this time around. But the continuing presence of lead guitarist and co-songwriter Johnny Hickman balances Lowerys more outlandish ideas with solid playing. His baritone guitar trades leads with Immerglucks pedal steel on the countrified title track, and his guitar in Dixie Babylon guides this tune from lazy melody to stunning crescendo.
At this point in his career, Lowery has few expectations to live up to but his own. Whether that means making an overzealous pop album, or playing with a German oompah band (FSK), he seems determined to continue producing music that will both please and annoy the discerning music fan.
