I received an email from The Cracker about their upcoming full length. A “one-man psychedelic rock project,” Heaven is an impressive 11 songs. There are a lot of opportunities to present a different sound and style from recent releases here.
“Summer Junky” sounds more like a lo-fi rock song with a psychedelic influence. It’s a mellow start and gets your attention. “Egg” is like another interpretation of the genres used on “Summer Junky.” It pulls in more psychedelic methods this time, shown clearly primarily through the vocals.
As I listen through the album, I don’t think psychedelic rock is The Cracker’s core. Honestly, I think rock is the foundation, and then it’s layered with more styles and sounds. “Where Is My Will?” is a garage rock song. And I can hear the direction that The Cracker wants to go. The song’s composition and arrangement are fine, but there’s a depth that’s missing in the mix. It all sounds muted and lacks a dynamic range. I expected to hear highs and lows coming across the verses, but it all feels a little stunted. A song like “Where Is My Will?” should sound messy and aggressive.
“Exit Door” has more dynamicism. It has attitude and subtle aggression. It’s pulling a more British rock and grunge forward. I do wish the bass and bass drum could be heard more. They play an important part in this track, but it’s difficult to hear. “Swim,” up to this point, is the most psychedelic rock song. And it also adds a bit of British rock, too. They fuse together great.
The next song that grabbed my attention was “Melting Sun.” It reminds me of blues rock. The attitude and style that flows across the 5:27 track time is essentially perfect. There’s also more of an audio spectrum here. It’s on par with Lowdown 30 and Julia Dream.
Of the 11 tracks, five or six stuck out to me. The other songs are solid, but they feel a little unfinished or like they were taken as far as possible but not across the finish line. Heaven definitely has a very solid EP’s worth of songs here and these tracks are the ones that immediately make an impact.
As a soloist, The Cracker is an impressive artist. There is cohesiveness on the album in the narrative. But there is an unevenness in the production. Less is more here, along with letting emotions and energy flow more freely.
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Written by Chris P for Korean Indie.
