2006 Greenland    CD  Cooking Vinyl 4777 

1 Something You Ain't Got  5:17 
2 Maggie  3:43 
3 Where Have These Days Gone  4:12 
4 Fluffy Lucy  3:24 
5 The Riverside  4:21 
6 Gimme One More Chance  4:14 
7 I'm So Glad She Ain't Never Coming Back  1:54 
8 Sidi Infi  6:05 
9 I Need Better Friends  3:49 
10 Minotaur  4:27 
11 Night Falls  5:24 
12 Better Times Are Coming Our Way  5:01 
13 Everybody Gets One for Free  6:43 
14 Darling We're out of Time  4:36 



Since his days with the genre-busting 1980s alternative rock outfit Camper Van Beethoven, David Lowery has been moving progressively toward a more roots-oriented, singer-songwriter sound. His later work with Cracker bears this out, and the band's 2006 release GREENLAND is Lowery's most stripped-down and straightforward to date, miles away from the grungey bombast of earlier releases.

Steeped in the sounds of folk and alt-country, with a touch of indie rock thrown in for balance, GREENLAND floats gently along the surface, yet there is a deeply personal undercurrent to nearly every song on the record. Lowery's songs explore themes of loss, heartbreak, and personal upheaval in a way that feels pointedly autobiographical, giving his clever, detail-rich lyrics an added poignancy. This is particularly notable for a band that's often big on tongue-in-cheek irony, and it is this poignancy that gives GREENLAND its winning edge.

Personnel: David Lowery (vocals, guitar, strings, piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Johnny Hickman (vocals, guitar); Alan Weatherhead (guitar, slide guitar, keyboards); Mark Linkous (guitar, synthesizer); David Immerglück (electric guitar); Margaret White (violin); Kenny Margolis (accordion, piano, keyboards); Craig Harmon (organ, keyboards); Lauren Hoffman (synthesizer, background vocals); Miguel Urbiztondo (drums, tabla, percussion); Frank Funaro (drums, percussion); John Morand (percussion); Casey Martin, Caitlin Cary (background vocals).

Photographer: Jonathan Segel.

CMJ (p.5) - "The stubborn sarcasm deep in Lowery's larnyx and the skillful veteran alt-rock instrumentation add more depth than any other surviving alt-rock also-ran..."
No Depression (p.110) - "Frontman David Lowery sounds more reflective than usual as he wonders whatever happened to his California heyday..."

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