Cracker

April 25 - May 2, 1 9 9 6

**1/2 Cracker

THE GOLDEN AGE

(Virgin)

Eighties college rock lives! In this case, it's the third album from Camper Van Beethoven alum David Lowery and the new band he's assembled over the seven years since the last CVB disc. "I Hate My Generation" covers the same territory "Get Off This" and "Teen Angst" did on their previous two CDs: true anthems with sardonic lyrics and a cracker's approach to the blues. "How can I live without you, if it means I gotta get a job," is one example of Lowery's tongue-in-cheek wit on the new disc. He's also a master of universal, mundane tribulations ("Useless Stuff").

The surprising thing is that half the songs sound like CVB's last album, Key Lime Pie (Virgin, 1989). They have a heaviness and a moroseness that Cracker have only rarely hinted at but that CVB explored thoroughly. "My stars are always crossed," from "Dixie Babylon," seems to be the general theme here; "Big Dipper," with its lulling melody and slow pacing, is the stellar track. So here's to those '80s rockers who aren't afraid of the formula: two steps forward and one step back.

-- Felix Khalatnikov