There’s been lots of activity in the Cracker camp this year. Following a greatest-hits set that was wholly re-recorded to thwart their former label’s conventional compilation (of which the band didn’t approve), Cracker makes its proper Cooking Vinyl debut with “Greenland.” Singer David Lowery seems lost in rumination on much of the album, mulling over opportunities missed and times past, but ultimately claiming to be at peace. There are only flashes of Lowery’s trademark wit: “I know that our last record/ Didn’t do very well/ But now we’re back on the block/ With our freedom rock,” he asserts on “Everybody Gets One for Free.” Yet while he may feel liberated, “Greenland” is, for the most part, too dark for listeners to find much worth celebrating.
