Cracker - Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey (2009)
It’s been nearly two decades since roots-rock heroes Cracker collapsed onto the scene, and they have a lot to be proud of. Most of all, they’re survivors. Never ones to be truly mainstream, it’s pretty amazing that they made it. But it’s like the stubborn cockroach: just be your bizarre self and you’ll be fine, and with Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey (2009), Cracker sounds pretty much the same as they did with their eponymous debut back in 1992, but that’s just fine. It’s clear that they abandoned their superstar dreams long ago; you might even say that they never actually had any, especially since their commercial rise and fall spans only the first four years of the band’s existence, with them being ejected from the major label scene almost seven years ago. Despite all of that, the band continued to produce some of the best tongue and cheek music in their genre, carving themselves a surprisingly safe niche in a nonsensical cocoon.
While the majority of Cracker’s post-2000 albums saw the band expanding their cast and sonic ambition a little bit and exploring a variety of different musical styles, Sunrise... is lean and mean. Whittled down to a foursome now, the band delivers a strong hard-hitting collection of songs, void of frills and truly back to basics. No matter what form the band embodies, however, the creative core is and has always revolved around the songwriting partnership of David Lowery and Johnny Hickman, and here they have given one of their hardest albums ever, exposing the punk-folk spirit of their earlier work. Sunrise... is quick, efficient, and straight to the no point, as is apparent on the opening “Yalla Yalla (Let’s Go)” and “Show Me How This Thing Works.” From this, the rest of the album mostly blisters and roars. It’s classic Cracker, complete with typical T&C titles (“Hand Me My Inhaler”), ground floor rockers (“We All Shine A Light” and “Hey Bret (You Know What Time It Is)”), and crazy lyrics (every song). If there is a theme to extract from the lunacy, it’s that the sky is falling and the world is going hell. It may be a little darker than the usual Cracker fair, but such are the times. That being said, this is not a political record per say, it’s more like they’re revisiting their sardonic worldview from The Golden Age (1996), except it’s over a decade later and things are just more messed up. Amidst the fury, however, a few moments of solace do exist in the form of “Darling One” and “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out With Me,” both of which rank as some of the band’s greatest compositions and reflect a more accessible production (it’s the sweet to go with the sour). While these two songs are both pretty, they retain the apocalyptic jargon. All in all, the album is bleak, but the band is laughing in the face of destruction, and you would be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable band to have around at the world’s end.
In the end, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey is a welcome return to the band’s roots, and while it may not be their finest offering, it’s certainly one of their strongest and most immediate. And even if the band has darker times on the mind, they will no doubt soldier on for as long as possible, and continue to find the humor, irony, and absurdities in life. Cracker is here to stay, as they always have been. So we should all follow Cracker’s lead and make like a cockroach and survive!
While the majority of Cracker’s post-2000 albums saw the band expanding their cast and sonic ambition a little bit and exploring a variety of different musical styles, Sunrise... is lean and mean. Whittled down to a foursome now, the band delivers a strong hard-hitting collection of songs, void of frills and truly back to basics. No matter what form the band embodies, however, the creative core is and has always revolved around the songwriting partnership of David Lowery and Johnny Hickman, and here they have given one of their hardest albums ever, exposing the punk-folk spirit of their earlier work. Sunrise... is quick, efficient, and straight to the no point, as is apparent on the opening “Yalla Yalla (Let’s Go)” and “Show Me How This Thing Works.” From this, the rest of the album mostly blisters and roars. It’s classic Cracker, complete with typical T&C titles (“Hand Me My Inhaler”), ground floor rockers (“We All Shine A Light” and “Hey Bret (You Know What Time It Is)”), and crazy lyrics (every song). If there is a theme to extract from the lunacy, it’s that the sky is falling and the world is going hell. It may be a little darker than the usual Cracker fair, but such are the times. That being said, this is not a political record per say, it’s more like they’re revisiting their sardonic worldview from The Golden Age (1996), except it’s over a decade later and things are just more messed up. Amidst the fury, however, a few moments of solace do exist in the form of “Darling One” and “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out With Me,” both of which rank as some of the band’s greatest compositions and reflect a more accessible production (it’s the sweet to go with the sour). While these two songs are both pretty, they retain the apocalyptic jargon. All in all, the album is bleak, but the band is laughing in the face of destruction, and you would be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable band to have around at the world’s end.
In the end, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey is a welcome return to the band’s roots, and while it may not be their finest offering, it’s certainly one of their strongest and most immediate. And even if the band has darker times on the mind, they will no doubt soldier on for as long as possible, and continue to find the humor, irony, and absurdities in life. Cracker is here to stay, as they always have been. So we should all follow Cracker’s lead and make like a cockroach and survive!
3.5/5
"And if you wanna die we can take the low road / Cause dying is easy, it's living that's hard"
S. McSmoke-Smoke
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