Craftsmen with Hats made of Kerosene

It's been years and years since rock music was still important and had great relevance. Artists were not pop bunnies who sang with computer voices, but stars with guitars, poets, explainers of the world.

Now it's time to insert a few crackers - through the ear, because it's about the album "Kerosene Hat"

David Lowery's former band Camper Van Beethoven was one of the most innovative US underground bands of the '80s, but that also stood in their way. The mixture of country, folk, pop and psychedelic rock caught fire, but only with a few connoisseurs. The world only noticed to a limited extent that Lowery had one or two hit melodies coming out of his sleeves.

The band's leader looked for a new beginning for three years before introducing Cracker. Much more direct, less playful, but audibly unwilling to join the rampant grunge movement.

“Kerosene Hat” was still a success. Cracker shines with power pop of an almost forgotten kind: a guitar sound that is as crisp as it is dense, from which Lowery's nasal vocals always emerge.

These are rock workers, craftsmen in the best sense of the word, no wonder, because David Lowery first toured numerous clubs with his new group before starting the tape machines to perform twelve straightforward hits and acoustic ballads to his idols ZZ Top, Iggy Pop and Bob Dylan to pay tribute.

With songs like "Infirmary" or "Sweet Potato" there's almost a hint of rock 'n' roll eternity wafting through the speakers: guitar riffs and vocal harmonies that have been known for a long time, but which, despite this, all add up to a pleasingly fresh sound "Go For A Ride", for example, pays a fast-paced tribute to punk.

“Lonesome Johnny Blues", on the other hand, is based on American country tradition, and with “I Want Everything,” Cracker ventures into ballad territory. A song that hits straight to the heart. Here, as on the rest of the album, Lowery always finds the right tones, far away from the well-known clichés of pop poetry.