CD reviews: Cracker, Jonny Greenwood, Ghostface Killah
Formed in 1990 after the demise of songwriter David Lowery’s sister band, college radio faves Camper Van Beethoven, the eclectic Cracker have often flown well below the mainstream radar despite a career of indie riffs and catchy choruses.
Berkeley to Bakersfield
SLG
Formed in 1990 after the demise of songwriter David Lowery’s sister band, college radio faves Camper Van Beethoven, the eclectic Cracker have often flown well below the mainstream radar despite a career of indie riffs and catchy choruses.
This album, the band’s 10th studio effort, is split into two distinct camps. Liberal Berkeley and conservative Bakersfield are cities of Cracker’s home state California, separated by a five-hour drive and a world of politics. Each disc of this double album is played by a different configuration of musicians and reflects the two cities’ distinctive vibes. The Berkeley disc, which sees the band’s original line-up back together after a more than 20-year hiatus, unsurprisingly leans more towards Cracker’s more familiar East Bay garage rock.
Songs such as the swaggering March of the Billionaires and Beautiful are short and gloriously sweet riff-filled tunes. Bakersfield sees Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman joined by some country rock musicians and takes the pedal steel path towards twangy rootsy blue-collar Americana. Both discs deserve repeated listening.
Inherent Vice
(Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Nonesuch
While the entire world gets excited by the news that English alt-rock overlords Radiohead have returned to the recording studio to begin work on their ninth album, lead guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood treats us to his sixth movie score.