Cracker - Forever

In many ways, Forever has been a long time coming. The fifth album from Cracker finds principal songwriter and frontman David Lowery finally and fully integrating his more recent leanings with the sound of his previous band, Camper Van Beethoven. So, in addition to the garage-rock Americana that defined Cracker's preceding albums, Forever adds a healthy dose of Camper Van's eclecticism, especially on tracks like "Guarded by Monkeys" and the Johnny Hickman-penned "Superfan." Lowery's wit is still in top form ("God gave you life / So stay out of mine / And take your sorry ass back to Florida" he spits on "Don't Bring Us Down"), and Hickman's guitar work is as fierce as ever. Some old friends turn up on some of the best tracks (Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous contributes guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals to album opener, "Brides of Neptune"). And even though they do occasionally stumble (the band's attempt at rap on "What You're Missing" is more pathetic than funny), Forever features some of Cracker's best work since Kerosene Hat. --Robert Burrow Amazon.com

Very Good, But Doesn't Exceed Expectations

Cracker is one of the most fun and entertaining bands to come around in a while, so I figured this CD to be a safe bet for my money, and it is. I just don't know if meeting expectations is enough to recommend the disk, though. There has always been an undercurrent of intelligence lacing its way through lead singer David Lowery's strange perspective, but now it feels as though reflection has taken over, and it doesn't always work. "Forever" feels less fun than previous Cracker albums. On Forever, a lot of the songs come off as well-crafted, but not as crafty as previous efforts. Lowery is better at being a wise guy than he is at navel-gazing, so songs like "Forever", "Shameless" and "One Fine Day" (all inexcusably placed side by side at the end of the disk) go on a road to nowhere, lacking his typical wit and charm. Much better are "Brides of Neptune", and "Shine", which better displays the David Lowery we have come to know and..........appreciate, if not love.
Strangely, the best two songs on the CD share the topic of obsession. "Guarded By Monkeys" and "Superfan" are easily the most musically interesting tracks, but it's their related perspective that binds them. "Guarded By Monkeys" has Lowery obsessing over a beauty queen, while "Superfan" switches sides (and genders), by portraying the twisted psyche of a stalker. One more complaint, though; Christmas tunes should NEVER be placed in the middle of an album, guys. "Merry Christmas Emily" is a cool song, but it's got sleigh bells, fer crissakes. Tacking this on as a hidden track would've been much cooler, and it would've helped this disk to flow a whole lot smoother.
Forever has its moments, and if you're already a fan, you'll be fine. If you're interested in discovering Cracker, though, I'd recommend one of their earlier albums. If you act fast, though, this record does have a free `bonus disk' of a live show - nothing to knock your socks off, but worth it if only for the fun cover version of Status Quo's "Pictures of Matchstick Men". B+ -- Tom Ryan March 16, 2006

Not Cracker's best, but still a good album

I bought "Forever" immediately upon its release, listened to it a couple of times, and then put it in the CD rack and let it gather dust. I love Cracker; I've seen them live numerous times; I own all the albums. Yet, something about "Forever" just didn't grab me when the album came out.

Recently, I played it again, and my opinion of the album turned about 180 degrees. Songs like "Miss Santa Cruz County," "Ain't That Strange," and "Sweet Magdalena of My Misfortune" are channeled right from old school Cracker. "Merry Christmas Emily" is just plain fun. And the other songs show experimentation and growth over and above the band's previous body of work.

Sure, a couple of songs still don't quite work for me. But this album is still a keeper, and if you're already a Cracker fan, you should own this. February 14, 2006

So let's all be someone else, I'm tired of being myself

If you pop Countrysides, Crackers latest album, in your computer, you can watch a little movie describing Cracker's saga as a country band. In it, David Lowery flat out admits that Cracker was bored with what they were doing and wanted something else to do. And in perfect hindsight, Forever sounds like it came from a band that is bored stiff.

Not that this is a bad thing, it's just extremely underwhelming. Cracker used to have a lot of conviction and attitude in their sound. Now they just have, well, sound.

Most of the songs here would do well for Sunday afternoon "chill" music while you do nothing. Even the harder-edged tunes are subtle, such as Ms. Santa Cruz County or Don't Bring Us Down. Brides of Neptune is the closest thing to a great song on here for me, not because of its compositional value, but because of it's sleepy atmosphere and random-nonsense lyrics.

But while most of Forever is not garish, there are two songs that make me cringe in pain. One is Superfan. Johnny Hickman took it upon himself to write a techno-based song with a silly melody and cliched lyrics about a fan stalking a pop star. On top of that are the overdone megaphone-sounding voice filters. It is, without a doubt, his worst song. The other song in question is What You're Missing, where David Lowery tries to rap about how he's in the band Cracker, not Uncle Kracker. It's dreaful b-side material at best. Those two songs make me almost feel embarrased FOR the band.

So if you subtract Superfan and What You're Missing from the track listing, you are left with an average Cracker release. On Coutrysides, you can find Cracker doing something interesting and having fun in the process. Neither is the case in Forever. March 3, 2004

Cracker's worst album

Someone has to bring the average down. I have all Cracker's (and CVB's) records and like all of them except this one. In my opinion these songs are pretentious, non-melodic and self-conscious. July 23, 2003

I am guarded by monkeys.

I really like this album, and I adore the song "Guarded by Monkeys." I don't know that the album immediateyly grabbed me though. So maybe it does take some getting used to.
Also, it never occurred to me to think of "What You're Missing" as a rap. I always thought it was more like - if you've ever seen the show "Whose Line Is it Anyway?", when they do a 'hoedown' on there. That's all I have to say. April 5, 2003

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