Cracker, Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey

Something about approaching 50 brings out the stubborn punk mule in those old enough to have experienced the original spit and spirit of '77 as a properly angry young man. While Nick Cave formed Grinderman as a mid-life catharsis act, David Lowery already had a loud rock band at his disposal to take care of any unfinished business from his youth. That band is Cracker, Lowery's going concern since 1992. To be clear: nobody's wearing a dog collar on Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey; Cracker continues to trade in slightly twangy bar-band Americana, albeit with a more urgent, uptempo guitar chug that's strangely reminiscent of the Lemonheads. But Lowery is noticeably charged up. Once the carefree stoner prince at the center of surreal college-rock outfit Camper Van Beethoven, Lowery has lately become a more political animal. The change began with 2004's New Roman Times, Camper's first album of originals after a 14-year hiatus, a concept album of red state-versus-blue state warfare that could've only been released during Bush's second term.

Sunrise begins with "Yalla Yalla (Let's Go)," whose titular Arabic phrase has been adopted by U.S. military personnel in Iraq. It's not a protest song, but somehow its very premise is a strong reminder of an inconvenient war. On the other hand, there's "Hey Brett (You Know What Time It Is)," a bailout-era anthem and call to anarchy fueled by a Stonesy riff and inspired by Brett Nelson of Built To Spill, who once asked the guys in Cracker whether we'd know when it was time to start dragging the rich people from their cars. The thing that separates Cracker's cranky moments from those of, say, Steve Earle, is the reassuring humor surrounding it all. "Friends," a duet with Drive-By Truckers 'Patterson Hood, is a honky-tonk tale of two drinking buddies, while "Hand Me My Inhaler" is an appropriately snotty song about breaking up your teenage band. On the smoothly strummed, Michael Penn-esque "Darling One," Lowery sings, "Why don't you rest your worries darling one, sweetheart?" as if to offer comfort, only to follow it up with the title track, whose lyrics portray life in a ruined empire, where "dying is easy, it's living that's hard." Which Lowery you choose to believe is entirely up to you.